El Peso

This is what morons like Imapuss don’t understand. No one is afraid of mediation, but it’s all about how we get into meditation that determines the final outcome. The BOD killing off AIP1 was exactly the right move at the right time. The results speak for themselves. To do that now when DALPA membership already ratified a comparable TA, and mediation being the guaranteed next step, is exactly the wrong move for the BOD. It’ll make them look like obstructionists who are shifting the goal post. This will win favor for AAL

Now again I’ll repeat, if the membership votes it down, then that’s a different story. It would put wind in the sails of our NC, and AAL along with the mediator would recognize that some improvements are needed to conclude negotiations. It’s simple strategy. Doesn’t shock me that Imapuss can’t wrap his little head around it though.

Red Forman

suss is the idiot in the village of idiots.

CRJJ

Oh you guys don’t agree with him? You must be either clueless new hires or grumpy boomers, spineless cowards, selfish and only think about money.

El Peso

lol and he’s a new hire! A flow through who’s also a career changer. So obviously when it comes to AA, APA, contract negotiations, and the RLA, he is the foremost expert.

#bringinterviewsbackaa

sumwherelse

I am all of these things!!

ImSoSuss

wait, I thought you said I didn't work here? You boomers can't make up your mind.

rdneckpilot

If this TA dies we won’t be the ones asking for and benefiting from the mediation.

Hueypilot

I can't take anyone who constantly uses the term "boomer" seriously. Most of you don't even know what the term means other than "older person with whom I disagree."

Hueypilot

Yep...exactly this. Best case is the company does nothing and we watch the process drag on for a while longer with no discernible gains. Worst case is they file for mediation and the BOD tanking the AIP is seen as a bad faith act by the mediators.

HalinTexas

Too big to fail. Too big to strike.

Pilots are there own worst enemies.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Check lists mitigate memory loss. Pilots have very short, selective memories.

The grass is always greener, but someone has to mow it.

Timing is everything.

Mangement sucks. Unions suck. Pilots will believe anything on the inter-webs.

These are some of the things I've learned over the last 30 years in (and out) of the airlines. Eight of them (the second was my favorite). Four countries. Four unions. International labor law. Six different B737 programs, and I taught at two. I've been at American (this time, I was a SimP before) a year and a half, and it is the easiest job I've ever had.

No one posting here has been able to persuade me that this AIP is a bad deal. The gripes listed, while possibly legitimate, aren't enough to change my vote. They tend to be over generalized, without specifics, i.e. "it sucks," or stuck in minutia that a majority of the membership couldn't give a rats rectum about. Any promise of a "no" vote resulting in a better outcome is like a pilot giving investment advice. Pilots give bad investment advise. There are no guarantees. Playing to emotions is stupid, frankly. We're supposed to be adults.

Feel free to correct me, but I don't even recall an airline union ever going to mediation and achieving a substantially better contract as a result. In fact, they probably wasted time and money in the process. I remember when UPS went on strike in the '90s. For two weeks I think. I read an article later that including lost wages during the strike, they lost more money striking than they gained in the delayed outcome. I've never heard of any airline going to arbitration, ever. If the BOD or the membership votes this AIP/TA down we will be parked. Nothing will happen. Any improvements that might result will not outweigh the loss of improved income and/or work rules. Additionally, more pilots will have retired without a pay raise or bonus/retro while the mediation plays out. In fact, the retro/bonus could be lost all together. It was good the BOD turned down the last AIP. That could be viewed as a strike against us in the eyes of a mediator if they do it again.

Labor action or strike? Ain't gonna happen. See point #1. Anyone remember the railroad strike that almost happened last year? We have an election next year. We have three new terminals at LGA, JFK, and ERW. Do you think Chuck Schumer and the other politicians up there are gonna put up with all the heat they will take if we strike? No way.

Lastly, we are due for an economic correction. I'm amazed it hasn't happened already. If/WHEN it does happen, where do you want to be in the negotiation process? Are you willing to take the risk, not just for you, but for your fellow union brothers?

Look that gift horse in the mouth, get it re-shod, and ride it away.

I'm voting "yes."