Once you enter mediation, the National Mediation Board determines when the dispute is released from mediation.

So, if you vote no, your dispute remains in mediation. It is typically the goal of a labor group to obtain a release from mediation because that dramatically amps up the credibility of the threat they pose to management that they might end up on strike. In general, getting released from mediation increases labor's leverage because it means they could be on strike in as soon as 30 days.

How long you remain in mediation depends on a variety of factors. But, as the railroad workers just proved earlier this year, it's possible for a block of unions representing more than 100,000 employees and 40% of the nation's freight capacity to be released from mediation in less than six months. Typically, it has taken much longer than that to win a release from mediation. But, the political composition of the NMB changed late last year to a Democratic majority, which, in the case of the rail workers, proved to be a positive development.

 

Then we should do what other main lines are doing. Don't accept anything subpar. United kicked back their TA and it was arguably better than this one.

 

Isn't doing what other main lines are doing why our MEC and NC were in talks with the other MEC's and NC's? United didn't even get to a TA. They surveyed what was in the AIP and the survey kicked that back with a NC chairman recall (if I remember that scenario 100% correctly). Short of that, I don't know what was in their AIP. If you do, please share so we can all make the comparison to not have a subpar contract. However, these are question to ask during roadshow education starting in just over a week.

 

United did/maybe does have a TA. Long story. I suggest you go read this thread to get up to speed on what's going on with United's negotiations. Since we operate in a pattern bargaining environment, what happens there affects all airline pilots as does what happens at Alaska.

Then, go here and read the various RLA-related pages, especially the "RLA Conundrums" page. The site is put together by the acting Director of Mediation Services at the NMB, John Livingood. He knows a lot about the ins and outs of the RLA.

If you're a professional airline pilot, you owe it to yourself and your profession to understand the RLA since it forms the environment that regulates the terms by which our contracts are created. Our contracts, as you hopefully understand, dictate nearly every aspect of our lives at work and, in many ways, our lives outside of work (how many days off we get, for example).