CALFO

The pilot group should be the difference this time. Over 20% of our pilots were not here during the last contract. Most of these people, including myself have had to make serious financial sacrafices and know that we need more. As for the guys that were around for the ratification of Contract '02, I imagine that most of the "Yes" voters now understand what a turd they passed. As Pres. Bush said, "Fool me once, shame on me, fool me ... . ..... well, you're just not going to do it."

ewrbasedpilot

Ones that probably irritate guys like you...............Hotel and Uniform. But you see, I do it on my OFF days, thereby saving the dues paying membership their "flight pay loss". Hard to believe I VOLUNTEER on my OFF days to support guys like you. So who's the phoney??

ewrbasedpilot

Ah.........and herein lies the biggest problem. Too many were fooled once by this guy, and then they voted for him AGAIN. We have plenty of money to send to Iraq and keep the oil companies in business, meanwhile, we (the airlines and their employees) get screwed at every corner. ATC is falling apart, and yet there's no money to update the ATC system (funny where all the trust fund money for the airlines has disappeared to). The passengers are being delayed left and right for no apparent reasons other than ATC understaffing and outdated equipment, and the airlines are being fined and targeted as the problem. This administration has some of the best spin meisters on the planet. Always seems to be everyone elses fault but theirs.

ewrbasedpilot

The UNION was the one promoting this "turd". Had the economy continued on the path it was taking, I have no doubt that we'd have a few less major airlines. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), the airline business has turned around thanks to all the pay and benefit cuts the employees took, although this summers delays and the sky high fuel prices have decimated the profits we SHOULD be making. If oil was down around $40 a bbl, (where it should be), the opportunity to get the healthcare costs on the first day of being a newhire would be a lot greater. Hopefully that will be addressed on the next contract because no one should have to wait six months for insurance. Time will tell. I still see CAL as the top airline. Most of the other legacy airlines still have pilots furloughed. CAL has been hiring for quite some time.................

CALFO

Just because the Union put some spin on it, doesn't relinquish the pilot group from reading it, asking questions, and voting appropriately. Honestly, did any of the "Yes" voters even take the time to read the thing? Had the pilot group spoken with a solid "No" vote, the company would have been forced to make changes. I agree that some concessions may have been appropriate given the state of the industry, but to give up so much was just stupid.

Eric Stratton

CAL was working on a concessionary contract compared to the other airlines the whole time after 9-11 and they still took a cut. I just don't see much happening especially with how PBS is being handled according to my buddy.

Superpilot92

100% Agree

757Driver

No wonder we look like sh!t and stay in fleabag hotels.

Just kidding, appreciate your efforts but you still need a remedy for that Stockholm Syndrome you seem to have.

ewrbasedpilot

I agree, but we didn't have a whole lot to "read", and every day I still hear about and find things that are "hidden" than no one knew about. I'm tired of our union getting attorneys to write our contracts that only attorneys can decifer, and then then they are STILL full of holes a mile wide. If it's not in plain english and we can't all understand it (black and white and not 95% gray to allow for such lenient interpretations by the company), then it shouldn't be put up for a vote, period. Quite a few of the "no" voters never read the contract either. Everyone voted the way they did for their own reasons...............but now it's time to get busy on contract 08. Hopefully this pilot group will be able to recoup the losses it sustained and add significantly to the QOL/paycheck/job satisfaction that we endured a few years back. It's time the workers in this business started being paid back for all their sacrifices. Lord knows quite a few CEO's and management types have walked away from their positions taking with them all the sweat equity the crewmembers/employess have shed. And yet the BOD's at many airlines keep hiring these theives. Sad, isn't it?

ewrbasedpilot

Oh come one, that's only in 90% of our hotels, and I personally think polyester looks great on everyone........and the more it shines, the nicer it looks. Actually we should have a new vendor very soon for the uniforms, and we're definitely working on the hotel upgrades (have you stayed in MIA on the beach yet??? VERY NICE)..............
As far as the Stockholm Syndrome, I don't have it, I'm just fairly realistic. I majored in business and have a small idea of how most of this is supposed to work ................I just thank God we don't have pilots running this airline or we'd all be out of work. I saw how Bill Compton at TWA screwed all his fellow pilots when he was bought off. Guess it's just hard to tell who's on who's side.