If I remember correctly, there were about 787 million shares outstanding coming into the merge, a fairly easy number to remember.

Alpha,

What can I say? Congratulations for unifying a group as different as Carl, ACL65, and me ... that's an accomplishment.

What this should indicate is that when the Company is on track for a 2 Billion dollar profit, displacements and staffing cuts, early outs and outsourcing, are not acceptable to your pilot group. ALPA needs to figure this out and get on the right side of the issue. That's scope; from Joint Venture & Codeshare, to the 2 year GoJets Captain flying out of LGA. ALPA needs to get on board with its pilots.Cycle, with the displacements a lot of pilots will dip in 2012 to less than their Regional pay; I'd guess about 1,100 or so (+ or - those who were hired as FO's). When you correct for inflation the number is larger.

Again, the point is that outsourcing is an abrogation of seniority. Those GoJets pilots doing our flying out of LGA are also earning a lot less than we did as Regional pilots. The Comair pilots who are furloughed are making nothing. The common interest we all have is that a lack of good scope policy is allowing this career destruction.

My reasoning for applying to Delta (aside from the fact I always wanted to fly Delta) was to align the name of the side of the airplane to my paycheck; and have my MEC negotiate my scope. As much as I carp about it, they've protected us better than we would have been protected at any of the regionals.

In other words, we came to the best island in a group of islands which are slipping beneath the waves as a result of inadequate protections.

^^^^^this^^^^^

We are not liquidating.... However, We are shrinking to be able to participate in future mergers and have it pass the DOJ sniff test. As far as replacing jets, our CEO has stated we must own a jet for at least 30yrs to be profitable. How many jets do we have that turn 30yrs old in the next couple of years? Ie: the 737-900 order. Future consolidation In the industry, coupled with an up gauge in aircraft size (50 seaters going away) and a reduction in the number of total seats in the domestic market is a certainty.... All because of high oil prices

Yep, I always thought it was strange this aspect of the accident didn't get more press. It was an accident caused by distraction, and that distraction had a very specific cause.

A pilot worried sick about money, job security, and other personal issues is not a safe pilot. With the DCI shuffle game that Delta plays, there have been an awful lot of pilots with reasons to be distracted flying paying Delta passengers around.

If DALPA ever gets its head out of its arse and goes after recapturing small jet scope, this should be a primary justification to the public: it's about safety. It's also a good reason to restore mainline wages, really. It's ridiculous that we have 5-year mainline pilots on their first marriage and with young families worried about money.

Many of us that worked there at the time feel this way also. The company got a pass by the media and the NTSB for the additional stress they were putting on their employees.

Delta brought some very good legal representation to the table, who accepted liability on behalf of the Company. By accepting responsibility, that argument ceased and the attorneys moved on to damages.

Only a very few Plaintiff attorneys understand our industry and understand the relevance of what that tape indicates. They never had the chance to go that far... . Delta's Counsel avoided a compensatory case becoming potentially a punitive case.*

It takes a lot of authority (between half a billion and a billion) to make that call. We employed a similar strategy in the ASA losses.

* Airline management fundamentally misunderstands the Courts. When our language speakers get on the PA and announce "We are flying into severe turbulence" when we announce "We're awarding flying to the best of the worst" ... these statements would be indefensible in front of a jury. It is very common. Look at the mess American got into on the Cali case.

Looks like we'll be below 12,000 very shortly.

What pathetic BS. This DALPA talking point is over a year old. Blame the in-house union drive for DALPA producing a weak contract.

Management already smells blood in the water with people like you who are only looking for a justification to vote YES to another industry lagging contract, and a talking point that somehow "proves" it's better than anything SWAPA has. Management know they have a lot just like you tsquare. What do you think that rocking chair was for?

Absolutely. A strong plan B is absolutely vital.

Yeah, it's always best to have no plan B. It makes decision making so much easier. :rolleyes:

Carl

OK.. fair enough. Then please enlighten me as to some kind of timeline.

April 1. Openers exchanged. Pilots see these maybe a month later.. but for the sake of discussion, let's say it's instantaneous. Guys like you are ****ed. The donut drive begins in full.. Guys are signing up... Realistically though, you don't think that that drive would be instantaneous.. so let's say it takes a couple of months. (I think that is more than generous because there are many guys out there that don't read these forums.. and really don't care who the representation is other than they want to be fair and, well, representative. So that then puts us into July. Fair enough?

July 1. There is a vote on donuts. They win. Contract negotiations come to a halt. Company ecstatic. Dounts have to get the passdown from the outgoing group. That would probably take several months... I would say that realistically we wouldn't have new representation before the end of the year.

Jan 1, 2013. Amendable date comes and goes. Company ecstatic. Donut shop surveys the group because DALPA guys ran the shredder full time getting rid of surveys and letters to the MEC, etc etc etc... Company ecstatic, we are working for 2012 rates...

Feb 1. Donut surveys come out.. they give us a month to complete and digest information.

March 1 Professional negotiators hired, brought up to speed, and company contacted.

July1. First sit down with company. Donuts tell the company that we want C2K + or no deal. Company says, "ain't happening" Donuts say "see ya on the picket line" Company ecstatic.. They know that whoever is in the WH at the time will never allow that so they continue to show up to the negotiations meeting that the Donuts are now boycotting, and the NMB knows this.

August 1 2014. Still no deal. Company getting pilot wages for 2012 rates. Company decides to sue Donut shop. Since it is an independent union, there is no insurance against any such kind of lawsuit, and membership is assessed individually. (Unlike the TWA lawsuit). Company ecstatic.

Hmmmmm Yup, I see this as a much better deal. There is no divisiveness going on here.. naaaaaah

Or do you see this going down another way?