OldAg84- Yours was a well thought out post and deserves a well thought out reply. I'll do my best.

I don't want to strike, and turn upside down the lives of our passengers and fellow employees, but I may have to vote yes when the time comes. Delta management is asking for far more than they need from us, and they are doing it simply because this is a historic opportunity to do so. They gave us an arbitrary requirement of $325 million in concessions, then gave us a proposal worth nearly double that, when our analysis shows that they need only a fraction of the $325 million. (Our financial analysts have generally been more accurate than Delta's, going back as far as the Western merger.) In addition, they maintain the fiction that they are going try to save our pensions, when in reality, they are just saving that punch in the gut for later.

Like blackmailers, these guys will keep coming back for more, simply because they think they can get it. I think its time to put them against the wall and tell them we're not paying anymore. Don't get me wrong- I'm willing to give them what they need; I'm just not willing to give them whatever they want. At some point, they have to start managing this airline, and fix the yield side of the equation. I hope that their tentative steps in this direction are not too little, too late.

For me personally, I am willing to walk away from Delta and aviation, after more than twenty years in this field. Although I've reached my career goal of becoming a 767 captain, I'm tired of being at the mercy of a bunch of MBA's who have no airline experience, but a bunch of novel ideas. I've already started working on my next career. I may not make as much money (initially), but at least my success or failure will be driven by my ability and efforts.

I hope this helps. As a disclaimer, I am not a union rep, nor a hard-line rabble rouser. I think I represent the average pilot, albeit with more to lose than most.