e6bpilot

Exactly. Their faux outrage at the cost of our contract is the same as when you call out a plumber to fix a problem that you have let go way too long and now it is flooding your basement. You are going to be shocked at the bill, but that's the bill. Maybe time to work an extra shift in the salt mines to make some dough to pay for it.

This whole drama act about the cost reminds me of my adult kids when I finally ask them to pay for stuff that I have been covering for years. They can't believe how much it costs. Yeah, tell me about it.

RJSAviator76

In 2016, we were hemmorhaging 1st year guys, so while everyone got 15% snap-up, the 1st year rate snap-up was 35% IIRC, and the interesting part was that it was the company's idea, not SWAPA's. Stacking the pay increases to year 1-5 is arguably their 50.1% solution given how many we've hired in the past few years. The company is playing the numbers game. They aren't stupid, but they think we are. They're looking to bribe year 1-5 guys and take a few yessies from the top of the pay scale and they've got their 50.1%

The year 1 through 5 guys need to realize that by the time we get the next contract, they'll be at the top of the payscale, their career value sold for very short term gain but long term loss for them, and this time, without the leverage we have right now. This is not to say their pay shouldn't be raised substantially... not by a long shot. But it should not be at the expense of the top of the pay scale range because that's where they're gonna spend anywhere from 2 to 3+ decades. In this environment, it shouldn't an either/or.... with the leverage we have, it should be a grand slam.

Finally, yes... the co-terminal stuff was indeed sprinkles. This is the steak now and this is what matters. If the final rates are "industry-leading 737 rates" but lagging A321XLR, 767 rates, etc, I won't even bother reading the rest before voting no. Put us on ice, DGAF... The entire compensation package needs to be the grand slam, or it's an easy no.

RJSAviator76

Precisely! They can always pick up a little extra...

Zard

Managers can worry about managing and finding new revenue. They could control costs by not mailing out $100 dollars in swa bucks to people who bought a 29 dollar ticket and were inconvenienced by our crap operation. After all, that’s what they get all those stock bonuses for, right?

Sr. Barco

Remember during Contract 2012 they said we'd never get the industry standard 15% NEC? Tango Delta even assured us it would bankrupt the company. It was thrown in on the last day.

I don't think further delay tactics will help the company at this point. Next year we'll be 20% behind the legacies. Four years after that we'll be 40%+ behind the legacies with retirments and hiring still off the charts. If retention is a problem now, imagine the retention problem with us being 20% to 40% behind our peers. Putting us on ice doesn't seem like a big threat, IMO.

NuGuy

Wasn't there a cohort of AAA guys that did pretty well under the "parity" contract? I met one guy that hit all the goal posts just right and retired far enough ahead of the bankruptcy that his pension was immune from the lookback. He seemed pretty happy.

MudhammedCJ

I'm just joshin ya. I agree. By comparison, Co-Terminals are not hardly a blip. But I'm not willing to give them ANYTHING.

Either way, I'm trying to get "Sprinkles" to stick. We already have an "Eyeore." Now we need a "Sprinkles."

As far as 1-5 pay, if I was industrious, I'd go dig up my old posts to highlight the short-sighted, absolute howling that I got in return for my trouble. Most of those howler monkeys are probably now captains, so I'm not surprised they aren't giving even a sniveling whimper about it now. 🤪

ZapBrannigan

I've always thought it was crappy that years 1-5 lagged the curve.

my opinion hasn't changed just because I moved 3 feet to the left.

Lake Chuck

Couldn’t agree more. I can hold out much longer than Kompany.

hoover

The company has been accounting for the increase in pilots costs by counting the future costs as an expense in each quarters reports this yr. That's why profits are down on record revenue. The costs are baked in, they are just trying to see what they can save.
just like every OAL after they sign the contract the next quarter will have record profits because they are no longer taking an expense.
every airline doesnt do as well financially when in contract negotiations.
remember in FP 2020 it shows the pay could double and SW will still make money without doing anything to tickets prices.
Pilot pay accounts for roughly $5/hr of the ticket price.
They could easily pass the costs off to the consumer just like they do when oil is higher.
Pilots pay has never bankrupted an airline.