EXACTLY!
Just as United did with their TA Tumi 1.0.
Kick em to the curb & start over with fresh guys.

United ended up with a very good TA afterwords.

 

Ya and we had unity to back it up with a 99% strike authorization vote. Then our negotiating committee decided to throw in the towel in the 7th round of a 12 round fight because the mediator wouldn't be available for a month or two. The MEC and NC are the ones that completely bungled this entire process and they all need to go. A TA that at best had a small chance of passing with a 51% majority with a hard sell and misleading "facts" from the union should have never made it to the members for a ratification vote. The company should be shooting for a 51% approval, not our union leadership that is representing us.

 

Plenty of misleading facts...but not just from the 13 "Yes" proponents. Tony C is a great guy, and I respect him. He took me out to lunch when I was a new hire S/O on the 727 and I wasn't even on his crew. Once again, really great guy.

Excerpt from Tony's last block letter:

"...and an increase since the last CBA pay rate increase of 17.2%.
Now, I realize I haven’t presented a bar graph or even a table, but anyone can check my work by using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator at Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator.
I don’t think anybody needs a calculator or a website to see that our 14% initial hourly rate increase is less than the inflation number provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

The problem with that set of facts is Tony neglects to include the notes and FAQ's from the BLS site. 17.2464% is in fact the CPI from November of 2020 until June 2023. But if you read the methodology notes, that represents an increase in the Market Basket of Goods and Services of approximately $12,277. I'm certain that the lowest pay raise from the TA provided quite a bit more than that. CPI is a government tool based on "Average" consumers (those with a 2021 median income of $70,784/household) and doesn't reflect inflation for those of us in the upper 2-3%.

I would personally like to see Tony as the new MEC chair. He is a fighter. That doesn't mean I blindly believe everything he says and, even on points where he is demonstrably correct, I may not agree with his view point. I will continue to support the new NC (whoever they may be) and I WILL continue to show up for the picketing events.

 

If inflation was 17.2 % and you get a 14% pay increase, you can buy less stuff than 3 years ago. It doesn't matter the total dollar you make, you are still poorer than you were

 

Not sure you are not doing your math correctly. The $12k increase is the increased cost for a family with the median income of $71k. That's where they get the CPI rate. If you make more, you probably also spend more, thus your inflation expense (12K in this average example) would also be higher. If your Market Basket of Goods and Services spending is 300k over three years; then you spent an extra 51k than you would have prior to Nov 2020. The CPI gives you an "idea" at best how inflation is effecting the population. It varies by region/state/local, etc. Some areas will be higher, some lower. I'd guess the company negotiator will try to use the CPI for Memphis and hopefully we use the CPI for ALPA HQ/NYC/SFO, etc.

I think the main point was: it is not a pay raise, but an inflation adjustment.

 

That's OK if you aren't sure. I am. The headline +17% increase is specifically for that hypothetical average consumer. Everyone is going to have their own inflation rate. My housing cost went down in 2020 because I refinanced into a 2.25% mortgage. Housing accounts for typically 40% (weighted) of the CPI. So my cost (and the corresponding portion of my CPI) decreased. My transportation cost increased because I bought a new car.
The point is....that CPI number isn't for you. If you make twice as much as average, it doesn't mean your basket of goods cost twice as much. If you make 6-7 times the average, you aren't paying $18-21 for a gallon of gas, you aren't paying $60 for a movie ticket, and you aren't paying $20 for a bottle of aspirin at Costco. CPI is a tool that doesn't work well outside of +/- 1 standard deviation.

Does the CEO making $100,000,000 a year need a $17 million raise so he can keep up with inflation?

 

Ok, I was just being polite. You still don't understand or you are just not trying. CPI of course is not for an individual. As I said it is regional at best. No one said the cost of items would double or triple or multiply by the number of times you make over the average. But regardless of how much you make the CPI gives a "rough" idea of how much inflation has impacted "your standard of living". If the CEO makes 100,000,000 then yes he/she will need to spend 17M more for the same standard of living they had previously. The Yachts cost more, the expense to have your private jet fly you around costs more, the taxes on your Estate at the Vineyard goes up. Everything cost roughly 17% more than it did previously. Can you personally offset some aspects of inflation. Of course, you refinanced your house. Your interest expense is now less. However, your taxes are more, your insurance costs more, the repairs cost more, etc. It is roughly 17% for the "most" people. You might be less or you might be more, but as a group the cost is 17%. TC is not being disingenuous. He's using the Gov't numbers. Not YOUR personal number. If your expenses did not go up by 17% over the last three years then that's great for you. Mine is much more, so it sucks to be me. But to say because you make more means your costs don't go up is stupid. The percentage of how much you spend on certain items might be less than someone earning the average national wage, but it total whatever you bought in 2020 now costs 17% more in 2023. That's what CPI means. The average price you paid for whatever in 2020 now cost 17% more in 2023. To keep pace with that inflation your earnings must also increase by 17%.

 

"If the CEO makes 100,000,000 then yes he/she will need to spend 17M more for the same standard of living they had previously." That is completely wrong, you gotta know that... Cost of living does not scale linearly with income. Bread doesn't cost more because you make more. You just choose to buy finer bread, but even that cost tops out...and how much bread can you eat?

 

by your logic, we should keep accepting raises that don't match inflation until we make the same amount as a mcdonald's worker.

 

Part of your standard of living is also what you save for later along with what you spend. And yes, you choose nicer longer vacations flying first class. if you keep accepting pay rates less than inflation it won't be long until you can't take the same vacation, and that is a standard of living change.