Alaska FA's have Ball----s

[igneousy2]

Never underestimate the time / value of money and the point of diminishing returns.

You keep telling yourself that. Pilots are too smart for their own good. Most profitable airline in the industry = top pay throughout the life of the contract. It's that simple. If you don't have enough self-respect to demand that then I can't help you.

The problem with the whole tvm hypothesis is that it assumes you are considering all the variables. What is the TVM of the money we are going to lose because every other 737 operator that now negotiates a contract is going to be told to pack sand on any raise for their 737 drivers because the pilots of the most profitable airline aren't even going to make 5 years from now what pilots of bankrupt carriers are going to be making in 3.

When the Delta NC goes to RA next year and demands a raise for their 737 pilots he is going to laugh in their face. How can they expect a raise when in 2015 737 pilots at Delta are going to be making more than AS pilots are going to be making in 2018. Hell, in 2018, Delta, United, AA, and US Air pilots are all going to be making more than Alaska pilots without negotiating a single additional contract.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is distributing millions to it's shareholders through increased dividends and share buy-backs. Meanwhile there is a large spike in insider selling of stocks. We got them right where we want them alright!

http://seekingalpha.com/article/2025731-alaska-air-7-different-insiders-have-sold-shares-this-month

Alaska Air: 7 Different Insiders Have Sold Shares This Month
Feb. 17, 2014 6:31 AM ET by: Markus Aarnio
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)


In this article, I will feature one regional airline stock that has seen intensive insider selling during the last 30 days. Intensive insider selling can be defined by the following three criteria:

1. The stock was sold by three or more insiders within one month.
2. The stock was not purchased by any insiders in the month of intensive selling.
3. At least two sellers decreased their holdings by more than 10%.

In 5 years I will bet that I will not be able to find a single soul that voted for this joke of a contract.

 

[Boxboy]

Boxboy,
Just because you do not like the truth, does not mean that it is not the truth. Pull out a whiz wheel and do a little simple math. Arithmetic does not lie. 2 + 2 will always equal 4, until the end of time. You may not like it, you may not agree with it, but you can not change it.
There is no way on God's green earth that our F/A's will ever get a pay raise number big enough to recover what they have lost in the last two years. That is a simple fact. The time value of money can not be underestimated, especially when you are talking about 2 to 3 (or more) years of negotiations.
Now, I'm not saying that pay is everything. There could be other parts of their contract that are more important to the F/A group and therefore worth the years of negotiations to protect. That's up to their group to decide. I'm just saying that in regards to pay they are already so far behind that it is completely and totally impossible to catch up.

It's always not about just the hourly pay; it's the whole package. So, if you just want to talk about straight pay, you may have a case regarding TVM.
Most AS pilots are weak. I get it. No amount of my explanation will ever change the likes of you, so I'm just going to save my key strokes. You would be singing a different tune if you were still in the right seat. Like I've said, most of our pilots are very SHORT SIGHTED and are extreme WDs. Enjoy those all nighters!

 

[AK737FO]

Boxboy,
I agree with you, it's not just about pay. I said so above. What little I know about the F/A's contract seems to show that they are not that concerned with pay. There are other parts of their contract that they want to hold one to (productivity issues) that the company want to get rid of. So here they are - years go bye, they have lost a lot in wages but they keep other parts of their contract that they want and value more than money. That's their choice as a collective group. I'm only pointing out that they will never regain those lost wages and heaven forbid that they someday loose on the other issues that they gave up all those wages trying to keep.
BTW, I have not done an all nighter in years. ANC is slowly turning into a vampire base, but it's not that hard to avoid them - even with out 3rd step

 

[igneousy2]

I can make adjustments for having slightly less pay...but work rules are only going to get worse going forward. So hanging on to the ones you got is critical. Kudos to them. I keep hearing about the increased monthly minimum as a big deal and the fact that FAs at a certain seniority range were going to receive what amounted to a pay cut.

Good for them...I wish the pilots had half the balls the FAs are showing.

I'm buying the FAs the first round this month.

 

[flythere]

I think for a lot of those FA's, better than 60-70 percent, their jobs as a flight attendant with Alaska Air is NOT their primary source of income, so for a vast majority of them job security is not a big deal! Compared to pilots, where better than 90% percent of them are the bread winners in their respective households.

Are the exceptions to this, sure, my point is I think it was easier for the majority of FA's to say no, particularly on that change to JA, that seems to be a big deal for them!

I'm glad a majority were able to find common ground on an item and vote it down! It's their contract and work rules, they are the ones that will have to live with it!!!