Excellent point. In fact, let’s take pay cuts to better ensure our longevity. We can all retire in a common shelter built of TUMI bags.

 

LOL

Filler

 

ok, I liked that one

 

There are a lot more premium pay incentives at the regionals in many cases. I would regularly credit 120-140 hours /month. At their current pay rates that puts them WAY above junior narrowbody Captain pay at legacies. And regional LCAs are making $500,000+ /year now. More than most widebody Captains. Contracts aren’t just about pay rates.

 

This is literal absurdity and incredibly flawed thinking. $180,000 or even $300,000 really isn’t that much money. I made over $170,000 my last year at a regional BEFORE these new pay rates.

We would all need 30%+ pay raises just to get back to where this profession was 20 years ago. Inflation is killing the purchasing power of our hard earned dollars. So as I have stated before, do a pay comparison. Even a 20% raise will mean that regional Captains are still making more than legacy Captains in some cases.

And yes, regionals are going to shrink. But at airlines like AA they are incredibly dependent on regional lift to generate revenue. While Delta and United have seen fit to bring that flying in-house, American is running the opposite direction. They have no choice. So there will be regional airlines around in some capacity moving forward. And they likely WILL have to be paid well to staff the flying. These pay rates may not be going away as fast as some think.

 

Wadr what you describe is a 50+1 extension. A pay raise, a few tweaks, and current book on everything else. Once again we trash our leverage giving the company the relief it desires wrt the training pipeline.

It’s been 10 years since we’ve had a full contract. That wasn’t even a true contract considering all the opposing forces involved. During that time lived under contract extensions and LOAs frittering away leverage at each point. This is the reason our entire contract is so lacking.

You argue yet another extension with a me too clause because the company has no reason to come back to the table. That tells me you realize what we are signing is inadequate and hope another pilot will accomplish what we’re unwilling to do.

If we continue with this madness of extensions and LOAs, in the end we’ll essentially be working for hourly rates under a contract so woefully inadequate that we’ll never catch up. This career will forever be harmed. I for one am willing to wait as long as it takes.

PS…time to shelve Interest Based Bargaining. That will only lead to slightly cost plus agreements under a variable cost structure that the company so desires.

 

I’m definitely not arguing for it, but I think that is what we’ll see. I also don’t think it will be 50+1, more like 65-70% pass. Our reps represent the masses and not the small echo chamber here on APC. I suspect that the polling will show different results than what people argue here. On APC for example, nothing less than a complete rewrite of reserve rules are in order, but on the line I doubt that is where the majority want the emphasis. TA1 wasn’t a extension or LOA, it was in fact a new contract. It was a horrible deal full of concessions with a little add pay sprinkled around, but it was a new negotiated contract. There were also small gains in things like training pay, but those few gains were obviously grossly overshadowed by the gives. It’s not what I want, but I think that a 15+5+5 deal and removing the concessions from TA1 would in fact easily pass. A NB captain rate of $358 would be too hard for the majority to vote down.

 

The estimate for the Social Security COLA increase for 2022 is 9.6% ....it will be announced in Oct. That is on top of 5.9% for 2021. and another 1.3% for 2020, and 1.6% for 2019. So, the .gov has seen fit to increase SS by 18.5 % cumulative over the course of your open contract and you think 15% is gonna cut it?

You truly think sub inflation pay increases will garner 50%+1? I hope you are incorrect.

 

I sincerely hope that I’m wrong too, but my concern is pilot logic. Math is hard, emotions are easy. I’m afraid that a chart showing 15+5+5 would make enough pilots smile that they’d overlook inflation and the concept of holding out for a much better deal. People like to talk a big game, but they’re also extremely impatient. I’m convinced that 15+5+5 and removing the concessions from TA1 would pass by 2/3 or more. People are tired of waiting and will take the bird in the hand. We’ll know soon enough. The poll closes this week. I’d expect to see expedited negotiations and TA2 rolled out soon after that.

 

….and those increases will bankrupt the SSA even faster than currently projected and further increase inflation.