forgot to bid

that would be interesting. just as an example say we had "won" in 2012 the right to sell their vacations and fly. some go balistic on here and DALPA says "fine, here you go here's the survey results and 55% of the pilot group had demanded just that and it was a legit "win."

what would you say if you were in disagreement? "Well if that's what the pilots wanted, I guess I should shut up."

Would that be the wise way to handle that? Should you lay down your convictions because you lose a vote?

I don't think it is.

Check Essential

Not necessarily. That just means you have been converted for pay purposes.
MMC = mid month conversion.

You may or may not get an immediate OE.

DeadHead

I'm thinking if you could **** a ****ing gold brick on a regular basis you probably wouldn't need to fly anymore.

Herkflyr

You should most definitely not lay down your convictions because you lose a vote. You should indeed try to win in the marketplace of ideas, and do your best to persuade others to see your point of view, and hopefully they will be convinced by your reasoning so that it becomes their point of view.

However, what you should also not do is label anyone who does not share your convictions as somehow inherently wrong (i.e. "there is my point of view, and then there is the wrong one").

Some things are easy to label as wrong, such as scabbing, because they ARE detestable.

Other things, such as this work rule or that, sometimes just break down to a difference of opinion, and as I told my wife once, just because we have a difference of opinion doesn't render that some counseling-worthy drama! Sometimes it is just that--two decent, reasonable people have a different opinion on a subject, and they can agree to civilly disagree.

Bucking Bar

As I was explaining something to my wife she stated that "you have such an air of condensation." I was like, "what? it's raining? Do you mean condescension, or that I am being condescending?"

Fortunately, like George, I can duck thrown objects.

Check Essential

Admit it. You slept on the couch that night didn't you?

Bucking Bar

If you can poop gold, why are you flying airplanes for a living?

Aside from that, you might should place a call to your Rep and ask. He might be able to tell you enough to start your anal alchemy experiment.

Of course the last gold bug we had in our ranks started ranted about grid cleansing and predicted the end of the World about four times now ... hmm ... and he probably saw the survey results ... yikes, all this stuff is beginning to correlate. I had better sign off.

grasshopper

.................

acl65pilot

Reading the C44 Communications you should see that the MEC has not even decided if they will negotiate. That is what this meeting is for. Read what the C44 reps published in their hotline and communiqué the last few weeks. If it does not result in a clear benefit for the Delta Pilots they will not ratify the TA.


Here are excerpts:

Sept 8th:
Item 1. Mid-Contract Negotiations, Setting the record straight: We often get the questions from Council 44 pilots, “Why pursue an LOA?” Or, “Shouldn’t we just say ‘No?’” You have communicated to us that you want to achieve contract improvements in several areas, and whenever possible. You have also passed resolutions directing us to do this. Let’s face it, there’s no shortage to the list of improvements that you provide us. Any negotiation that changes our contract will result in an LOA, that’s how it works. But let’s be clear: We will not ratify an LOA unless it is an improvement for the Delta pilots, in keeping with their direction to us and in their best interests!

We will engage in negotiations when mandated, such as a new joint venture, new aircraft pay, or up to 270 days prior to our amendable date. Additionally, we will engage in discretionary negotiations when opportunities arise that may lead to improvements in the pay, working conditions, retirement or job security of the Delta pilots, such as is occurring with Asia/Pacific scope. We have not yet but may engage in negotiations with Delta due to changes in the new flight time and duty time regulations (FAR 117), but will only if it is in the best interests of the Delta pilots to do so.

We will not negotiate to simply “help the company.” We will not negotiate to simply “provide relief.” We will negotiate when we see the opportunity to improve our contract. We are committed to achieving contract improvements for the Delta pilots at every opportunity, and will continue to communicate to you when we see these opportunities coming. We understand your input that any negotiations must result in gains for our pilots.

Communiqué:
Fellow Council 44 Pilots,

Today Delta Air Lines stock was re-listed on the S&P 500. As Delta is one of only two airlines on this index (DAL and LUV); this is a significant milestone for our company and serves as recognition of the sacrifices, hard work and dedication of the Delta pilots, and indeed all Delta employees, who rebuilt our airline in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

Through bankruptcy, a hostile take-over attempt, two wars, the largest financial collapse since the Great Depression and a merger, we have been instrumental in rebuilding our brand, our airline, and our industry. Today we can pause and take great pride in what we’ve achieved together through many difficult decisions in a very difficult environment.

Delta Air Lines in now the industry-leading airline, outperforming the U.S. airline industry in nearly every metric. Delta has been profitable for three years and is now able to pay dividends, buy back stock, purchase new jets, invest in the company, and invest in new terminal construction at JFK and LGA, all while remaining on track to reduce its debt to $7 billion by 2016; a significant improvement over the $17 billion in debt in 2009. The mainline is growing with scheduled deliveries of 88 B717s, 100 B737-900s, 30 A321s and 10 A330-300s starting this fall through 2017. New hire pilots will join our ranks in November, and right now we have an advance entitlement open with more upward movement and an expected trajectory of continued advancement opportunities. Our Delta Air Lines is now a healthy and growing company capable of supporting a healthy pilot contract.

We should all be proud of the investment that we made and the returns that it brought, but we must be mindful of the fact that the Delta pilots have yet to recover from their sacrifices. As your representatives we will work tirelessly to deliver a contract that reflects this fact. The pilots who were instrumental in making today possible deserve nothing less.

Fraternally,

Hermon, Dave, Armando and David

Is this clear enough for you?

JungleBus

Yep, this America's Cup has been absolutely fantastic to watch, it has rather redeemed itself after the training accidents, disappointing Louis Vuitton Cup, etc. As much as I love the old 12-meters, I don't think we'll be seeing any monohulls at the next AC in a few years in Auckland. They might downsize from the AC72s to attract more challengers to the LVC but foiling multis are here to stay.

Bummed the races were cancelled today, 21kts seems pretty low but the bay looked pretty choppy with the ebb tide. Fortunately (barring delays) I get done by race time tomorrow and the day after. Hope OTUSA can at least win a few more to make it interesting....