Originally Posted by
Columbia
Just curious, were all the circa C2K contracts (AMR, DAL, UAL) negotiated this way, i.e. historically? Maybe those successes need to be considered the "new normal?" It seems more and more that a strike threat is no longer in the quiver as it was in the late 2000s.
A strike ALWAYS has to be in the quiver. And I don't mean just the threat of a strike. I mean an MEC that tells pilots to start tightening your belts RIGHT NOW. Start saving your money RIGHT NOW. Plan your finances around being able to be out for months RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, it's kind of like military might - it does you no good if everyone is sure you'll never use it.
There's always the chance that negotiations go well based on mutual respect and recall of what the pilots have given to save the airline. But if they don't go that way, the above warnings need to be given to the pilot group right away.
Carl