As much as I would like to take the "high road", and "do the right thing" for guys not yet on our seniority list......I am not ready to do that.

First I take it in the shorts on behalf of guys that were supposed to leave our seniority list, and now someone wants me to use what little negotiating capital for those not on the seniority list.

How bout helping out the mainstream, regular pilot, whatever that might be.

I can't pull up the ladder until "I've got mine"....and you know what....I haven't "got mine" yet.

If we accept the fact that this is a zero sum game, that there is only so much we will be able to improve our contract, then I am whole-heartedly against improving the contract to benefit only a few people.

Yes, new-hire pay may suck, but if we improve the contract in ways that everyone benefits, then they will get the benefit of our negotiations long past their first year.

Personally I would (and did) put up with lousy wages in order to reap the benefits of better conditions for multiple years afterwards.

You also forget that until recently, FedEx wasn't the end-all and be-all of aviation. These folks are on probation.....and they haven't made a "commitment" to the company either. It wasn't that long ago that people left FDX to go to the likes of Delta, United, etc. It could be that way again.

If I only have a few bargaining chips, why should I use them to increase the pay of someone who may or not be here in a year. A rising tide floats all boats......first year pay floats your boat high for only one year.