jerryleber

Kirby must not think we can multiply and add. In two years DAL vacation will top out at 37 days x 4:35 = 160:25 annual vacation hours. United tops out at 42 days x 3:15 = 136.5 annual hours.
Complete BS. The cost of the current United offer is well below Delta's contract and does anyone believe the cash is for furlough prevention? UFB.
If only Kirby was this stupid. The reason for the 100+ unfilled Captain slots is the work rules and reserve provisions are so substandard. Nothing like two year Captains and new-hire FOs operating 737NG & 737MAXs all over the northern hemisphere.I agree. Great job folks!

xGearSlingerx

The update from the NC a couple of weeks ago was a breath of fresh air.

To make an informed decision I need to know what our Reps are asking.

Why the "cloak and dagger"? I am a United pilot but I knew Delta's opening details years ago.

sailingfun

Thats always the big question and I have never understood the secrecy. ALPA’s Economic team is very good at costing. If they say the companies offer is below Delta I would believe that. The question is how far below Delta is the offer? 1% or 10%? The next question is how far above Delta is your table position. That’s a very important number that never seems to get published. Keeping in mind that mediation will drive you to the Delta solution plus a % or two deciding to go that route is a tough choice for your negotiating committee given it adds substantial time to the process. Time is not your friend if you are looking at where your career earnings will end up.

In the United case you probably have more leverage than Delta because time is also not on managements side with your training situation. Time however works for management with the substantial sums saved delaying the contract. Full retro never happens in long delayed contracts. You get zero retro on work rules. Delta’s MEC preached that they would NEVER sign a contract without full retro and even wrote it into the union bylaws then caved on the issue for about 30 cents on the dollar.
Delta did have one thing going for them that you don’t at United. A less than smart CEO who went on national TV saying the Delta pilots would never be allowed to strike. The mediator took great offense to that statement. She controlled that issue not EB and threatened a near immediate release to self help if Delta management did not put an offer on the table that could close things out in a week. I doubt SK is as stupid as EB.

Sunvox

Very interesting post, thank you.

A brief comment on one item that I am lately reconsidering. There seems to be a consensus here and elsewhere on the issue of unfilled captain vacancies and training. I admit I agreed with said consensus up until someone pointed out that we have hundreds of surplus 737 captains in IAH, ORD, and DEN. We are staffed way more than what is needed to fly the hours we currently have. The company achieved this by offering captain vacancies in domiciles that were highly desired versus where the actual need lay. I have to believe this was done with intention on the part of the company to provide a buffer that gives them the supply of pilots, both CA and FO well into the future.

In other words, I'm not so sure there will be any pressure on the company to meet their pilot need for quite some time; not to mention that hiring seems to be continuing unabated regardless of negotiations stalling.

Tesla S

The company is feeling no pressure to provide an ILC any time soon. SK would welcome the mediation process and the time it would consume to finish that process.

Currently SK has all he need to run a profitable operation. TK is staffed, there is no longer a back log between sim and IOE, plenty of CAs to staff summer flying, and enough new hires coming off probation to fill the needed CA positions in the future.

If no one bid CA until we had am ILC we would be in great position, but FOMO is real and the pilots choosing to upgrade are providing enough CAs for the company to operate seamlessly,..

Unless SK is feeling particularly generous one day, we are in for a long mediation process to break even with DAL.

hummingbear

The union is telling him what the contract needs to have to actually fix his problem & he isn’t listening. If people are not upgrading under current book, does he really think a Delta approximate pay raise with no improvements to our crummy work rules is going to move the needle?

Brickfire

The upgrades aren’t enough to operate seamlessly. They’re taking massive growth deliveries and captain upgrades are barely keeping pace with retirements

Plus they can only herd so many FO’s into IAH. Having 25% of the base in training won’t work.

TFAYD

agreed. Maybe we should take the money and see what happens. I doubt that the “new” contract as it appears to still falling short on QOL issues will substantially motivate people to upgrade.

then SK has to come back and fix it with LOAs

ninerdriver

**** that. I came from a class that's heading toward the end of probation, and there's only one willing to take a quick upgrade.

Lenticularis

No. No we should not.