Strike votes aren't taken while the process is progressing.

In the past it was very common for ALPA to take a strike vote right before going into Section 6 negotiations. Not sure when that changed but it seems like new standard is to take strike vote during the cooling off period.

We don't need to strike.

That would play into the hands of the company, who will go to the press and the rest of the employees about how "greedy" we are being by striking.

The news will always spin it in their favor, you can count on it.

If it comes to a cooling off period, all it will take is for us to work to the rule and for everyone to fly their line and nothing more. We are so undermanned, or manned in the wrong places, that a strike is not necessary and would not be to our benefit.

I was told today by an "ask me" guy that the "rumor" is the company lawyers are worried that whatever TA they negotiate, it will not be good enough and we will vote it down.

I hope the company is finally getting smart enough to give us the deal we have repeatedly earned.

If not, I am not afraid to vote no, and if we vote the TA down, than so be it.

I will never vote for a TA that splits the retirement into two groups.

I will never vote for a TA that does not give everyone the 25K that the select few got in 2006.

Everyday the company stalls, increases my expectations as to the quality of the TA that will be required to earn my yes vote.

When will the company realize that they have pushed us too far?

Soon, I hope. It is way, way past time.

What's the definition of "progressing"? And who defines it?

sec 25 and 11 TA'd in a week. The mediator

Your right, WE all need to do the right thing, and not have anyone, union, friend, or college, tell us. The union can't and your "friends" could get in trouble for doing so too. This is not rocket science......

He said Strike Vote. Not a Strike. A Strike Vote is far from actually striking. First, the parties have to be released. A Strike vote is good to get the company and Wall Street's attention.

++1

If you are relatively new here (less than 20 years, from my prospective) you need to listen to the stories from the old hands. Red letters, non flight employees protests, a direct message from the top, threats of out sourcing, all happened, long ago; all could happen again.

A strike vote does not mean that you will actually withhold all services. It allows you to define certain work as struck work, like working on your off days for draft. At least that is how I understood it when explained to me years back.

Legally we are allowed no variance from normal until a strike is ordered after a 30 day cooling off period.

A strike vote can be taken at any time. We don't need approval from anyone for ALPA to take the vote. The results of such a vote will be a closely held secret and not released to the public until such time we need some leverage. That's assuming of course that the vote is strongly in favor of striking. It could turn out 50/50 and the union would never release those results to the public because our pilots won't support a strike. Or it could be 98/2 in favor of striking. It's all in the numbers.