"It is so easy even a 350 pilot can do it."

​Geico​​​​​​™

 

There were 25 items from the C2015 contract that had a delayed implementation, the longest 18 months after most things took effect. So it's not like C2019 crazy different.

 

Assuming this passes, You will see more money enter your bank account in the next 30-45 days than most of us have seen in a W-2.

In order to fully understand your outrage i need an answer to this question: Long before COVID and all the VEOPs left, and all this crazy hiring, and the seniority list was heavier on the older side, did you guys push for retirement improvements this hard in the past 2 contracts?

 

The battle over retirement started in 2004 with BK looming a large number of senior Pilots putting in for early retirement, to draw half their benefit in a lumps sum. The allure of the lump sum was so strong when contrasted with feared outcomes that a few “enterprising” Pilots filed sham divorces to enable them to draw a lump sum even after that option ended. But that cautionary tale will be saved for another day.

The Delta Pilot group was told via LOA-46, take this 32% pay cut and this package of concessions and we will be able to avoid BK. Well we did foolishly take the bait but alas we did not avoid BK. Fast forward about 6-9 months and DALPA is fighting an 1113 BK court push by Delta to void our contract. After much bickering our benevolent overlords made us an offer via LOA-51 that included an additional 14% pay cut and the promise of DALPA to not contest the DB being terminated.

So when 100% of DAL Pilots had a DB we folded like a cheap suit without a fight. Some will say we had no choice with the 1113 BK gun pointed at us and really who knows what results an alternate and hypothetical path would have yielded.

Then the first Joint contract still reeling from BK around 2008 maybe? It was a dark time and I seemed to have very fuzzy memories of this period. We started making improvements to the 401K which started out pitifully low not to mention a top WB A payrates of less than $200//hour. Combined with 3 day 10:30 trips these truly were dark times. Commuter pilots were starting at about $15-20 per hour after paying for training so it was not just DAL that sucked but pretty much everywhere.

Well 2012 there was a small push for retirement but I don’t remember anyone specifically calling for a DB - I may be wrong - where is Sailingfun when we need him? Probably out sailing.

2015 was the first I remember a “big” emphasis on retirement. Maybe guys didn’t feel we had the leverage until then but starting around this time there has been a small but very vocal group of guys pushing for retirement increases. Enter the VEOP and they lost maybe 2000 Pilots who had retirement as a higher concern. As their numbers diminished they seemed to get more vocal.

Mind you - I am being agnostic as to whether they had much merit to their arguments. In my mind those most seriously harmed are long gone. Plenty of senior guys did get really screwed but I am now seeing guys junior to me who worked less than 2 years prior to losing their DB claiming DZ status.


Scoop

 

It's been a long slow climb and retirement and inflation adjusted rates (from our high water mark which was 2 decades ago now) was the last real hurtle. It's OK, we'll get'em next time. Except next time nobody will even know Delta had a bankruptcy or what it was like prior. Retro is just shameful, we are terrible bookies. An escalator clause is the only way to avoid groundhog day.

 

Of course not, but you surely don't expect them to be completely abandoned.

Ok we'll open at 25. No? Ok then zero it is.

 

Dude. Seriously. You know that’s just patently false. It’s 16, going to 17 in less than a year, and 18 in another two.

FFS. Of course it’s less than we all hoped for. But let be honest, right?

 

I've also had more taken away than you ever will at this company. Hopefully.

And your other statement's like the government saying that they took in more money in tax revenue in April than any month ever.

 

Why the delay? Many of us don't have the luxury of time, and that's kind of the ****ing point.

 

Then say that. Not demonstrably false things like “completely abandoned” & “ zero it is”.