av8or

No sir….. your history is incorrect. The way “we” fell behind the industry is:

A. Majority of Alaska pilots in the past being just as siloed as management thinking like a regional carrier.
B. Management infiltration of MEC leadership
C. No strike clause/binding arbitration
D. Overall “mom and pop” paradigm in the past that we’re just all one big happy family.

Im incredibly sympathetic to the the “once in a lifetime” argument. I’ve waited 35 years to see the “pilot shortage” happen. But, to be clear, our deficit at Alaska is not what it is at our competitors. The apex of our negotiating power prob was just at pre Covid. And the idea that the Democratic Party is “pro labor” died when Clinton signed NAFTA.

conquestdz

​​​​​​When I see what's really in there, I think we are getting them this time, and we will probably be getting them next time too. The pilot shortage, which is our true leverage isn't going anywhere in the mid term. In the short term it could subside during a recession, but it will be back with a vengeance after.

flyprdu

The bulk of retirements in the industry will begin to subside after 2025. This 3 year deal (+2 for negotiations) will about cover the "pilot shortage."

Next time will look much less favorable.

This is our one and only shot.

Lewbronski

You may be right that the Democratic party hadn’t been labor unions’ best friend during the Clinton and Obama administrations, though it’s interesting to note that the three mainline pilot strikes of the last 25 years occurred during the Clinton and Obama eras. Regardless, it’s difficult to dispute what just occurred in a no-kidding, real life RLA labor dispute that posed far more threat to commerce than if Alaska or any other of the top ten airlines were to go on strike.

Which NMB member voted against releasing the railroad unions from mediation, after less than six months in mediation, in June?

Which legislators introduced legislation in the last few days of the PEB to force rail workers back to work without addressing their concern with sick days? Which legislator blocked them from advancing their legislation?

Why did the rail companies settle with the unions on the 59th day of the PEB, granting the unions the sick days they had, up to that point, been unsuccessful in obtaining?

It seems that this current administration has been extremely friendly to labor unions - at least so far, in the first major test of its friendliness toward labor unions regulated by the RLA.

AvwriterJoe

Psst: The 175s replace the Q400s/Dash-8-400s on Horizon, the regional carrier.

Small detail.

Vote YES. The union fought hard and tenaciously to get the best deal and find new allies in the media to shame management to get the lead out of their you-know-what and do a deal.

AvwriterJoe

Well all the pilots' union presidents are checking in on one another.

Delta just sent a strike authorization ballot out.

Southwest is gonna go to the matresses because their management is asleep in the cockpit or worse. Herb Kelleher is NOT resting in peace right now, I can tell you that from the Simple Flying articles I read on the crisis.

United and American aren't far behind.

Swift and JetBlue... going to be interesting.

Everybody's hoping Alaska's TA gets ratified. It solves many of Alaska's problems and will put a boot in the a$$ of the other airlines to get to a deal instead of stall, sleep or whatnot. SWAPA's Casey Murray can't be everywhere doing tiger stuff, you know?

If I had a vote I'd pass this TA with a smile. The economy is about to go the wrong way. This deal has a good scope deal. This deal ends the Alaska discount. This deal fixes scheduling. This TA will end the nonsense and put a boot up management's a$$ to take care of the angels in back quickly. Alaska Airlines can then just smirk and smile and salute as Southwest Airlines gets into more trouble.

Oh and Delta Air Lines? Let 'em Airbust into a beautiful pilot's strike during a recession. Yeah, that'll be fun to watch next year as their stock price crashes. Maybe Delta Air Lines will be so devalued a certain Seattle airline with labor peace and honour can buy them out and clean house.

jayme

Do you think the company slid the first offer across the table and the NC and MEC took it to the pilots to vote on?

AvwriterJoe

Good to hear.

Because who wants to strike during a recession?

It'll be joyful watching the upcoming Delta Air Lines pilots' strike movie next year. Be great to see a real, live pilot's strike with Delta Air Lines stock price making a beautiful dive. Maybe to the point that the adults of Alaska Airlines are asked to step in and take over.

Southwest Airlines is about a year or two from multiple strikes. Pilots and FAs are fed up.

I would really read Simple Flying, the Seattle Times and spend some time on Twitter to get the lay of the land.

Please pilots take this deal. Solves your issues.

KnockKnock

The "time value of money" is exactly how the last two, unarbitrated, contracts were sold. And apparently enough bought into the thinking that locking in one or two sections at the time, while deciding to, "get the rest later", was a good idea. Fast forward to 2017 when that decision to forego scope in favor of pay was proven to be a bad one. My belief is that by only focusing on the, more or less, "4 Pillars", we have only righted some of the wrongs from the JCBA ruling. We are finally in a position where we don' have to let one section slip in order to enhance another. I think we should take this opportunity to do just that. Yes, I asked for scope and section 25 improvements. But that doesn't mean leave half the contract untouched. The majority of that contract is decades old. The book has been open for 3.5 years now. We should be seeing improvements in every single section. We're being rushed into signing this this and I'm not buying the excuse being given. The company needs this signed and their threat of not giving us retro back to Sept. 1st is proof. Send it back, call their bluff and get the rest of what's deserved.

pangolin

Initially I thought you were delusional. The last paragraph proves it.