Airline Pilot Central Forums - Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?

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Bill,
There are some elections this fall. LAX and MSP are then ones that come to mind. You always have the right to recall, but that would take getting away from a keyboard though. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by scambo1 (Post 1017697)

Ferd;

The official alpa answer is: Unequivocally YES, I mean err no, well lets just go with maybe.:D

Guess you're right........:(

But, I guess it "wasn't exactly a soup question".
(for 5 gillion bonus points, name the movie):D

Ferd

Quote:

Originally Posted by acl65pilot (Post 1017708)

Bill,
There are some elections this fall. LAX and MSP are then ones that come to mind. You always have the right to recall, but that would take getting away from a keyboard though. :D

If the opener is weak, I will get off my duff and pay for DPA advertising. I recently talked to one of the founders in FLA, and he said recruitment is good. It will get better if the opener is passive or weak. We need to stop being a bargain for the company, and get paid what we deserve. It's now up to DALPA to live up to our expectations, not someone else's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferd149 (Post 1017525)

What is the conventional wisdom on a "minimum day" vs an "average day". What do those that study rotations think it would do to the way they are currently built?

We have had both types in the past. When I started we had a 5 hour DPA. In 1996 we went to a 4-6 hour Variable Minimum (VM) per duty period where the average for the trip still was 5 hours per duty period. We changed back to DPA in C2K because the resulting rotation construction (for the DAL network at that time) was deemed inferior.

I have no idea what the impact would be under our current network and rapidly adapting marketing schedules.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Lumberg (Post 1017713)

But you won't get off your duff to help yourself AND the current collective bargaining agent...is that right?:rolleyes:

Happy Birthday America

Quote:

Originally Posted by hockeypilot44 (Post 1017707)

Why do I always get uncommutable short call? I can get to base by 7:30 in the morning. Is it too much to ask for a 5:30 or later short call. My last 4 have now been 5am or 3am.

Do you ask for PM SC? When you do you're volunteering for SC unless for some reason they deny you because you've been used too much on SC or what have you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAL 88 Driver (Post 1017687)

Actually, I think under normal circumstances the union and management should work together. SWA has a management that values and respects its employees. And they back that up with the way they TREAT their employees. That's the way business is supposed to work! From what I've seen, I think SWAPA's relationship with management is appropriate. DALPA's relationship with DAL management is a completely different story, IMO.

But the bottom line on the ValuTran welcome publication (as it relates to our discussion here) is this: Is it factual or not? Does the average SWA Captain make over $230k or not? Does the average SWA F/O make over $140k or not? Do they average working 12 days per month? If this data is true, then they are being paid WAY more than Delta's domestic narrowbody pilots... and working LESS days! Any attempt to minimize the importance and relevance of that to us, is just spin and an attempt to lower our expectations.

I don't think you've proven anything with your "anecdotal trip trade" example. And maybe I am shooting too low. I'd like for our MD-88/90 Captains to make more than $230,000 per year. Heck, I'd like to make $1 million per year. But we have to deal in reality. To get our MD-88/90 Captains to $230k would require about a 57% increase to our current pay rates. If you want to shoot for more than that, I'm all for it. But good luck with that with ALPA as our bargaining agent. I'll be surprised if their opening position will be even a 30% pay increase.

FYI, 11th yr SWA Captain here. I believe I'm pretty representative of an "average" (or more likely slightly below average) SWA pilot in terms of earnings & productivity. I commute to my base. I have small kids at home. I have a great life outside this job and very much enjoy all the days off I can get. IOW, I basically fly my line and try to improve it where I can through trip trading WITHOUT increasing total work days each month. I pick up very little (~6 extra work days total last year). My 2010 W2 showed $224,860 and I flew 761 hours....virtually all of it at straight pay. I mostly do one 3-day trip each week, or the occasional 4-day every now and then. They're usually not commutable. I shoot for an average of 100 TFP monthly throughout the year to hit our annual household income target. I have 4 weeks of vacation each year.

Best of luck with your negotiations.

Here's the thing, in 2014 I seriously doubt that SWA will make any less than it is now. If anything it'll be more to placate the angry SWA pilots over the AAI merger who see one group getting tremendous raises and they get nothing but a SLI with people SWA never hired.

If in 2014 our contract is settled and our rates do not equal SWA where it matters, in aircraft of similar mission and size, then we have to come to terms with the following:

1. Delta pilots are not as good as SWA pilots and don't deserve equal pay for equal work,
2. Delta management is not as good as SWA,
3. DALPA is not as good as SWAPA, or
4. All of the above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgot to bid (Post 1017729)

Do you ask for PM SC? When you do you're volunteering for SC unless for some reason they deny you because you've been used too much on SC or what have you.

It would be nice to input a time preference without volunteering. Yet another thing to add to the wish list.