Why DAL's proposed ratio is inequitable
#461
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,619
NWABusDriver and Keenster,
Retirements are fixed, but they don't mean anything if a pilot retires and his job is gone after he retires. In order for you to move up, there has to be a job to move up to. Delta has added 700 jobs including 350 wide body Captain jobs in the last year. That is the same as Northwest having a static fleet and having 700 pilots retire. Unfortunately, Northwest does not have a static fleet. They are losing 52 airplanes this year.
If you are going to look forward and count retirements, then you are going to look forward and count growth according to each airline's business plans. You can't just cherry pick one item that favors you and assume away all others. Again, retirements only matter if your fleet doesn't shrink more than the retirements. Right now your fleet is shrinking more than your retirements. Most Northwest pilots say "I will make the Whale in 20XX" depending on their seniority. How do you know the Whales will be around in 10 years or more? Where did all the DC-10's go? To make a forward looking view based on retirements requires you to make the same forward looking predictions on fleets as a growth plan does. Your forward looking assumptions are just as wrong as my forward looking assumptions, this industry changes rapidly.
You can either snapshot where we are right now, or you can look forward using ALL forward looking factors. If you think any arbitrator will allow you to cherry pick your individual arguments then you are mistaken.
In the Nicolau award (US Air/Am West), the arbitrator said that all that forward looking crap for both sides was just that, crap. He took a snapshot and integrated the lists based on that snapshot.
You are correct that after a merger Delta's superior contract will become community property and be shared. After a merger, Delta's superior growth plan will become community property and be shared. Northwest's slight edge in retirements (of active pilots, not long term sick) in the short term (about 350 more at 10 years) and Delta's slight edge in the long term (about 350 more at 15 years) will also become community property and be shared. If you want to keep "your" retirements then you have to keep "your" contract and "your" fleet plan. No cherry picking allowed.
I think the Northwest pilots should get used to the idea of a snapshot integration using some ratio method. That is what was used in the Airways arbitration and that will most likely be a guiding factor if we are forced to arbitration. While it will affect your advancement due to retirements, it will give you huge benefits in contract items and in potential fleet growth. I know that seniority can't be bought, but your view on what your retirements mean to you will necessarily be translated into economic terms. Any outside arbitrator will see that the contractual and fleet growth economic gains will outweigh your retirement issues. Whatever personal value you place on being a "Whale Captain" will not factor into the decision.
Retirements are fixed, but they don't mean anything if a pilot retires and his job is gone after he retires. In order for you to move up, there has to be a job to move up to. Delta has added 700 jobs including 350 wide body Captain jobs in the last year. That is the same as Northwest having a static fleet and having 700 pilots retire. Unfortunately, Northwest does not have a static fleet. They are losing 52 airplanes this year.
If you are going to look forward and count retirements, then you are going to look forward and count growth according to each airline's business plans. You can't just cherry pick one item that favors you and assume away all others. Again, retirements only matter if your fleet doesn't shrink more than the retirements. Right now your fleet is shrinking more than your retirements. Most Northwest pilots say "I will make the Whale in 20XX" depending on their seniority. How do you know the Whales will be around in 10 years or more? Where did all the DC-10's go? To make a forward looking view based on retirements requires you to make the same forward looking predictions on fleets as a growth plan does. Your forward looking assumptions are just as wrong as my forward looking assumptions, this industry changes rapidly.
You can either snapshot where we are right now, or you can look forward using ALL forward looking factors. If you think any arbitrator will allow you to cherry pick your individual arguments then you are mistaken.
In the Nicolau award (US Air/Am West), the arbitrator said that all that forward looking crap for both sides was just that, crap. He took a snapshot and integrated the lists based on that snapshot.
You are correct that after a merger Delta's superior contract will become community property and be shared. After a merger, Delta's superior growth plan will become community property and be shared. Northwest's slight edge in retirements (of active pilots, not long term sick) in the short term (about 350 more at 10 years) and Delta's slight edge in the long term (about 350 more at 15 years) will also become community property and be shared. If you want to keep "your" retirements then you have to keep "your" contract and "your" fleet plan. No cherry picking allowed.
I think the Northwest pilots should get used to the idea of a snapshot integration using some ratio method. That is what was used in the Airways arbitration and that will most likely be a guiding factor if we are forced to arbitration. While it will affect your advancement due to retirements, it will give you huge benefits in contract items and in potential fleet growth. I know that seniority can't be bought, but your view on what your retirements mean to you will necessarily be translated into economic terms. Any outside arbitrator will see that the contractual and fleet growth economic gains will outweigh your retirement issues. Whatever personal value you place on being a "Whale Captain" will not factor into the decision.
#463
Out of Nagoya, Osaka, and Narita the 757 (180 seats) flies to:
1. Busan, S. Korea
2. Guam
3. Saipan
4. Guangzhou, China
5. Taipai, Taiwan (I think)
As I remember, the flights were always full.
Everywhere else the flights are 330's and bigger.
Wait. I forgot. The -400 goes down to Guam. I think the 330 also goes to Saipan. Basically, to the Japanese, Guam and Saipan are like Hawaii is to Americans. We have multiple flights down to those Islands FULL of Japan mainland passengers as well as those who connect through Japan from elsewhere (like S. Korea).
NWA and UAL have something in Japan that is hard to explain until you see it. They are like national airlines over there which the Japanese use heavily to go to places other than the United States. When you go over there and look at the ramp, you would swear you are in DTW or ORD.
New K Now
1. Busan, S. Korea
2. Guam
3. Saipan
4. Guangzhou, China
5. Taipai, Taiwan (I think)
As I remember, the flights were always full.
Everywhere else the flights are 330's and bigger.
Wait. I forgot. The -400 goes down to Guam. I think the 330 also goes to Saipan. Basically, to the Japanese, Guam and Saipan are like Hawaii is to Americans. We have multiple flights down to those Islands FULL of Japan mainland passengers as well as those who connect through Japan from elsewhere (like S. Korea).
NWA and UAL have something in Japan that is hard to explain until you see it. They are like national airlines over there which the Japanese use heavily to go to places other than the United States. When you go over there and look at the ramp, you would swear you are in DTW or ORD.
New K Now
We are the SWA of the orient!
Ferd
#464
Yeah, I'm a 757 guy over there most months. We are starting up Taipai sometime this summer out of Narita. We did it out of Osaka for a time during SARS but when the loads came back it went back to a -400, but now I think it's a bus also. I think the only "south" flying the -400 does anymore is Manila out of Narita and Nagoa.....don't know about Osaka. Everything else, including GUM and Saipan are big busses. Guam and Saipan are turns on the buss, more beer for me
We are the SWA of the orient!
Ferd
We are the SWA of the orient!
Ferd
Saipan - Sunday - Champagne - Brunch
6 more
All - You - Can - Eat - And - Drink
5 more
Why - Am - I - In - Cleveland?
#465
They were replaced by nearly double the number of A-330's.
Carl
#466
Yeah, I'm a 757 guy over there most months. We are starting up Taipai sometime this summer out of Narita. We did it out of Osaka for a time during SARS but when the loads came back it went back to a -400, but now I think it's a bus also. I think the only "south" flying the -400 does anymore is Manila out of Narita and Nagoa.....don't know about Osaka. Everything else, including GUM and Saipan are big busses. Guam and Saipan are turns on the buss, more beer for me
We are the SWA of the orient!
Ferd
We are the SWA of the orient!
Ferd
#467
Out of Nagoya, Osaka, and Narita the 757 (180 seats) flies to:
1. Busan, S. Korea
2. Guam
3. Saipan
4. Guangzhou, China
5. Taipai, Taiwan (I think)
As I remember, the flights were always full.
Everywhere else the flights are 330's and bigger.
Wait. I forgot. The -400 goes down to Guam. I think the 330 also goes to Saipan. Basically, to the Japanese, Guam and Saipan are like Hawaii is to Americans. We have multiple flights down to those Islands FULL of Japan mainland passengers as well as those who connect through Japan from elsewhere (like S. Korea).
NWA and UAL have something in Japan that is hard to explain until you see it. They are like national airlines over there which the Japanese use heavily to go to places other than the United States. When you go over there and look at the ramp, you would swear you are in DTW or ORD.
New K Now
1. Busan, S. Korea
2. Guam
3. Saipan
4. Guangzhou, China
5. Taipai, Taiwan (I think)
As I remember, the flights were always full.
Everywhere else the flights are 330's and bigger.
Wait. I forgot. The -400 goes down to Guam. I think the 330 also goes to Saipan. Basically, to the Japanese, Guam and Saipan are like Hawaii is to Americans. We have multiple flights down to those Islands FULL of Japan mainland passengers as well as those who connect through Japan from elsewhere (like S. Korea).
NWA and UAL have something in Japan that is hard to explain until you see it. They are like national airlines over there which the Japanese use heavily to go to places other than the United States. When you go over there and look at the ramp, you would swear you are in DTW or ORD.
New K Now
When I was stationdito in the P.I. I remember seeing all the Japanese going to Guam to have the "American" experience... what a trip that was. A friend that was stationed on Guam said they would come over and pay big bucks to dress up like cowboys and ride on the back of a horse that she lead... just priceless...
I'm looking forward to seeing the operation someday.
#468
#469
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,619
Carl,
Here are the numbers I have gleaned from your company's public releases:
32 DC-9
3 747-200F
10 more DC-9
4 A-320
3 757
That equals 52 in my book. I think you are only looking at the planes announced a month ago. Don't forget the other announcements earlier in the year.
As for the DC-10's, you had 36 in 1998, do you really have 72 A-330's? You also had 35 747's and 8 Freighters. Fleets change with time, that was only 10 years ago, what will your fleet look like 10 years from now? Neither you nor I have any clue on that and neither will an arbitrator.
You state that an arbitrator will definitely look at retirements yet Nicolau ignored all of the East's pilots claims about attrition and career expectations. How do you explain that? Just to be clear he also ignored the West's pilots claims that the East was days away from liquidation so they had no careers left.
Again, retirements only mean something if you make some prediction about future fleet size, even if you predict a static fleet. How does your prediction of a static fleet differ from a prediction of fleet growth? Both are future predictions which will change with time. Given the recent history, growth at Delta is easier to prove than a static fleet at Northwest. I believe that arbitrators will avoid these future looks because they are just a guess. Somehow you think your guess at the future is more relevant than a company's business plan that has been designed by management and approved by the Board of Directors. You must be a good guesser.
Your retirements hit a few years earlier than Delta's, but then Delta has much more retirements. You would have to convince an arbitrator that the short time when you have more is the only relevant time, please provide that explanation.
Date of hire used to be written into ALPA Merger Policy and it was removed. The US Air arbitration was the first big merger since the policy was changed. You are kidding yourself if you think it will not be viewed as precedent in any future arbitrations. Date of hire was specifically removed, the world changed since the Roberts award.
I believe that Northwest just had 70 displacements. Delta just bid out 70 new positions for the 777 (35 each seat). Does that trend mean anything to you? The 737-700's show up next month. The next 777 delivery is in December.
You guys must be betting a lot on the Date of Hire concept, the one that was specifically removed from ALPA policy. Each month the ratios get worse and worse for your side.
Here are the numbers I have gleaned from your company's public releases:
32 DC-9
3 747-200F
10 more DC-9
4 A-320
3 757
That equals 52 in my book. I think you are only looking at the planes announced a month ago. Don't forget the other announcements earlier in the year.
As for the DC-10's, you had 36 in 1998, do you really have 72 A-330's? You also had 35 747's and 8 Freighters. Fleets change with time, that was only 10 years ago, what will your fleet look like 10 years from now? Neither you nor I have any clue on that and neither will an arbitrator.
You state that an arbitrator will definitely look at retirements yet Nicolau ignored all of the East's pilots claims about attrition and career expectations. How do you explain that? Just to be clear he also ignored the West's pilots claims that the East was days away from liquidation so they had no careers left.
Again, retirements only mean something if you make some prediction about future fleet size, even if you predict a static fleet. How does your prediction of a static fleet differ from a prediction of fleet growth? Both are future predictions which will change with time. Given the recent history, growth at Delta is easier to prove than a static fleet at Northwest. I believe that arbitrators will avoid these future looks because they are just a guess. Somehow you think your guess at the future is more relevant than a company's business plan that has been designed by management and approved by the Board of Directors. You must be a good guesser.
Your retirements hit a few years earlier than Delta's, but then Delta has much more retirements. You would have to convince an arbitrator that the short time when you have more is the only relevant time, please provide that explanation.
Date of hire used to be written into ALPA Merger Policy and it was removed. The US Air arbitration was the first big merger since the policy was changed. You are kidding yourself if you think it will not be viewed as precedent in any future arbitrations. Date of hire was specifically removed, the world changed since the Roberts award.
I believe that Northwest just had 70 displacements. Delta just bid out 70 new positions for the 777 (35 each seat). Does that trend mean anything to you? The 737-700's show up next month. The next 777 delivery is in December.
You guys must be betting a lot on the Date of Hire concept, the one that was specifically removed from ALPA policy. Each month the ratios get worse and worse for your side.
#470
Carl,
Here are the numbers I have gleaned from your company's public releases:
32 DC-9
3 747-200F
10 more DC-9
4 A-320
3 757
It should be said that along with thus announcement it was published that these aircraft were NOT being retired they were being parked until the market turns around. The rumor with the A320s and 757s are they are being parked because of the leases which might be renegotiated
That equals 52 in my book. I think you are only looking at the planes announced a month ago. Don't forget the other announcements earlier in the year.
As for the DC-10's, you had 36 in 1998, do you really have 72 A-330's? You also had 35 747's and 8 Freighters. Fleets change with time, that was only 10 years ago, what will your fleet look like 10 years from now? Neither you nor I have any clue on that and neither will an arbitrator.
You state that an arbitrator will definitely look at retirements yet Nicolau ignored all of the East's pilots claims about attrition and career expectations. How do you explain that? Just to be clear he also ignored the West's pilots claims that the East was days away from liquidation so they had no careers left.
Again, retirements only mean something if you make some prediction about future fleet size, even if you predict a static fleet. How does your prediction of a static fleet differ from a prediction of fleet growth? Both are future predictions which will change with time. Given the recent history, growth at Delta is easier to prove than a static fleet at Northwest. I believe that arbitrators will avoid these future looks because they are just a guess. Somehow you think your guess at the future is more relevant than a company's business plan that has been designed by management and approved by the Board of Directors. You must be a good guesser.
Your retirements hit a few years earlier than Delta's, but then Delta has much more retirements. You would have to convince an arbitrator that the short time when you have more is the only relevant time, please provide that explanation.
Date of hire used to be written into ALPA Merger Policy and it was removed. The US Air arbitration was the first big merger since the policy was changed. You are kidding yourself if you think it will not be viewed as precedent in any future arbitrations. Date of hire was specifically removed, the world changed since the Roberts award.
I believe that Northwest just had 70 displacements. Delta just bid out 70 new positions for the 777 (35 each seat). Does that trend mean anything to you? The 737-700's show up next month. The next 777 delivery is in December.
You guys must be betting a lot on the Date of Hire concept, the one that was specifically removed from ALPA policy. Each month the ratios get worse and worse for your side.
Here are the numbers I have gleaned from your company's public releases:
32 DC-9
3 747-200F
10 more DC-9
4 A-320
3 757
It should be said that along with thus announcement it was published that these aircraft were NOT being retired they were being parked until the market turns around. The rumor with the A320s and 757s are they are being parked because of the leases which might be renegotiated
That equals 52 in my book. I think you are only looking at the planes announced a month ago. Don't forget the other announcements earlier in the year.
As for the DC-10's, you had 36 in 1998, do you really have 72 A-330's? You also had 35 747's and 8 Freighters. Fleets change with time, that was only 10 years ago, what will your fleet look like 10 years from now? Neither you nor I have any clue on that and neither will an arbitrator.
You state that an arbitrator will definitely look at retirements yet Nicolau ignored all of the East's pilots claims about attrition and career expectations. How do you explain that? Just to be clear he also ignored the West's pilots claims that the East was days away from liquidation so they had no careers left.
Again, retirements only mean something if you make some prediction about future fleet size, even if you predict a static fleet. How does your prediction of a static fleet differ from a prediction of fleet growth? Both are future predictions which will change with time. Given the recent history, growth at Delta is easier to prove than a static fleet at Northwest. I believe that arbitrators will avoid these future looks because they are just a guess. Somehow you think your guess at the future is more relevant than a company's business plan that has been designed by management and approved by the Board of Directors. You must be a good guesser.
Your retirements hit a few years earlier than Delta's, but then Delta has much more retirements. You would have to convince an arbitrator that the short time when you have more is the only relevant time, please provide that explanation.
Date of hire used to be written into ALPA Merger Policy and it was removed. The US Air arbitration was the first big merger since the policy was changed. You are kidding yourself if you think it will not be viewed as precedent in any future arbitrations. Date of hire was specifically removed, the world changed since the Roberts award.
I believe that Northwest just had 70 displacements. Delta just bid out 70 new positions for the 777 (35 each seat). Does that trend mean anything to you? The 737-700's show up next month. The next 777 delivery is in December.
You guys must be betting a lot on the Date of Hire concept, the one that was specifically removed from ALPA policy. Each month the ratios get worse and worse for your side.
"Delta Air Lines announced a domestic downsizing to help negotiate rising fuel costs and a slowing US economy, with each carrier planning to ground 15-20 mainline aircraft this year and DL also aiming to slash its workforce by approximately 2,000."
Last edited by Superpilot92; 05-29-2008 at 05:31 PM.