We do not agree that we small jet scope is "scraps separated from our negotiating paradigm." I hold all Delta code is Delta flying and thus a concern of the Delta pilots; as previously defined under oath by Bill Roberts representing ALPA, and as written in our Constitution and Bylaws, Article II.

It is ours. There is clear direction from ALPA National that small jet flyingis now outside our contract and thus no longer our concern. I am fighting this redefinition of Delta Flying as hard as I possibly can.

With another pilot group seated at the table ( as they will have to be to enforce their contract ) it is only natural for the conversation to drift to items of mutual interest. So... what else is on your mind? Well how about 737's? Yeah you know the Delta pilot comes up in 24 months from now ... so, what you thinking? That C Series is supposed to be a hell of a jet... " and before you know it there are competing proposals, or maybe "supposals," floating around.

While some of our labor leaders do not like ALPA's Admin Manual Section 40, it exists to stop competing proposals ever going to management. The Admin Manual serves to protect us, we should not ignore it.

There's a good bit of anecdotal evidence to support the assumption that a RFP was sent to regional contractors' management prior to C2012 negotiations to cost out management's scope ideas. We can't stop that from happening one company to another, but maybe we can prevent pilots from being participants in such whipsaw.

That's how it starts, though. What a lot of pilots don't realize is, that while regionals pilots are not equal to mainline pilots in the flying world, the things management does in court to regional pilots, in the eyes of the law, are equal to mainline pilots. Nobody seemed to care when the TSA pilots got bent over by their management with GoJets, or when the Pinnacle pilots won the grievance about Colgan being an alter ego, but the arbitrator said there was nothing that could be done, and FU to the pilots. So the precedent is set, and this is just recently, that management has a lot more leeway than most pilots think. You can actually win a grievance at the NMB, and there is no mandated action that has to be taken by management. You can ask your ALPA attorney if you don't believe me.

You mean, this guy?

I hear he is very good. Just outstanding. Kind of like a farmer, out standing in his field.

Well Gloopy's razor says that if it was that simple then regionals would already be flying all narrowbody flying, to say the least. They aren't because they can't without mainline pilot permission. Good luck getting that (not saying you want it to happen).

The only true thing that is gonna control scope and pay and regionals and all that is supply and demand of pilots.

When there is more supply than demand, pay will go down, management will (and has) find a way to make that happen.

Hopefully in the future, regionals won't be able to staff their operations at the pay rates they pay. Only when this happens will things will start to get better. No rulings, contracts, or court cases will change that.

I agree with your emphasis on process. Given how we handled it so far collectively, what can line pukes do at this point? By the way, has anyone 100% confirmed there was a double secret "vault letter" or not? If so, what's in it besides the no degree carrot?

If PCL somehow now "owns" 100 or 150, even 250 RJ's worth of Delta lift for t-minus 7 years, I don't like that either. But I think its a safe bet to say that in 7 years (1 or 2 more contracts) we won't be down to that number of RJ's anyway, and that whatever number we are down to, DAL won't want it all to be with a single DCI carrier regardless. If we can get the number cut all the way down to the PCL level, DAL management will break up PCL themselves long before it got to that point to prevent it. IOW in 7 years we'll be lucky, I mean lucky, to have the internal drive to try and reduce DCI by 50-100 more airframes...especially without going for even bigger airframes. If they "own" anything, they are just renting less than half of what we currently allow.

Again, I don't like the process that got to that point. And I'm sure management has floated endless phantom RFP's for C Series and whatever other vaporware nextgen bubblejet they can't wait to over order by the $billions$ just because they can (look ma, no debt! weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!) that's to be expected. They asked, we said no. But if we would have said yes, they would have been foolish not to at least have some leads and a general idea of the costs. If nothing else they wanted the costs up front so they knew how many sweaty crumpled up dollar bills it would have been worth it to them to throw at our feet and see if we got on our knees to fight eachother picking up. So there's a number out there for sure. But its a number somewhere on this side of "we're not interested" and the other side of "you couldn't afford it anyway".

I know, I know, once someone even philosophically contemplates thinking about being a street walker, the only variable at that point is price. But as of right now the possibility of that risk manifesting looks extremely remote. I don't see our MEC/NC allowing more RJ outsourcing, and I think the company is about where they want to be on the 76 seaters anyway. They might try another 2fer1 for 50s or something like that, they might not. But Pinnacle flying 737+'s or even 77 seaters for DL in any capacity doesn't seem to me to be any greater of a threat now than it was before the PCL BK.

That said, if the flow/interviews makes those at PCL feel more vested and motivated to resist bottom feeder low bidding because it hurts their career track (it always did anyway) then great. I don't think they will overplay their hand though and start bidding for bigger flying in a lame attempt to squeeze us for leverage. I just don't see that working out for them any better this time than other times in the past its been tried.

I disagree. If DL could hire "off the street" Captains for 20% less than the current pay, they would have tens of thousands of qualified apps on file as fast as their servers could upload them. They don't not because there is no supply but because they are prevented by contract from doing it. A contract they know would go to court and get a ruling they would lose and lose hard.

I do share your optimism about the hopefuly upcoming regional supply squeeze.

So, anybody watching the draft? Packers got a steal with Eddie Lacy deep in the second round.

It depends on how much he can use that spin move of his. It worked in college though. BTW, should we start a Latest and Greatest best 100 Rock and Roll songs ever? My first choice is Radar Love by Golden Earing.

Wow, lots of changes in various leadership positions. Both CLCPs on the ER have moved to different jobs. FB to fleet captain and BK to chief of safety.