Sorry, no, opting for full contract negotiations instead of contract extension wouldn’t have fixed it. Line pilots wanted pay and work rule improvements but have almost always placed a much heavier weight on pay than work rules.
It’s not so much that the company cares whether we take pay or work rules; it’s that pilots are by and large prostitutes who value money above all.
The company is willing to give us a package worth $X. Pilots decide the composition of that package and the company tells us what they’re willing to offer based on the value they attach to our demands.

During the cold years there were quite a few guys getting rid of toys, downsizing houses and cars and private schools and such ... Some went through several iterations of the process.

The extension allowed them to get back closer to their desired lifestyles.

That is ... Living beyond their means.

Not when you took a 42 percent paycut....:cool:

Better that than a 100% paycut. Twice.

Thanks for emphasizing my point.

I took the same pay cut. Guys furloughed ... Now that was a pay cut.

Only flew with one guy that was over 60 in 2008 just before the furlough. The guy couldn't stop going on and on about how great it was he would get 5 more years at top of scale in the left seat. I finally had to ask the guy if he knew that 1400 furloughs were about to happen, many of which were more about age 65 rather than the aircraft parking. Classic quote, "you're young, you can make it up later. I've got a boat to payoff and a retirement to fund." To which I asked, how does someone make up five years of zero? Total clueless @~hole

We do have more than one like that :(

I'm confident the company would prefer to operate with zero work rules. The flexibility is worth a lot to them. Some pilots will always want money over quality of life. Many have never experienced quality work rules and it's incumbent upon the union and other pilots to explain the benefits.

The valuation of contractual items is a two way street.

Absolutely. My point was to the poster referring to guys living beyond their means...