You don’t just file for mediation because you won’t have a contract as fast as you would like, and you don’t file just in case things break down in the future. You file when negotiations have broken down, and we’re not close to that stage yet. We’re going through what Delta went through before. We shot down a TA, replaced our reps, and started fresh. There is a process to follow, and if I remember correctly, it took Delta over a year to go through that process resulting in TA2. In a 500+ page legal document, the devil is in the details. This needs to be done methodically and deliberately, not rushed. It’s simply not time for mediation or a strike vote considering that we just really started over with the passing of the Delta TA. They are still meeting frequently and apparently negotiating in good faith. It’s a huge document to rewrite and the big ticket items will be the last sections that are settled. That might not set well with the tough talking crowd, but it’s where we are and we need cool heads at the table.

This is painfully true. The old axiom about getting what you pay for definitely applies. Just like an aging fleet will eventually become more expensive to maintain than to replace, an “inexpensive” labor contract often carries ancillary costs & inefficiencies.

Hedley, your point has much merit. I have to love the Delta guys(Giordano Bruno) who come on here with all their flaming opinions couched as fact, wisdom and years of experience(not). GB is only offering his 1 opinion.
My personal opinion? Trying to get a mediator involved now will just give management the needed public ammunition to foot drag . They will tell the meditator and Wall Street that after the "Union's inability to negotiate due to recalls that they have been willing and able to meet". Mgt will then suggest 2 -4 days a month for meetings. It will not be like super mediation at the end game stage.

Let the NC and MEC do their job. They have only been at it a short while and currently suggest they are fairly happy with the progress. The current union position is a lot like a marital relationship. You can't hang the faults of your ex-wife on your new spouse. You just need to be happy that you recognized you were in a harmful relationship , disengaged, and found a new significant other that appears to respect you.... that would be/is your new MEC.

Again, JMHO

I can understand a 'new guy' not understanding what it looks like when the company is dragging their feet, but some of you damn well know better than to post that stuff. If they actually have decision makers at the table it's a win. Ask around if you want to know what stalling like.

There is a reason our CEO is smiling while he is stalling. He is making over $45,000 a day to do it. Yup, over a million a month, double in a month what the senior pilots make in a year, yet some of them are satisfied with the timeline we are on. We haven't gotten a real raise in over 4 years, but the CEO has, every year. But that's cool, he's worth it. let's just let this drag on. Watch him smile and buy another mansion.

He needs a new agent, Garrett Cole makes $10,000 per pitch.

$1M/month can easily be whittled away by the inefficiencies of a disgruntled labor force. What’s worse, many of those inefficiencies continue beyond DOS. It’s pretty easy to keep people motivated to go above & beyond when they’re already doing it, but it takes a lot more to buy them out of a clock-in/clock-out mentality after you‘ve lost their goodwill.

If SK indeed is intentionally stalling this out just to bank $1M/month, I fear he’s taking a very penny wise/pound foolish mentality, as he’ll pay well beyond that to clean up the mess his delay causes. Publicly stating he intended to match/exceed Delta when that was not his true intention was a major error that set him up to spend more than he planned on labor & still not get what he wanted out of it. Whether he feels it or not, he’s racing against a very expensive clock.

By April 7th we will have an AIP
My prediction

By April 15th it will be a TA

You sound like those FA’s that complain about the pay gap between their job and pilots. You want CEO pay? Go be a CEO. Your argument is irrelevant. Kirby gets what is alloyed to him by the BOD.

Bold prediction.