Originally Posted by iflylow
(Post 3088314)
The industry is facing a crisis never before seen in its history. We'll be lucky this year if we can even get 25% of last year's revenue, and we are looking at years of severely depressed revenue.
We’ve had a massive AE/displacement that negatively affects up to 7000 pilots, including over 3500 who have to make a trip to Virgina Ave on the way to a lower paying aircraft, a transcon commute, or a swap from the left to right seat, or a combination of these. We have over 2500 pilots who very well may lose their jobs completely.
In the short term, the company needs to cut their cash burn to get through these lean years. In fact, it would be negligent not to. The question we, as a Union, have to ask ourselves is do we want a say in it, and perhaps even eventually get something in return for it.
The way I see it, the entire industry is getting pummeled. Delta is drowning, along with everyone else. Some of it definitely is because of Delta’s own self inflected decisions, but by far the majority of the reason is this global pandemic.
We as a union are sitting on the shore, and telling them “Tough luck, it’s not our problem.” We gave them a half expired enfant life vest (in the form of SILs), which didn’t even come close to holding their weight and became offended that they didn’t take it.
We keep this up and they’re going to pull us in and we’ll drown together. They’ll go through with the AE because we gave them no choice. Thousands of pilots will needlessly be displaced and our QOL and pay will suffer.
Or we can, in the short term, throw them a line, in the form of much needed short-term flexibility in the form of a temporary TLV reduction. Maybe this line would include ironclad snapbacks, and perhaps even a few sweeteners when things return to normal after the pandemic subsides.
In return for a temporary TLV reduction, this MOAD can be reduced to only the 777 and MD88. Thousands of pilots can stay in their positions, without the need to start commuting or a month on Virginia Ave. 2500 pilots can have jobs for at least another two years. The union hopefully can get a few long-term gains, and the company negotiators can go to their bosses and show they obtained the much-needed short term relief.
Of course, there are the 7500 pilots on this bid who weren’t displaced. Many are on SM giving every excuse under the sun on why they won’t agree. “We don’t trust management,” “I was furloughed before, so you should be too.”
It comes down what do we value as a union? The company is going to get its savings no matter what. They are paying nearly 10,000 pilots right now to sit around and do nothing. There are no incremental raining costs right now. We are going to force them to run this AE for them to get their savings. Some pilots will be taking 30,40,50% paycuts. 2500 pilots will take 100% pay cuts. And a few vocal ones will take no paycut.
Or, we as a union can spread that pain evenly through a TLV reduction, while keeping by far the majority of pilots on their current equipment in their current bases, tremendously improving their QOL.
And finally, the union would be taking care of their most vulnerable 2500 members.
It’s not often there can be a mutually beneficial solution for both sides, but this is one of those times. This pandemic is decimating the industry. Let’s give the company the desperate short-term relief they need, keep people in position and ready for the rebound, and hopefully get a few long-term gains along the way.
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