Originally Posted by
Gone Flying
there are several examples of CBAs taking years (Covid aside) because it’s cheaper for the company and the NMB does not push them to actually negotiate. If DL decides they don’t want to play ball they could 100% use the process to take years to get an agreement.
Remember AA and UA had agreements had been amendable for over a year when Covid hit. Even excluding Covid pause, both carriers were in negotiations for 2-3 years before they got their contracts in 2023. When AA declared bankruptcy their contract had been amendable for 4-5 years and was signed almost a decade before their BK.
It is always to the company's advantage to drag out negotiations. They lock in the existing rates. We never get FULL retro. They stall until a crisis is available to exploit. When was the last time an airline was making good profits with a good outlook and signed a timely deal that was not concessionary or appeasing? They will crank up the doom and gloom machine, make life more difficult in general to pressure the NC and MEC, and sow the seeds of conflict within the group... kinda like the latest IA tactic.