If you think our health insurance premiums are high now, wait to see what they are if we have to assume two more years of pool risk so entitled geezers can stick around for two or more years (they’re not going to be satisfied with 67).

I’ve got over 34 years here. I fly NB by choice. The option of another 2 years won’t affect my aircraft choice. Y’all can have the glory and prestige, I’ve got my coffee shops and restaurants in the burgs and villes picked out. Heck they know me by name at Keefers Downtown in JAN.

69 it will be 😂

while I can see this argument, it’s already an item in the contract. We have it. The idea we would have to give something up to keep it seems overly defeatist.

costs on items change. It is delta’s responsibility to pay for LTD until mandatory retirement age. If that age goes up by 2 years, they still have to pay that LTD cost.

cool. It’s still in our contract to FAA mandatory retirement age. The only way we would have to give something up is if we voted to.

Wouldn’t most still switch to Medicare at 65? If you don’t sign up at 65 +/- 3 months, you will have to pay late enrollment penalties.

if you delay Medicare enrollment by 2 years, you will have to pay 10% more for part A for 4 years and 20% for part B for the rest of your life.

seems better to still enroll at 65

Maybe if our membership had placed some priority on retiree medical benefits, more pilots would have been willing to bail at 65 and sooner. Healthcare is the boogieman at all phases of life. Delta relies on Tricare to lessen the urgency for acceptable benefits. FYI, other airlines have pooled retirees with active employees in the same risk pool, and it worked. Sure the retiree pays the full premium, but it's the same amount as the active employee + employer pay for the same coverage. Is there a problem with that?

Or if we capped it at 65, and negotiated similar-value improvements for the entire pilot group, instead of wasting it on the olds

That would not be remotely legal actually.

While at least one major does cap LTD at 65, the only reason it hasn't been litigated and over-turned is because the retirement age is still 65.

If you say so, boss.

Can you show me where in the book that's written?