Jay5150

Carl,

Here's the disagreement as I see it.

1)The scope language that was changed would affect any carrier that DAL merged with, not just NWA.

2)The pay rates for the 747, 330 etc. were generic aircraft, not NWA aircraft specifically.

Of course in reality these changes were designed to accommidate this particular merger, but they are still changes to the DAL contract and only the DAL contract.

Getting NW guys pay raises or equity or furlough protection would require changes to your contract. Explain to me the wording of a LOA that would give these things to the other pilot group before they are operating as one. If it were to say that NW can't furlough guys after the merger then the current NWA management would have to sign off on it now. And right now, DAPA can't negotiate with them.

Jay5150

So, you're saying that the day the merger closes, we are all one pilot group under one contract with one seniority list no matter if the two MECs have hammered anything out or not.

Who's contract?

Who's version of the SLI?

Carl Spackler

I'm out of ideas. You can't explain something to someone who refuses to see it. Deep down inside I know the average Delta guy knows this smells to high heaven. I think the DALPA Chairman knows it too.

Carl

nwa757dtw

Carl, i was able to negotiate LOA 9999, for ONLY nwa pilots. we will now experience TOTAL CONSCIOUSNESS on Jan 1 2009 (the dal pilots can keep their first pay raise). so now we have that going for us, which is nice.....you can buy me a beer in camp narita this summer for it..... also, the best news yet!!! i secured in our intense and sometimes heated negotiations your immediate promotion to head greens-keeper, with a 9.5 % equity stake in the country club for every year it is gopher-free. Beat that.

Carl Spackler

I didn't say anything, I just pasted what Lee Moak put in print.

Carl

Carl Spackler

Not even the Lama himself could beat that!

tsquare

Soooooooo.... you would rather we would have left the language as it was... which would have required the parking of the NWA (or at least a good portion of it) international flying, so...... why again? Because as numerous folks have said, this merger is going to happen, as Steenland requested of DAL management... "without the pilots (sic) participation". Where do you think that would have left management's options? You can bet there would have been some NWA flying pulled down in order to facilitate the deal. But I could be wrong. If you meant something else, pleeeeeease enlighten me. because for the life of me I do not understand where you are coming from...

Pineapple Guy

Come on, Carl. We let you fly your wide bodies. What more do you want? Very big TIC

Jay5150

OK, you're right. I give.

If you are right, and we are all one group under one contract the day the merger goes through, then LOA 19 is yours as well. You get the pay bump, the equity stake and furlough protection the day we merge.

Sorry for being so thick headed...

I'm goin' to watch Top Chef

Carl Spackler

At least you're admitting that the Delta LOA drastically changed flight operations at NWA. So much for "DALPA doesn't have any authority to negotiate anything at NWA....." And of course I would not want to see our wide bodies parked, they are the only money makers right now - offsetting losses on the domestic side. If Delta hadn't pushed for that change, the new Delta would have to declare bankruptcy on its first day after the merger closes. The losses to the new Delta would be enormous if wide bodies were parked. Therein lies my point. DALPA negotiated an LOA with a change that directly affects NWA aircraft and at the same time prevents enormous losses at the new Delta. Absolutely a good move. The problem is: only DALPA got anything in return. Even worse, DALPA negotiated a no furlough clause just for Delta pilots. It's as if DALPA didn't think we had any value or relevance at all to the LOA and its scope changes. To most NWA pilots, that is an unbelievable slap in the face. And that is why some folks are so angry, they truly do not want any part of the Delta pilot group. Some of those folks are in NWALPA leadership. I know you guys have the same inside DALPA.

Numerous folks could very well be wrong. The CEO of Southwest Airlines today said he has grave concerns for both NWA and DAL. He says he would not even contemplate a merger at this time given the cash outlay that will be required up front just to join the two companies. He feels the timing is ill advised. Wall Street appears to agree. Both our stocks are plummeting. This deal is far from over. Some would say, it hasn't even begun.

Carl