Avro85

Lol. I've seen what DAL reports as a publicly traded company. As an investor, I would look for other options. As a new hire union worker, I might be a little nervous. Of course, that goes for all participants in this sector.

Fah2

My point wasn’t that first year pay shouldn’t go up. It should. I repeat: first year pay should increase.

What should not be held hostage for that to happen is contemporary industry pay rates.

Close your eyes and image for a moment we are not in a season of new pay rate defining TA’s. There hasn’t been double digit inflation and while things can always be better, we are fairly compensated in relation to our counterparts. Imagine NK pay scales on a color graph interwoven with those at the top, not riding down below under the “low cost” buffer. So there we are right in the mix, however our first year pay is still down at archaic subterranean levels, while every other major/legacies have it up much higher.

Now in this scenario, we can’t attract pilots, which means classes are empty, we can’t staff planes, grow bases, increase relative seniority, avoid meltdowns, etc etc.

In this scenario, if we were two years out from a contract and the company came to us for ONE TIME relief on first year pay in return for non-exciting raise that didn’t threaten to keep us below pay curve…. OK, I would say we have “secured our legacy” and now let’s make sure we can attract the talent we will need to grow this airline into what we know it can become.

But that’s not the world we live in. They want to get new guys in the door, get a few years of cheap labor from them and if they leave, they leave. Same with junior captains. Even in the road show it was said the company’s focused approach was attracting new hires, not pilot retention.

They want us to finance their pilot strategy of churning and burning, and I’m not going for it. I had a few libations the other night sure, but it’s not emotion.