Because we didn’t want to negotiate with the “B” team. Ironically the “B” team could have helped us get into mediation quicker which IMHO is the only way we get a new contract.

The B team doesn’t negotiate nor are they authorized to. They play sudoku and delay, delay, delay. Remember, there’s parties requesting mediation and the NMB accepting those parties into mediation, 2 separate events. NMB wouldn’t accept us into mediation if barely any progress was made. So we could take a small pay bump and pension increase or take nothing and be at the same place later this year. I think we made the right choice….🤷‍♂️

They refused to negotiate last time till 6 months prior to the expiration date. LEVERAGE.

What most fail to grasp is that going forward we are going to be a full negotiating cycle, maybe two, behind the Legacies and going to be playing catch up for a long time. Due to these extensions, the best we can hope for is parity for a very short period of time before being leapfrogged again. 10 years between contracts is simply ridiculous.

Exactly. I think we will finally catch Delta in 2028. Just a few months before they get an even newer/better contract.
But I’m sure we will hear all about widebody to narrowbody ratios to make us feel like real winners.

I fully expect the “A” team to do the same thing. Those that believe Tony C and Carol are gonna roll in day one ready to make a deal are in for disappointment.

why do you think the “A” team will be there at the beginning?

History doesn’t show this to be the case

Exactly. We were going to get the B tream initially whether we started 4 years ago, 2 years ago, or now. It takes 5 years to get a contract out of these people. If we would’ve started 4 years ago, we’d be almost there today.

Honest question for the old heads: When in the history of the IPA have we ever negotiated (or not negotiated) based on what another labor group was doing?

Their contracts become amendable around then, no evidence suggests they are going to get another expedited negotiations home run like last time.

No sense in whining about a reality you can’t change.

31 Aug 16: UPS/IPA pilots ratify Contract 2016 - amendable date of 1Sept21.

30 Sep 16: Delta pilots achieve AIP that becomes TA2 with top widebody hourly rates above UPS/IPA Contract 2016 - amendable date 31Dec19.