I don't know what is in the Pinnacle contract but our Mesaba contract DOES have Q rates. Yes - they are the same as CRJ200 rates. Believe me when I say that it will be a significant raise for Colgan. Just as our jet rates would be a raise for Pinnacle.

We will not negotiate less than the December 01, 2010 rates. Now does that mean we won't get less. Well it's negotiation's so it's possible but I think the best we at Mesaba can expect is status quo with health insurance and prescription reduction AND a split in the FO rates. I mean raising Colgan 38%+ and Pinnacle quite a bit is going to be very difficult.

I never expected this Nov 15th deadline to get completed. I think there were some hopeful people and our unions certainly doing their best to get it done, but Uncle Phil has kept 9E guys going for 6 years so a sudden change to get speedy just doesn't compute.

Now this is what I suspect is happening now. After agreeing to a bunch of really not that important things, those things suddenly come off the table. Our guys are going to negotiate and the company is coming with a script that they literally read off of cards. If there are no answers on the card, that's all they say. The meetings will get very short.

Know that management people are reading these posts and seeing the loud, unhappy minority trying to kick sand in our faces. I know they are because during our bankruptcy, I wrote something explaining a concept to a relative newcomer to our company. Low and behold the outrageous example I used on our Mesaba pilots website was brought into the negociating room. Please be careful what you say here.

We are all Pinnacle. That's the bottom line. Lets keep an undivided front and get this thing done. Few will be happy. Colgan will get a windfall (good for you - REALLY). Mesaba pilots will wind up getting less benefit but I think most could get behind it if we weren't threatened with 1/3 seniority and downgrade BS.