Just to clarify one thing in Sailings response above. The "RA" mentioned is Ron Allen and the furloughs are the 1993 ones.

T

 

1) Marginalize extreme positions. Take out the people that don't care about sound and solid methods, or realistic expectations, but sit there and make demands with no clear foundation, or some emotional basis that no longer applies. Also take out the people that, instead of helping develop sound, solid methods, keep insinuating there is no sound, solid method for achieving anything, and just sit there, postulating on the negatives.

2) Develop a consensus on what the share of revenue needs to be, considering the fact that Delta is running out of places to hide money (extra retirement funding, extra debt repayments, superfluous stock buy-backs, dividends, shifting margin targets from 8-10%, now to 15%, etc.), for the Delta pilots, considering our sacrifices, and our ongoing contributions. Divorce all such calculations from a) some over-romanticized past contract at a company that actually no longer exists, and b) from all the fearful, tearful arguments that anything we ask for is too much. Make a credible, sound argument for a reasonable number that will allow the company to make respectable margins, while we bring home the share of the bacon our family deserves. This share may be more, less, or the same that some contract or other, but the point is that we benchmark against what is rightfully ours, without failing to also reward other constituencies in a balanced manner.

3) Hold out for the number in 2, above, and negotiate.

4) Determine through surveys how the pilot group wants the number in 2, above, to be distributed.

5) Continue to hold out for the number in 2, above.

6) Change strategies and tactics as needed, until we achieve the number in 2, above.

7) Once we attain the number in 2, above (not the moon and the stars, not a pitiful fear-induced number), ratify a TA, and move forward.

 

And for that your job was threatened? I got the part about you wrote a letter and got called in to the CEO's office. You explanation failed to mention any part about how you were PERSONALLY THREATENED. I wouldn't think having a "personal chat" in and of itself would be PERSONALLY THREATENING to you. Surely there is something more, eh?

And? Were you "threatened" there too? Plenty of pilots have written letters to management and the CEO. I've never heard any of them describe their actions as taking "guts."

 

As of now, because you won't address follow up questions, you have been exposed for posting opinions that are based on obsolete data, then stating them as fact.

It's not normally a horrible offense. But, when you do it to minimize the hard work your pilot group and your fellow employees have done over the years to help make Delta the profitable & successful airline that it is today, it comes off pretty bad.

 

Great post. Thought it deserved a bump.

 

What are people's thoughts on including a 3% per year raise as a tag on at the end of the contract. Just in case it does take 5 years to hash out a new agreement, maybe we wouldn't feel pressure to take a substandard (or not as good as the group wanted) deal.

 

When is purpledrank gonna answer his follow up question?

 

I'd prefer 30% for the good faith / status quo aspect it would bring.

 

What obsolete data. The data I posted is the most current available. The 2013 data should be out soon. I am sure when that's out you will discount it also.

 

Orvil,

I don't agree with your post. Sailing is putting out good information as usual, although I disagree with his take on it. He is being challenged as he should be, but why make disagreement a personal issue?

In my opinion the "efficiency" issue is front and center in management's playbook for C2015, that it why it is good information. Sailing is previewing an argument we will hear a lot about, "We the Delta Pilot group are inefficient."

I and others have repeatedly challenged this by pointing out there are many ways to define efficiency and if we let management define the issues as they see fit we will not do well.

Where I have trouble with Sailing on this issue is that he seems to accept block hours as the defining metric of pilot group efficiency. It is definitely "a" measure of productivity but so are a lot of other metrics.

I say "seems to accept" because he has not yet responded on this specific point.


I have brought up the issue of revenue produced per Pilot as a measure of Pilot productivity. George has brought up the CASM metric as another viable metric.

The fact that we are discussing this now may better enable us as a Pilot group to prepare our response when management makes these arguments as they surely will.

In a related issue sick time usage will also surely be a lively topic in C2015. Just as we should not let management define Pilot productivity as block hours per Pilot, we should not let management directly compare our sick time usage with other Pilot groups that have a sick bank.

Scoop