But chest thumping does :)

Epic response! I too am curious if he really shorted the stock.

Another vague ASA connection email sent out today that sort of came across to me as backpedaling off the militant stance on Flightline and now talks of working together. To answer your question, there is no such thing as "working together" when one side show ZERO compromise when it comes to Flightline PBS. After all, our MEC told ALPA national they are willing to lose aircraft and RFPs to keep Flightline....

As an XJT pilot. I think we all should vote to run this company into bankruptcy with a kickass contract for 3 years then go to mainline ;) together run this b.i.ch into the ground like all regionals should do..,

Wish I had the time to discuss this with you on the phone, but that last sentence is false.

I highly recommend you read the transition and process agreement and read what it has to say about the Company entering into seperate negotiations with either pilot group individually. Once you see that the TPA secures the right for the pilot group being left out to be present during those types of negotiations, you'll realize that the ASA MEC is actually taking a respectable position of fighting for what is right for OUR pilots.

If the TPA allows our negotiators to be present while the company negotiates with XJT over large two-class aircraft (which it does), then I sure as hell want them there to make sure they can see first hand how low some parties are willing to go on said pay rates. Or, perhaps, how high - and to then secure THOSE rates also for our pilots.

Unless, of course, you would like our brothers over there to undercut us on the rates we currently have - thus reducing our ability to increase, much less protect, our large dual class rates.

That "vague" letter today, albeit maybe not as strong as I had hoped (trust me...I voiced my concerns about the lack of additional context), is full of enough details for anyone who has been following current events going back to the first XJT JetLink Comm stating that the Company is interested in establishing dual class payrates.

I'll be happy to talk about this tomorrow if you'd like. Wife would kill me if she knew I was handling this ridiculous stuff at 9:15, lol.

I'll give a rare compliment to the ASA MEC on this one. I have no question in my mind (from their gloating on the internet particularly), that the XJT MEC is in cahoots with management to lob us a hand grenade on this one. This entire merger, they have been the bad kids, and now all of a sudden, we stood our ground on one very important issue, and we're the bad kids. So of course, they love this and are using it to their advantage.

They will "negotiate" as long as they are required to under 26, then they will "let" the arbitrator impose an "industry standard" 900 rate well below ours. Then they will laugh at us as our airplanes are transferred and lecture us about being competitive (a change from their lectures to be tough previously). One thing I learned on The Pipe is that the XJT group has no class, and no unity, it is all about them. so I applaud my MEC. Shut it down for all I care. If we never get another plane, I'm fine with it. I will not do this job for one penny less nor one hair worse QOL. McPickle's gloabalized bidding system is not acceptable. I say keep it separate, and we'll all take our chances.

But I think we all know what ALPO's response will be to our protest on the TPA. Here's the sand. Go pound.

As a member of the XJT MEC, I can assure you we have Unity, and class.

I wasn't specifically referring to you, Joe.

Tony, I can assure there is no way we would ever take rates less than your rates as they arent too far behind our 50 seat rates. As for the rest, I really wonder if you are aware of what has been going on in negotiations. Our group is certainly not perfect, but we have put a lot of time and energy into coming up with a maltitude of solutions that you guys would find acceptable. You have turned down every one and refuse to offer any solutions other than everyone going to flightline. As for the pipe, it represents a small percentage of our pilots who get on there and like to btich. Our group is reasonable and wants to work together, and thats why we're still negotiating with management and youre not. Guys in management might not be saints, but they are smart enough to know when a group wants to work together and when a group is being childish.

I'm not willing to take that chance. I like Flightline, but all indications show it is no longer acceptable to the company, and never was acceptable to XJT. If Smartpref is the way to a JCBA and SLI, I'm willing to compromise. Flightline is great, but it does have flaws and is not worth falling on our swords for.

McPickle has a very detailed explanation about Globalization and Smartpref on FI. I'm convinced that it can be as excellent a PBS system as Flightline.

From a regular line L-ASA guy who likes Flightline...

Let's just get this over with and ride with prefbid. The longer we draw this out...the worse it will be for EVERBODY.