Waves,
It is hard for you to realize the losses of the N side because you have not experienced any of the losses that we did with our contract going away. Some things are QOL items that are difficult to put a dollar value on. Did we get a pay raise?? Yes, if you look only at hourly rates. That is very simple. But lets look at W-2s
2008 w-2 :$134,741.06 days worked 99 total 1361$/day
2009 w-2 :$133,934.12 days worked 134 total 1000$/day
2010 w-2 :$140,125.00 days worked 132 total 1061$/day base on avg
for 01/02
So on w-2s alone I made less in 09(DALrates) than in 08(NWA rates) with the huge huge huge pay raise that I got. In the SLI postings we were told time and time again about our huge pay raises that we were getting(go check them out on the old merger page). I said that the numbers did not show that and was told I was totally wrong. And how about that $PER DAY FIGURE
That equates to huge quality of life losses. Lost 2000 hours of sick pay: approx $270,000.00 for me. I was planning on bailing out early but lost medical coverage for early goers so I gotta stick around now. And I can keep going on things that were lost. I am grateful for the raises in pay that were achieved, but had you not got them where would we have been??? Pretty much they just kept us even with where we were. I hope this puts this issue to bed and I for one am sick and tired of it. The above numbers are facts and I got paperwork to back them up. I flew the same time pretty much every month approx 76-77 hours on average. So while it is so easy for you to make your statements where are your facts? So when you tell me that I got a huge pay raise, and I look at the above numbers, it kinda really ticks me off. If that's your goal keep it up you are doing a fine job.
And for the really big one, I would have finished up as capt on the 330 with the last couple years on the 747. It will take a small miracle for me just to get on the 330 after SLI, and I sure did not want to do it on reserve. The only hope is that we grow and expand??????
So, there is a perspective from a N-guy. Most of us are not really happy about this merger. Has nothing to do with N vs S guys on a personal level. I tell my self "that's life" and try to get on with things and hope for the best. I can't speak for the rest of the guys on their w-2s those are just mine. It seems as though you think this merger was a bed of roses for us, but for us there are lots of thorns in that bed. Maybe now you understand us a little more.
P.S. THis post is to be considered informative only and is not meant to further this argument. I would like to put this dog(huge pay raise) to bed and let it lie. You never wake an old dog asleep on the porch. I am done with it.