This is why I said I was done posting,I keep having to repeat myself,it's like crack and I keep coming back,I have to remember to take my meds. The increased pilot costs are supposedly going to be offset by DL's ability to generate more revenue by upgaging the RJ fleet and adding 717's so they tell wall street it is cost neutral. The increased pilot cost to DL is over 1 bil for this TA. You're a smart man, the balance sheet stays the same, revenue up, pilot cost up.

 

I'm not buying it. Exactly what other parts of the contract are funding our significant (compared to industry peers, matching SWA) pay increase?

Furthermore, I couldn't care less if they are lying. I'm analyzing the TA on it's own merits. They can say what they want about it. It puts more money in my pocket ASAP and tightens up our scope (I'll pre-agree to disagree as I know your stance on that.) For me that's more than enough.

Side question, as I'm really curious on this one. What is your opinion of the JV language in the TA versus what we have now? Do you consider it worthless because it was written by ALPA lawyers? What cost/value would you attribute to that if things go south in NRT and Delta suddently wants to JV away our Pacific flying?

 

By the way Carl, RA,ED,and MC all said it was a cost neutral contract.Not 1 of them said anything at all about pilot concessions covering increased pilot costs. Carl, you and all the other naysayers go back and listen or read exactly what the boys said and then come back and apologies will be accepted.

 

I don't know what other parts of the TA are funding it, Ed and RA didn't say. If I had to guess, I would say it's being funded by our very large concession on ALV's and reserves...which is huge. I would also say it's management's plan to remove higher paying mainline jets, and replace them with much lower paying mainline jets. That's REALLY huge. Again, that's just my prediction...because management was silent on those details.

And by the way, we will NOT be at pay parity with SWA at the end of this TA. Not even close. We might be near pay RATE parity, but nowhere close to compensation parity.

The JV language is OK. But it shows me that management only gave it away because they had no intention of ever needing it. Instead, they fought REALLY hard and GOT their additional 70 mainline replacement jets. In my view, they fought for that because they have every intention of using it.

Carl

 

Carl,

Do you see huge productivity for our reserves this Fall, if the TA is voted in? This company is staffed for 2 months only, JULY and AUGUST. The rest we are overmanned. This Fall we are cutting routes like JFK to FCO, for the first time in decades, until next Spring. But, you think reserves are going to fly 99 hours? If so, I am bidding reserve! It sure will beat the 66 hour line I got 3 months ago. That was great..... I live in base, so I'm going to bid reserve, fly 99 hours per month, and fly 1000 hours in 10 months, and have two months off. Ok, 1 month thanks to vacation. I can handle that! Sweet! Hopefully it will be December.

 

Since this thread was started to discuss hiring, we've come a long way. Now when I logged in this morning I was a little surprised no one was talking about the SD weekly address where he discusses the need to hire in the fall of 2012 if the good lord is willing and the creek don't rise, of course.

I would love more than anything to see some actual hiring here. Any forward movement at all would be welcome and I think would go a long way to raising morale. The question is whether this is genuine or if it's just pandering to the junior folks who seem to be the most against the TA. I hope its for our eventual world dominance.

 

Correction, Delta pilots, (Rank-and-file), did not vote on their contracts until POS '96.

 

What's even more disturbing is the lack of long term strategy, trading scope for pay. Pay (even small bumps) trumped plugging the early leaks later breaking the dam allowing nearly half of all domestic flying to be outsourced.

Remarkably the lack of long term strategy continues today with this proposal allowing more large RJ's at a time when we have an opportunity to let RJ's die with the help of high oil prices.

 

Cost neutral means that Delta Pilots get the money that DCI, EDC, and CRJ engine overhaul companies were going to get.

Your napkin math failed to include the 7.8% raise for all reserve pilots, the 2.4% raise for 2/3 of the 88 pilots, the increased DC, the increased staffing for the extra x days that reserves will get, the pilots over 20 who get an extra 30 hours Of sick each year, the improved disability plan, etc...
That will drive higher staffing and more upward movement.

You can't "napkin math" a 477 page document that has major gains hidden from wall street and the other employees groups all over the place.

 

Shiz, the only thing in your post that I can tell would increase upward movement is the added X day. How do any of those other arguments add staffing or increase movement?