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What Delta Pilots want:

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Scoop :)

Does anyone use Tricare Guard/RES select over the Delta plans. We have been on the Gold plan but it is making me broke. I have two young ones and my wife has to get allergy shots once a week. I have been reading about the plans for the last few days and I just can't figure it out. It looks to me the best plans would be.
1. Tricare
2. DPMP
3. Gold HRA

Any one have any insight on my options? Thanks

I have used Tricare Reserve Select the last 4 or so years. I prefer it over the Delta Plans but unfortunately I am retiring and have to go back to Delta's plans for 2014...at least until age 60 anyway. Tricare Retired Reserve premiums are too expensive to even consider. The TRS 2014 premiums are $204.29 a month for you and your family. Out-patient deductibles are really low. I also was able to keep my same doctors.

I have used Tricare for the last 3 years. If you can get contingency orders that's definitely the way to go. A well placed 31 day order & you can get free healthcare for a year. I haven't paid premiums in the last two tears.

I was talking to someone in the indoc/re-doc arena (yes, that is what they are calling it) and he said that there were 133 recalls coming back between Nov and Jan. He expects only about 90-100 of those to actually come back... Time will tell. The first new hire classes in Jan will be a mix of flows and a trickle of off the street hires. Flows for the rest of the year, and real off the street hires first part of 2015.

May not be news to some, but was to me.

Bolded is not correct. Off the street interviews are going on right now and they will be in classes in jan.

Ok Timbo,

I promised a response, & this is my opinion. (That & a $1 will almost get you a dollar item at McDonald's.) :)

What is my thought of a reasonable pay raise? I don't have one yet, as we're still 1.5years from openers. I do know that "value" is more important to me than "dollars/hour", & like Sink r8 said, we as a group need to stop pigeon-holing ourselves into charging fast-forward for the tangible gains & because we have the "tangible blinders" on, missing some other opportunity in our peripheral.

I know you stated that you wanted hourly pay, plus your DB money returned.

Another question for you Timbo. Why are we, as an industry, stuck in the antiquated mindset of hourly pay? We are professionals, part of a professional organization, & we're not going to demand the same respect of other professionals, in other industries, (i.e. Mgmt.) until we start acting like it ourselves.

Do you think when Richard Anderson's contract comes due that he ask for an "hourly pay increase?"

GMAFB, we need to start SHOWING the company (Delta), the Board of Director's, & the shareholders, that we are as much of the reason for the successes of the company as upper level Management.

TSquare has also stated similar statements in the past. WE NEED TO START ACTING LIKE PROFESSIONALS (investment style employees), INSTEAD OF ACTING LIKE HOURLY HELP. (When you're furloughed, you could even be thought of as (seasonal) hourly help.

How do we do this? I don't have all the answers & I'm most definitely not the brightest bulb on the tree, but let's start tying more of our annual income to the successes of the company. Maybe in the form of company stock? (Just an example, don't shoot holes in the stock idea.) We could start out with an annual salary, equivalent to what everyone was making in C2k, & instead of telling Mgmt. "give me a 100% pay raise, or I'll strike", we could more easily bargain with the leaders of our company by saying, "if you get a yearly bonus in stock, from the BOD due to the successes of the company, well brother Richard, so do we!" :)

So, bottom line. This immediate gratification of instantaneous & huge pay raises BULL$h1t has to end. The business plan of most pilots to make $400/hr., work 100 hours/mo. (because it's all about them right):rolleyes:, & retire with huge amounts of money in their retirement accounts, funded fully by the company has failed & that ship has sailed long go.

For gods sake man!! It's the dam 21st century & we're still stomping our feet & willing to strike over not getting a 100% (hourly) pay increase.

That's all. Just finished at the gym, which included running 8.5 miles, so excuse the delayed response & the absence of information if I didn't answer your questions thoroughly enough.

Good day, & fly safe,

GJ

P.S. This post is intended for Purple's "hourly pay rate increase ignorance" as well.

This is absolutely wrong, and it's why ALPA buys into the 4833 concessionary nonsense.

Management knows we hate being considered hourly employees. So they bring in the negotiators, show them some confidential pie charts, and use some five dollar management buzzwords. Viola, now ALPA is "part of the team," and as such can be manipulated to do things "for the good of the company" and not necessarily for the good of the pilots.

We are hourly wage earners. We are not managers or executives. Of course it's possible to be professionals, and add value to the company in such a capacity. We show that every single day.

But we are not now, and never will be, managers or executives. Let's stop fooling ourselves any differently, because we do so at the peril of our leverage at the bargaining table.

The DALPA PUB events are a current form of a Family Awareness event. Spousal units, girlfriends and children are showing up to them. Section 6 negotiating committee gets elected in February. Contract 2015 is already here. I'd give a PUB a try if you haven't. These events are only what we make them and they have been bringing the head honchos and negotiators out to us.

I beg to differ. You don't have to be a manager or executive to be a salaried employee, regardless of the industry. Virtually every other profession has salaried employees. The hourly wage thing has always been an issue with me. I know why the airline industry does it. Doesn't make it right. If you require college degrees and years of training, you should be salaried. Just like every other non-aircrew employee at DAL.