I agree. There are many times when I have a simple head cold and I don't need to spend half a day in a waiting room and write a check to the Dr. to tell me I can't fly. I don't verify those.

But, there are other illnesses and injuries where I do need to see a Dr., like when I stepped on glass at the beach and needed 5 stitches in my foot and couldn't put my work shoe on that foot for two weeks, where I did verify, even though I was well below 100hrs.

Under the new plan, you can't verify anything, unless they demand it, until you run over 14 work days (which at 5:15/dy is only 73:30, not today's 100hrs.) and then you will need to verify EVERY sickness. And the T/A has the lookback, which is another concession.

This T/A is so full of concessions you would think we were going bankrupt again!

 

PLUS... there would still be pay raises to keep up with other industry contracts !

 

Scope is better for the company...they are immediately in compliance. The downside of block hours vs EASK potentially dismantles delta transatlantic flying.

I say potentially because I'm being truthful. You have to look at worst case, not best case, in contract language.

 

Amen Brother! We should be celebrating a truly Historic T/A given our contributions to Delta's record earnings since coming out of bankruptcy years ago!

Instead we are looking at a huge stinking turd of a T/A that looks as if we were still in bankruptcy, or just about to enter!

 

Our real leverage here is, when we vote this POS down, and we tell Wall Street that by sending us the turd, Richard Anderson put Labor Risk right back on the table. We will enjoy cashing our 20% profit sharing checks, enjoy our sick leave, enjoy our LCA trip drops, green slips, and all the other bennies he wanted us to give up, and all we lose is one 8% raise.

That's it.

That's all you lose.

Remember, the second raise, the 6% in Jan, is PAID FOR BY REDUCING OUR PROFIT SHARING! That's not a RAISE, that's a Swap. And you are giving up concessions in ever other area to get that 8%.

The second two 3% raises are barely going to keep up with inflation, and again, you have given up PROFIT SHARING AND CONCESSIONS to get that.

You F/O's ask yourselves if giving up 75% of the IOE trips drops is worth a 3% raise...

Not in my book, and I'm not even an F/O! That concession alone might keep you sitting in a lower paying seat a year or two longer, as fewer F/O's will be required in EVERY category, all the way up to the 777.

What's the pay differential from the right seat of the MD88 to the 767?

More than 3% I'll bet!

 

Thanks for confirming...we really do, for once in the airline industry, hold some leverage against the company...

 

Absolutely correct!

All we lose is an 8% raise.

Is an 8% raise worth all the other concessions? Concessions. Concessions!

That 8% raise goes away with down gauging...POOF...gone. You are left with concessions for life.

This contract is Herpes.

 

There are some guys stretching to find a reason to vote yes.

This is not the environment or deal to hold one's nose and vote yes.

 

And that's EXACTLY why Richard wanted to rush us into this POS AGAIN!

What is mind boggling to me is, how did our MEC not see this coming?

It's the exact same playbook Management used in 2012, but Delta is earning BILLIONS more now!

But our Strategic Planning Committee had NO PLAN! NONE!

Bending over and getting spanked while shouting, "Thank you Sir, May I have another!" is not a plan for a Historic Contract!

 

Delta and ALPA have always segmented the pilot group to get the votes they need.

Make no mistake, old guys are going to vote for this agreement.

Not all of course, but most. The older and closer to retirement they are, the more likely to vote yes. The reason is simple. They don't have enough years remaining to make up the difference if we pick a fight with management and get a better deal but its a year or two from now. Time value of money. An early deal. Etc. etc.

Delta management studies the demographics of the pilot group. This agreement is tailored to get a majority vote with the minimum required investment.

The younger captains and especially the first officers are outraged by this TA. As well they should be.
Young guys have a longer, more "career" perspective. The old timers just want a couple more years of cash and then they bail. Nothing wrong with that. Perfectly understandable. But management knows it too.

Not only do most of the concessions fall on younger guys but we are about to pass up an opportunity of a lifetime with this negotiating environment. We are NEVER going to have a better time to stand up to management and demand more money and more time off. NEVER going to have a better opportunity to recapture the buying power that an airline pilot used to command and do some things that would fundamentally improve the careers of Delta pilots for decades.

That's exactly what management is trying to prevent. And they've found a way to do it with this early TA.
Richard Anderson only has to get 51% of the line pilots. He doesn't have to worry about the union. He knows that ALPA has no interest in fighting. They have become a big fat Washington bureaucracy just like all the rest and they are scared of anything that might make too many waves. He told them "final offer" and that was it. They are done. They pass it to memrat and help Richard sell it.
Now we are seeing that sell job in full force. Aircraft orders contingent on the deal, ALPA strongly recommending we pass this, road shows, Notepads, etc. etc.

And those angry FOs and younger captains are going to get out-voted by old guys and the automatic yes voters.

The TA gets ratified. 54-46.

Unless-