[quote=newKnow;497284]Wiggy,
I'm wondering. What exactly did you do to get those magnanimous payrates that you currently enjoy?
First of all, it is the DL pilots who are magnanimous, not the payrates. In spite of the alarmist and childish behavior of the NW MEC after LOA 19, the DL pilots did exactly as they said they would, -use the majority of the negotiating capital to bring their "brethren" up to parity. (we all know they could have done differently)
Then, in surely one of the most bizarrely disingenuous and superficially self-serving acts in merger history, the NW MEC tryed to claim their step up to parity was, for the expediency of seniority list construction, actually a step down to parity.
Secondly,
I, personally, never claimed that
I, personally, did anything to get those "magnanimous" payrates. To continue down that line of reasoning leads to the idea that none of us can take "credit" or "responsibility" for anything, individually or as separate groups. (from which reasoning I conclude, infallibly, -you are a democrat!
)
I mean to say, if you've been around long enough, you would know that a pilot groups higher payrates over another pilot group last only as long as the next contract.
Well if you meant to say just this, why didn't you?--it would have saved me from having to write the long, vituperatively recapitulative diatribe above! Actually, and this will no doubt come as a great surprise to you...I disagree. We are not engaged in "pattern bargaining", we are engaged in a "merger". You received a payraise exclusively, and altogether soley, because DL's payrates were superior to your own.
In this industry, one group piggybacks off the other. It has nothing to do with your skill and everything to do with timing.
A little too general for my taste, New. It has something to do with skill...management at managing, and management and pilots at negotiating, and less to do with the timing of "manna from Heaven".
So, if you want us to thank you for our recent payraises, fine. Thanks, you guys are the greatest.
Our magnanimity in accepting this altogether ostentatious display of gratitude is in direct proportion to the sincerity with which it is offered!
But, if thats the case, you should return that thanks to (1)us for negotiating the first payraises of any of the pilot groups post 9/11.
-You should thank UAL for getting that huge contract in 2000.
(2)-You should thank us (NWA) for going on strike in 1998.
-You should thank AA for the sickout they had in 1996 or 1997. (I forget)
-You should thank every other airline out there who had the jumpseat before you guys.
We unreservedly thank all the groups/endeavors above except (1) and (2), -to whom our gratefulness is "tempered" in light of the present "difficulties" and which gratefulness, at best, can only have an expectation of sincerity based on the concept of "reciprocity" (yeah, dude, we'll thank you like you thanked us.)
The sooner you realize that, the sooner your head will be able to fit thru the cockpit door.
--It is a bit unwieldy, what with the gigantic, tissue-thin ego throbbing against all points of my cranium, but a little vaseline and a push from behind and, voila'!