Can you please point me to the contractual provision that allows us to hold up the Single Operating Certificate? That was a rhetorical question because there isn't one. The Single Operating Certificate is a matter between the FAA and management (when was the last time you heard the US Air call sign?). Moreover, has anyone else noticed that the optimization of aircraft and route structure is also not in our control? UA is about to start flying IAH-LIM with a 767-300, CO is about to start a bunch of 737 routes out of ORD and of course the well publicized regional flying out of IAH is about to become reality.

What we control is very limited: the ability for UA and CO pilots to fly together and for pilots to fly aircraft from the other pre-merger company --that's it. It's worth something, but only a fraction of the value that most pilots think we control. Meanwhile, years will go by as we wonder why management isn't capitulating to our demands while they already have 97% of the merger synergies in hand.

I know this post will be met with jeers from some, but it is a foolish endeavor to negotiate without a true assessment and understanding of your actual leverage. I'm all for maximizing the leverage we do have, but first we need to understand that we haven't hit the leverage lottery jackpot as some would like to believe.

I think ALPA is partially responsible for this mindset, because they think it's good politics to talk tough and cater to pilot's dream scenarios like controlling a billion + in merger synergies. Unfortunately, they seem to think it's bad politics to admit that most of it is just for show.

We are going to get the contract we're going to get and I'd prefer to have the time value of money working for me rather than against me. For those who think that retro-pay takes care of that concern, trust me, retro money just comes from some other area of the contract (for example, you could forgo the retro-pay and get higher pay rates or something else -- it's just money at that point). Furthermore there's no such thing as retro work rules -- you can't get back a day off from last year.