Originally Posted by
Scoop
So why do we always think of giving Scope concessions for the “hypothetical” pay raise? I hear guys mention that pilots will quickly give up 76 seat Scope in a heartbeat for a 25% pay-raise – why is that? Why not give up half of our sick leave for a 25 % pay-raise? Why not give up 5% of company matching funds? Hey, how about giving up the 5th week of vacation? At least these give-aways will affect the entire pilot group.
Could it be that small jet scope disproportional impacts the junior pilots? No that can’t be correct, because that would be kind of sleazy – some guys selling out other guys for personal gain. If the company wants a scope concession for anything - how about proportional scope? Let’s say we allow 1 wide-body joint venture international code share flight for every wide-body DAL flight, for a 25% pay-raise. Then the whole seniority group would have to think long and hard about how much they want that 25% pay-raise. That would absolutely, and should absolutely, never fly. Well then, why is it OK to sell out 76 seat scope? Answer – it shouldn’t be, and if we are truly a union we will not give another inch on SCOPE.
Delta can fly as many 76 seat and 100 seat aircraft as they want – all they have to do is put a Delta crew in the cockpit.
It appears the company is already starting to shape the new merged DAL. We are parking all the DC-9s and flooding MEM with RJs – here we go again.
Since we merged the company has parked the 747 freighters, and is now parking the lions share of the DC-9 fleet. How long until the all too predictable management demand – “We need 76/90/100 seat feed to support the hubs. Who the hell are the MEM RJs feeding? Other RJs! Screw that – wake up guys, we are like the frog in the pot of boiling water – we don’t even realize that we are being cooked.
How many Pilots did we have when the merger was announced? How many do we have now? Ask yourself the same question in two more years. Yeah, I know we don’t have any furloughs, well I agree, that is good, but shrinking the airline by attrition, which we have been doing, and continue to do, aint so hot either.
Scoop
Great points, and there is a danger of us ultimately shrinking as we go forward. There will be no furloughs but the bottom will not get any farther away. (At least not like it should) That does not seem to be the plan, but that changes every week.
Again, 77+ seat flying is our, and it is our in the PWA. We have to give it away.
The spat between Bar and I started and is because of what I agree with in the ROAR article. What the priorities of the WHOLE group are.
Understand what I am saying:
We have gone though one of the most difficult times in our airlines history. No furloughs resulted for many reasons, but one was that both side of the merger did a lot of cleaning in CH11. That left us better equipped to deal with the down turn. It has not left us unscathed though. (Debt obligations)
Going in to 2012 I beleive that given the choice the MAJORITY of pilots want scope to be recaptured but do not want to do it at the expense of a raise. That is the point.
We got in to the point of Unity, and the parallels to the Romans and the DAL pilot group. All good points.
Everyone is concerned about scope and EVERY rep and MEC member I have talked to are steadfast about no more scope sales. Holding the line is a lot different than recapturing it. That is all. With no furloughs people see the line as more acceptable. With no furloughs the are more willing to keep this line and go after the other wants. The scope restoration may happen, but not as the cost of other items like pay and the sixth week of vacation. (just examples)