I may be wrong but I don't remember comparing this TA to Air Wisky.
Well, on September 23 at 23:59, you said this:
Ask a United, American or Air Whisky pilot how good their contract is.
Perhaps I misunderstood you, but you seemed to imply that Air Whiskey had gotten a good contract, and that we should speak to one of their pilots to see "how it's done". In fact, most people believe that Air Whiskey has a pretty good contract from what I've heard, and as I pointed out, our pay rates will be above theirs. This is not to imply superiority of our contract through and through, but to point out that in relative terms, our contract is not anywhere near the worst out there.
I won't criticize any decision you make to go back to whatever business you happen to run on the side, nor will I be happy should you decide to leave. I like the people I work with (and maybe I know you, and maybe I don't), and I don't like changes in the family. I'm serious. I would like for this job to be for you what it is for me.
I haven't the luxury of a seniority number at a larger carrier, nor a business on the side that can sustain me while otherwise out of work. I'd like to think that it's not because I'm not a smart guy, but rather because I've spent the past few years chasing this career around investing most of my time, money, and energy to gaining access to the field.
Chautauqua is all I happen to have to put things in perspective right now. Think about this: I got a pay raise to come here. I had no 401(k) plan at my last job, no travel benefits, lesser health benefits, no paid days off, and often was presented with questionable equipment. I flight instructed for a few years prior to that. I don't anticipate going to a major in the next five years, and more likely, ten, if ever.
So I tend to tread carefully before wantonly doing battle with the hand that feeds me. Don't get me wrong; I marked a "yes" on the strike vote the moment it came to my door, and under the circumstances, I'd do it again.
I do, however, weigh carefully the gravity of either decision on this TA. Comair folks would tell me to tell them to get lost and start painting my picket signs, but my knowledge of Eastern and Continental's stands in the past make me think that it's not as simple as it looks. I hate the word "deserve". What do we "deserve?" I don't know, to be honest.
I figure a good benchmark is what everybody else gets paid. So I look at everybody--including the extremes, Comair and Mesa--and see where we fit.
I see that this TA is above the middle. Now, CoEx folks will say, "But we're almost done with our contract, and it will be blah, blah, blah..." Well, folks, that ain't how it works. Promise all of us the moon and the stars, sure, but where the rubber meets the road, it doesn't always come out so well. If I had someone else's contract in my hands that was so much better, especially someone facing an alter-ego carrier for growth like we (and Mesa) did, then we could take that to the negotiating table. The only precedent that we have is concessions. We took no concessions. I don't see this as a horrible defeat.
Ivan, you seem to be in a different position than I am, and I respect the reasons for your decision. However, from what I can tell, your future is largely unchanged by the TA vote. You seem interested in leaving whether it is ratified or not. I'm in a position that must weigh what is good for the company (and I *do* want the company to do well) and what the largest slice of that pie is that I have access to. I have no other choice.
So, like everyone, I assess the potential outcomes of voting either way and the liklihood that any of these will take place. If we vote no, will I lose my job? Probably not. Will I get much more money? A dollar? Two? Ten? The chances go down exponentially every time I do the math. What will I lose in six months at our current rate? What if we lose growth to Republic? I don't have a crystal ball, but I've weighed the options and at this point have decided that the potential gains from voting it down pale in comparison to the risks I see from doing so.
Again, Ivan, I appreciate your input, and I do my best to consider it. I also envy the luxury you have in having a family to support you, a business to back up your income, and a number at an airline with good income potential down the road. I lack these things, and that largely affects my perspective.
To put the ball back in your court, if you had no business, no family, and no seniority number elsewhere, what would your backup plan be?
