Whether or not this TA passes, there is a major lesson to be learned by ALPA. Targeted area negotiations as a strategy causes unbalanced benefit increases and unbalanced concessionary language. This TA will cause a large number of pilots to feel animosity towards their Union for years if not decades no matter how the vote turns out. A union is supposed to represent all pilots and their interests and our NC/MEC has certainly failed to provide a TA that a substantial number of our pilots will be "proud to ratify." Anything less than a balanced approach to negotiations should never be entertained again. Steady incremental gains based on pattern bargaining with contractual improvements spread throughout the seniority list, in other words, the exact opposite of what this TA provides. Shameful for ALPA, shameful for this MEC, disappointing for this pilot group.

 

We said the same thing in 2015, and yet here we are.

 

I don't recall you resorting to name-calling back in 2015.....what happened?

 

UA….I agree 100% with you on this!

 

Agree 100%. I would also add that secret bargaining is a really dumb move. Imagine how much of this could have been avoided with feedback from the crew force along the way.

 

Excellent observation, well said. Negotiations should also be transparent step by step, maybe we can stop the turd from development.

 

Typically, attempting to stop a turd from developing is a futile attempt unless you starve yourself. Otherwise, if you just stop a turd, it becomes terribly uncomfortable and the only remedy is to consume more things that are less palatable in the end, you get the original turd, plus a lot of undesirable turd byproducts you could have avoided by just grunting and pushing it out... Then you are lighter, leaner, and more comfortable.....Generally, stopping a turd is undesireable.

 

How many concessions would it take for you to vote against a TA that you admit you don't even like? What has happened to your soul that you would sell out whatever number of senior FOs bid for LCA lines for your measly bump in retirement and pay rates? 40% of LCA lines now is just the beginning and there is no telling how far the company will push that, you know they will abuse that language at will. How many displaced pilots forced into R16 vice R24 are you ok with? How many future new hires forced into the market based retirement plan to save the company billions? Guess you don't remember lie flat seats, hotel in lieu of or known R days because they don't personally affect you. Real time trip trading, fook that, its for the little people. Sunset the A plan for future pilots, scope, none of that concerns you because you get a few bucks more per month and 39K more in your retirement, sure why not?

All well and good, but please save us the moralizing and rationalizing. You are again a yes voter and have made your case, perhaps you should try to actually support your vote with something other than its the best we can do and time value of money (when its really just about the money for you personally). Or I'm scared that the big bad company will give us less to punish us if we vote this TA down. Its my money and I want it now, even though we are owed much more. Again, good for you, we got it. Pull up that ladder and feel good about yourself and go back to your life until 2029 or so when the next TA comes out and you can be an apologist for an industry lagging contract again.

Good to know that you will be able to sleep soundly if this TA passes. Some of us, not so much. I personally will be embarrassed to be a part of a "union" that voluntarily gave away a defined benefit pension and put 100% of the investment risk on every pilot coming after me for a few bucks a month in retirement. I can't even imagine thinking its ok to not get paid when bumped for training. They could double the pay rates and retirement and I would have a problem with that. We are owed pay increases and a bump in the retirement, there should be absolutely zero concessions in this TA for those gains. Not a single fng one.

 

I'm personally embarrassed to be part of a union that worked overtime during negotiations and is now complaining about the TA.

Lie flat seats!!! God that was such an impact.

 

This just shows how softly you think, because it’s not the lie-flat seats, or r24 to r16, or new SAM parameters, or scope, it’s how the company interprets the language, never in our favor, always at a cost to QOL, always leading to more distrust. more eye rolls when the company mandates an ethics course. more much-needed scrutiny of everything, always.