OK, I will.

Yes, the B scale went away and we did get a pay raise. Everyone remembers that. What nobody seems to remember is that those were part of the Pre-Strike contract.

The big sticking point in that 1998 contract was NEWCO. The company wanted to "be able to create" a subsidiary to outsource flying (sound familiar?) and we didn't want to let them. The strike ultimately ended after a few weeks on a Wednesday with the NEWCO provision approved. The following Monday morning NWA announced the creation of Compass.

As a B-scale, still-on-probation DC-9 FO, I followed all of this with great interest. I technically wasn't even guaranteed a job after it was over, though the union did promise to bring everyone back. The only material difference between the pre- and post-strike contracts was a small pay raise above the pre-strike figure. I don't remember the exact number for me (it was around $1), but I do remember calculating it would take 3 years for that raise to recoup the salary I lost during the strike.

There is a lot of ego and testosterone tied to that strike even today. "We showed them who was boss!" Unfortunately, I have to disagree. All of the material gains in that contract were there pre-strike. And there were quite a few of those; the Negotiating Committee did a far better job than we recently saw here.

The strike made sense to me going into it; it left me scratching my head after it was over. We got a 3-years-to-recovery pay raise and the company got outsourcing when all was said and done. The strike itself accomplished very little, in my humble opinion.

Technically, it wasn't a strike, it was a lock out.

Compass had nothing to so with the 1998 contract. Compass didn't appear until the bankruptcy contract some years later.

The result of the work action was indeed the end of the B scale."Large RJs" were limited to 32 Avros, locked in by serial number. Small RJs were numerous, but seat limited to 44 seats.

Nu

It's always puzzling to read stuff like this. You start out by saying the strike got rid of the B scale and secured pay raises, then you go on to dismiss it. The B scale didn't affect 95% of the pilots...only pilots like you. Yet we all voted to strike, then struck. We didn't return to work until management agreed to end the B scale.

While you're busy scratching your head over what was accomplished, you could have been on a permanent B scale without it.

Carl

I don't mind correction, but I've got to say, that's not how I remember it at all. You know we are talking about the 1998 strike, right?

I don't remember NewCo being a player until the concessionary contract of the mid 2000's.

As far as your claim that the pre-strike agreement included an agreement get rid of the B-scale, I distinctly remember, being in DTW and checking the code-a-phone (??) just prior to the strike deadline (midnight). The offer I remember equated to a pay raise for me, as it reduced the length of time on B-scale, but it did not completely remove it.

We were on strike 15 days and I don't remember coming across anyone who thought we shouldn't have done it, or that it wasn't worth it. Are we talking about the same strike? :D

Compass came about/was created due to the post 9-11 bankruptcy contract.

You may want to revisit your timeline.


From newknow:
I found myself wondering the same thing.

Correct. Compass was 2005/2006 stuff, as a result of BK.

John Dasburg was still CEO of NWA when I was hired in early 2000. He left shortly after that...

If memory serves, the '98 strike raised the end-of-contract 12 year CA pay on the DC-9 up to $197/hr (did not affect me at the time). And, we had a 65% FAE pension to boot, which was funded at 102% of what was the max. allowed under IRS rules. (was hoping that this would one day affect me). Also, if memory serves, didn't management attempt to pre-fund either 1999 or 2000 contributions, but was dis-allowed due to too-favorable tax savings for the Company. AND, as was quoted earlier, the 'B' fund elimination did NOT affect 90% + of the pilot group, but we, as a group, stood up for that minority. THAT, in my opinion, is what the defining moniker on the ALPA pin constitutes as "Unity". I was very glad we did not agree to simply what the "50% + 1" would have settled for, and as a pilot group, we were all very well served by C1998. So, please include me in the group who "thinks it was worth it".
Respectfully

The contract that came out of the '98 strike did "sunset" the B scale, but it took until mid 2001 for it to actually go away. I was hired in 2000 and spent my first 6 months after probation on B scale.

You are correct sir. All true.

Carl