Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1440006)

Fixed it for you.

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1440012)

How are we adding 717 positions in the next AE without hiring?

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1440005)

As Slow mentioned 3 years prior to TA 2012, We successfully negotiated out of that substantial mainline growth requirement.
Was changed to read: "NOT ONE MORE SEAT, NOT ONE MORE POUND, NOR ONE MORE AIRFRAME OVER THE CURRENT LIMITS unless you give us 717s you got for very cheap and are excited about while parking the 50 seaters that DAL saw as costly airplanes 'are customers don't particularly prefer' and adding 76 seat jets they do prefer."

AndWas rewritten to say "DAL 7ERA pay = SWA 737-500 pay and we pay for it [see Q2 2012 earnings call] by allowing the jumbo RJ fleet to grow, parking the costly 50-seat fleet, adding 'capital efficient' 717s, plus reducing the profit sharing to fund the cost growth."

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/webroot/a.../2944936_o.gif

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1440007)

The fact is that all of the red highlighted points in the Chairman's letter in fact proved to be true. That seems to be a pretty strong endorsement of that letter. It's not a sales job when you are telling the truth.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

From the Delta MEC:

Some will argue these increases are not enough and that we should hold out for more, but this ignores the time-value of consistent year-over-year increases. Southwest pilots, for example, are where they are today because they work for a consistently profitable company and have received a series of modest pay increases.

In terms of scope, we were able to achieve important improvements, from the smallest jets through international joint venture protections. Scope is the most complex section of the contract. At its core, it is about who flies Delta’s passengers and ultimately, about Delta pilot jobs.

Importantly, we will have a block hour ratio, which establishes a minimum amount of mainline flying relative to DCI flying and a cap on the total number of 50 to 76 seat DCI aircraft. Delta will be permitted accelerated access to 76-seat jets, but this access can only occur if Delta first acquires small narrow-body jets flown by Delta mainline pilots and if there is a significant reduction in the number of 50-seat aircraft. Without the acquisition of these new mainline aircraft, Delta will be capped at the current level for 70/76-seat jets. Ultimately, under this agreement, Delta’s access to 76-seat jets will be capped at 32 less than what is allowed in the current PWA. Additionally, Delta will no longer be permitted to convert 70-seat jets to 76-seat jets going forward, regardless of the size of the mainline fleet.

Delta management decides which aircraft it operates, but we have every reason to believe that Delta will soon announce the purchase of aircraft contingent on the ratification of this agreement. This will represent a major opportunity for many of our pilots to upgrade from the right seat to the left seat and will also create a need for additional hiring for the right seat.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

While the details are complex and best left for a dedicated Negotiators’ Notepad, let me summarize by saying that if Delta executes its plan for the small narrow-body jet flying, the result will be a major shift of block hours to Delta mainline. The share of mainline domestic flying will increase by 21 percent and the ratio of mainline domestic to DCI flying will increase by 57 percent over the life of this agreement.

We achieved a number of improvements in the scheduling arena, and one of the most significant is in the area of reserve flying. The reserve guarantee will be established as two hours below the average line value (ALV) with a floor of 72 and a ceiling of 80. This improvement alone will result in a monthly pay increase for reserves of between 2.9 - 14.3 percent depending on the monthly ALV, before the pay table increases are applied. Combined with the other improvements to reserve, it is my view that when viewed in aggregate, we will have the best reserve system in the industry.

The complicated and often punitive 75 percent sick leave bank has been eliminated. All sick leave up to a pilot’s yearly accrued maximum will be paid at 100 percent, and for pilots with over 20 years of service, the sick leave accrual will increase from 240 to 270 hours per year.

The agreement also includes an early retirement program similar in scope to the program offered to other Delta employees earlier this year, and this program will also be the subject of a standalone communication.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

There are many other improvements in the tentative agreement such as “vacation any,” average daily guarantee (ADG), elimination of the sick leave monitoring program and others too numerous to cover here.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

In addition to the communications I’ve already discussed, the MEC administration and the Negotiating Committee will begin a series of system-wide road shows commencing after the Memorial Day weekend. We will also produce a streaming video for those unable to make it to a road show. In short, we will do everything in our power to provide you with all the information you need to cast an informed vote once the ratification window opens next month.

In mediation, the average time spent to reach an agreement is 29 months. Our time in mediation could be more; it could be less. But if we take the average, that means we might not reach an agreement until the fall of 2015,

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

just months ahead of the amendable date of the recently achieved tentative agreement. Put another way, we’ll be deep into negotiations for ourfollow-on agreement (Contract 2015) even before we might have reached an agreement on Contract 2012.

In a recent Chairman’s Letter to you, I wrote somewhat cryptically about fleeting opportunities, and earlier in this letter, I wrote about Delta’s fleet plan. The value the Delta pilots receive in conjunction with this TA is a result of Delta’s desire to execute its business plan in a timely fashion. It is in large part due to this leverage that we were able to seize the opportunity to reach this agreement over seven months ahead of the amendable date. Delta can execute a portion of its fleet plan without an agreement with ALPA, but this is a rare opportunity to accelerate and enhance that plan to the benefit of both Delta and the Delta pilots.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

Finally, I would like to thank the MEC Negotiating Committee and their expanded team for the incredible work they have done over the past 18 months and in particular, during the last two months. The Delta pilots have once again set the bar for pattern bargaining, and shattered the paradigm of drawn-out negotiations. Importantly, if this agreement is ratified, we don’t intend to stop there. Your MEC will continue to make incremental but significant improvements at every opportunity, just as we have for the past several years.

Originally Posted by Jack Bauer (Post 1438911)

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1440007)

For instance when some reps stated that "if we reject this deal, management will come back shortly and give us a better deal" you latched onto that as if it came from the mouth of God.

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1440007)

The facts are that these reps had no earthly idea that this would happen, they just made it up.

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1440007)

Recent history has shown that not only is that belief sadly mistaken but in fact the opposite is true. I can give you labor group after labor group that acted on this false assumption and ended up with a worse deal, often substantially worse (think Airtran and Southwest). I have yet to hear anyone give any example within the last decade or two where this assumption proved to be a wise move.

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 1440007)

You think a sales job is anything that doesn't match your thoughts....

You think "straight facts" are anything that does match your thoughts....

So spare me the sanctimony....

So if you want to stick your head in the sand and ignore reality while you satisfy your anger then I say you are just immature....

So you can snark away all you want with your childish insults...

Someone else with more maturity will keep digging you out of that hole and like a dead weight you can latch on for the ride.

Originally Posted by finis72 (Post 1440037)

Carl if you are a spokesman for the DPA and they use logic like your 2 prior posts DALPA has nothing to worry about.

Originally Posted by finis72 (Post 1440037)

My favorite was "using DL pilots money to purchase a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic". That is a classic