The company came in with "working documents" rather than formal proposals. Under the TPA rules, "working documents" can't be shared with the pilot group or the arbitrator. These documents were designed to make it look like the sky was falling in the industry as well as within the company. The company put a stake in the ground as far away from reality / market based wages as possible. ALPA looked at the fantasy and with nothing else to say or do they called the meeting over in about an hour. The VP of labor at the table representing the company seems to be the problem. He can't find his butt with both hands and a map. I bet we will see Ben or Brad get in the game over the next few weeks and get it done in a timely manor. If not, we will win later through arbitration. Brad's not stupid. He knows he has a loosing hand. He knows what he is going to have to do. We just need to play the game for a little while to get there.

 

I figured it would start off this way. Look at how long the TPA took to negotiate. It wasn't till the very last minute that an agreement was made.

Ready Safe.....Go

 

We keep getting played over and over. Negotiating is about various kinds of leverage with time being one of them. The company has zero incentive to get a deal done until the very last possible minute. They will stall stall stall until other needs (the sing cert in this case). Then they will start negotiating, but by then we will have already made 6 months worth of concessions...just like the TPA. Funny how that got resolved just as the deal was closing. Coincidence? I think not.

 

I would not expect business leaders to commit to ANYTHING until the last possible moment. Why give away anything for free? They can't go to their BOD and say, "Yes, we gave the pilots everything they asked for on the first meeting". If it goes to arbitration because management was being stubborn, then management can declare victory to their investors because mgmnt never caved. Never mind that arbitration might produce the best numbers for us pilots, mgmnt will spin it in such a way that keeps them sparkly clean.

 

February 8, 2017
"Alaska Air reported its fourth quarter and full year 2016 results, with net profit falling in both periods."

In the quarter to end December 2016, net income fell 40 percent to USD$114 million, with operating revenue up 11 percent at $1.52 billion, but expenses were up 14 percent to $1.28 billion.

Major cost increases were wages and benefits, up 13 percent, and aircraft fuel costs which rose 12 percent in the quarter.

Alaska Air Group carried 8.75 million passengers in Q4, a 10.4 percent increase from the prior year period.

Traffic in revenue passenger miles rose 13.1 percent on an ASM (available seat miles) capacity increase of 10.3 percent. Load factor came in at 84.5 percent, a 2 percentage point increase.

For the full year 2016, net income dropped 4 percent to $814 million on an operating revenue increase of 6 percent at $5.93 billion. Expenses came in at $4.58 billion, a 7 percent rise.

Alaska Air spent $123 million less on fuel and hedging costs in 2016, a 13 percent drop to $831 million, but wages grew 10 percent to $1.38 billion.

The group flew 34.3 million passengers during the year, a 7.5 percent increase from 2015. The takeover of Virgin America on December 14 accounted for only a negligible increase in passengers carried.

“2016 was an incredible year for Alaska in almost every way, and we are even more excited as we look forward to 2017 and beyond,” Alaska Air chief executive Brad Tilden said in a statement.

During the year, Alaska Air added 19 Boeing 737-900ERs to its fleet, bringing the total to 155 aircraft. Virgin America operated 63 aircraft at the end of 2016.



You don’t even have to be there just read the quarterly reports to figure out ALK is negotiating with pilots.
"Major cost increases were wages and benefits, up 13 percent, and aircraft fuel costs which rose 12 percent in the quarter."

 

When I feel like I am being taken advantage of by my company, I lose my enthusiasm. When I lose my enthusiasm, I get tired. When I get tired, I stop doing all the "little things" to help out, like granting Flight Duty Period extensions.

 

We could dream that extensions would end, that we would all just fly 75, that picking up premium/ open-time would end, that we would disconnect from text notification etc..... but it wont happen...we are too greedy, too selfish and too egotistical to do anything to help our own cause....Pathetic really

 

Who got the pay raises?

 

It's all business.

Along those lines, the Company actions are predictable.

The question is whether the Union is finally going to grow a pair. One can only hope. I fully expect and hope for arbitration. I do not want the usual suspects voting on my pay, again. I also want transparency from the Union. I don't want to find out the Union proposal was too low after ther Arbitrator renders a decision.

I think you're right about the Company timeline. It'll be as late as possible for the reasons you mentioned and more. They have nothing to lose, everything to gain.

I expect numerous plays from the past, from the Company playbook, to include an 11th-hour offer in lieu of Arbitration and a white night to ride in to save the day, all things from the past. They might even offer a sacraficial lamb, Hornebrook or the VP of Employee/Labor.

Aslo, don't forget. The Mechanics have yet to vote on their TA. I don't expect the company to give anything that can be disclosed until after the mechanics vote.



Also as an aside, don't forget. The mechanics have

 

It's all business.

Along those lines, the Company actions are predictable.

The question is whether the Union is finally going to grow a pair. One can only hope. By Union, I mean not only the MEC and committes, but the line pilots.

I fully expect and hope for arbitration. I do not want the usual pu$$ies, dweebs, geeks, nerds and 92-percenters voting on my pay, yet again. I also want transparency from the Union. I don't want to find out the Union proposal was too low, after ther Arbitrator renders a decision.

I think you're right about the Company timeline. It'll be as late as possible for the reasons you mentioned and more. They have nothing to lose, everything to gain.

I expect numerous plays from the Company playbook. After all, they have worked well in past negotiations. The Company is just better at the process. Past performance and past results speak for themselves.

I could foresee an 11th-hour offer in lieu of Arbitration and or a white night could ride in to save the day. They might even offer a sacraficial lamb, Hornibrook or the VP of Employee/Labor, as a show of supposed good faith and a fresh start.

Whatever the play, don't sell either Uncle Brad or Uncle Benito short. They didn't rise to their lofty positions by being soft. Despite what some pilots believe, Brad is not that nice guy. Whether he does his own dirty work he gets somebody else to do the dirty work, the end results are the same.

Aslo, as far as "working documents" go, don't forget that the Mechanics have yet to vote on their TA which includes a small double-digit raise, I believe 17%. I am not sure on the exact percentage. It really doesn't matter with respect to the point that I am trying to make. Rhetorically and hypothetically, what would happen to the Mechanics' TA if it were disclosed that the Company offered the pilots more than that? I don't expect the company to offer anything formal to the pilots until after the mechanics have voted on/passed their TA. Bottom line, they don't have to-