ASA picket

[Crash Pad]

Ok Go Around said something about walking in circles on the 24th. Usually I don't investigate union claims but there burried in my junk email folder was a letter informing me of a picket.

Union guys I really don't want to walk in circles but I will if one of you can explain to me why. Here are my questions:

1. Is it true that ASA is fee for departure with a bonus system? If it is what can the public possibly do if they see our signs and are motivated to write a letter?
2. Does ASA need to board a single passenger to make money?
3. Contract talks seem to be moving again. Why take action against a process that is working again?
4. Is this move to show unity? Is it to inform the public?
5. Please outline the past cases where picketing has effectively moved negotiations forward.

Those are my first questions. Your answers may raise more questions.

 

["GO AROUND"]

1. Yes, unless I read the last DCI agreement wrong. Managment hates to look bad in the public eye. They will say that they could care in the least, but why are they quick to put out a public statement giving their excuses and make themselves not look inadequate.

2. Yes

3. Not the process, the monkeys in our managment. I havn't gotten the why we are yet.

4. Unity is always a huge part of it. Yes

5. The BOD meeting at the GICC when they got so much bad press about it. Negotiations did take a turn for the better after.

 

[Sinca3]

#1...Pax see Delta........they don't see ASA or Delta Connection. They then question Delta's stability and look else where for tickets. Delta managment calls ASA and tells them to get their house in order.....
#2...No
#3...To keep them moving!
#4...To show unity & to show managment that we are STILL serious about a fair contract
#5...DAL BOD last year.

 

[Crash Pad]

Ok I need a solid answer on #2, #3

Can you all refresh my memory on the positive turn that happened after the BOD? (I assume BOD means Board of Directors)

I remember all the positive changes as of late coming after the SKYW purchase. I attributed the positive change to a new parent company... Am I wrong should I have contributed the changes because of a picket.

I'm having trouble with picketing despite the positive trend in negotiations. Shouldn't we wait for a negotiation break down to picket?

On #1. The amount of people that get a message from one day of picketing is minimal at best. I took some marketing classes and from what I remember one day of picketing is the worst plan to get a message to the broad public. Shouldn't we do a month of picketing? TV advertisements? Newspaper ads? I think if our goal is to go after public sentiment and scare them a little I can get a copy of my W2. Blow it up for viewing and print it in the USA Today. You know some kind of would you trust a guy making $19K a year with your life. Delta does.

Just some thoughts. I don't think you two have layed solid framework for picketing but I'm still open to the idea.

 

["GO AROUND"]

IMO, I think we are anticipating things breaking down in the next sessions when we start talking about the monitary sections. Just my .02.

2. If ASA has no passengers, DAL has no feed, DAL makes less money, DAL goes under. ASA will not get paid if DAL ceases to exist. So YES.

3. See above. The ever present boy scouts that we are.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Ok Go Around said something about walking in circles on the 24th. Usually I don't investigate union claims but there burried in my junk email folder was a letter informing me of a picket.

Union guys I really don't want to walk in circles but I will if one of you can explain to me why. Here are my questions:

1. Is it true that ASA is fee for departure with a bonus system? If it is what can the public possibly do if they see our signs and are motivated to write a letter?
2. Does ASA need to board a single passenger to make money?
3. Contract talks seem to be moving again. Why take action against a process that is working again?
4. Is this move to show unity? Is it to inform the public?
5. Please outline the past cases where picketing has effectively moved negotiations forward.

Those are my first questions. Your answers may raise more questions.

Keep asking those tough questions Crash Pad. Question authority and don't blindly follow your ALPA leadership.

 

[JoeMerchant]

IMO, I think we are anticipating things breaking down in the next sessions when we start talking about the monitary sections. Just my .02.

2. If ASA has no passengers, DAL has no feed, DAL makes less money, DAL goes under. ASA will not get paid if DAL ceases to exist. So YES.

So why didn't Delta go under during the CMR strike? They were on strike for 89 days. Do you know what they accomplished in those 89 days? Are they better off for striking for 89 days? Be careful about blindly following ALPA - it can get you/us in trouble.

 

[OCP]

So why didn't Delta go under during the CMR strike? They were on strike for 89 days. Do you know what they accomplished in those 89 days? Are they better off for striking for 89 days? Be careful about blindly following ALPA - it can get you/us in trouble.

Now I try not to think hard most of the time, but even this should be obvious.

Delta then = tons of money
Delta now = -money

Also

Delta now = 90% of Delta in ATL
ASA feed = 90% of feed in ATL*

* a rough guess

 

[sweptback]

The other thing with the CMR strike vs. potential ASA strike was that CMR operates mostly O&D flights out of CVG and feeds DL mainline very little. DL was able to route flights through ATL and get people back to CVG on mainline.

ASA is the exact opposite as ~80% of our traffic feeds DL mainline directly. This is why ASA was sold and CMR was not, and why an ASA strike would hurt DL much more.

 

[Sinca3]

#2....ASA is a fee for departure DCI carrier. We get a fixed payment for each flight completed. It doesn't matter if we have 0 or 70 pax, ASA gets paid the same fee that was negotiated for that specific city pair. So No ASA does not have to board a single pax to make $$. Along those lines remember the whole pass benefits debacle we are going through? Delta has informed us and I have personally heard Mr. Labrecque, say numerous times that DAL owns all our seats and they can tell us if we can nonrev on our own a/c!!!
#2...I see your point about positive trends and how picketing could damage those. Picketing is more for managment to see our resolve and unity than for public preception. Therefore the higher the numbers that turn out for a picketing event the stronger the message we send to our managment that we are serious about a fair and equitable contract. A side benefit is the publics preception of DAL and its stabiltiy.
Don't forget.........WE the pilots call the shots, not the LEC/MEC as some would have you believe. We are the union and we have elected reps that do what we (the majority) tell them.

 

["GO AROUND"]

So why didn't Delta go under during the CMR strike? They were on strike for 89 days. Do you know what they accomplished in those 89 days? Are they better off for striking for 89 days? Be careful about blindly following ALPA - it can get you/us in trouble.

Don't play stupid John, you, I, Sinca and most everyone know why the Comair strike didn't kill DAL. Did it cost them a lot of money, YES. But back then they were able to play poker with them. Now DAL is short stacked and can't afford to go all in without the best hole cards(pardon the poker analogy). I don't blindly follow anyone. My eyes are wide open to both sides. I grew up with aviation managment so I am skeptical of everything. If I don't like the direction our reps our taking me then I vote NO or make a change. The same goes with our managment.