Delta-Northwest Deal at Risk

[Voice Of Reason]

Don't believe what you read in the press. This is posturing and pressuring to "get er' done" The un-named source in the articles is OTL.
The time pressure is purely artificial and self imposed to force the deal. This can and probably will drag out several more weeks.

Exactly. The media are pawns of greedy execs
http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=109308

 

[General Lee]

Don't believe what you read in the press. This is posturing and pressuring to "get er' done" The un-named source in the articles is OTL.

The time pressure is purely artificial and self imposed to force the deal. This can and probably will drag out several more weeks.

In the end I think the DAL and NWA MEC's will reach as fair a deal as possible.

That's good, and we all want something that is fair. I agree that some of the senior 744 pilots at NWA should be at the top of a combined list, since they fly the big whale and have been around longer. The rest of the list should be closely looked at and put together in a fair manner.


I think a lot of NWA guys think the Delta guys gained a lot thanks to the early retirement of our senior guys before BK. I think it was more like we kept a lot of people going to furlough thanks to those retirements. While pilots were leaving, we were parking planes for good at the same time. We parked all of our 737-200s (maybe 30 of them?), all of the 737-300s (maybe 15 of them), 14 767-200s, and the MD11s. Yes, some guys got to upgrade, but most moved from one plane to the next, and still had that 47% paycut. The whole time we have still had the 8 777s (now getting more), and the 21 767-400s--the two planes that pay the most. (we had those too when we also had the MD11s and L1011s, 727s, etc)

So, we had a bunch of pilots leave, along with a lot of planes. You at NWA are in the same boat sort of--with guys that were going to leave (before age 65), and planes that are ready to go. (742s and DC9s) You just haven't hit the stage that we did, yet. We have finished parking planes for now, and have redistributed planes from DOM to INTL, necessitating newhires along with new planes coming on line. None of that has happened recently for NWA, except some INTL expansion with your 757s.


Again, I hope for a FAIR integration.

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[michael707767]

You were supposed to get a pay raise this year. Just because it comes out of your management's mouth doesn't make it true.

we did get a pay raise this year, per the terms of our contract. And I never heard anything about it from management, it came from the union folks.

 

[Tanker Clown]

we did get a pay raise this year, per the terms of our contract. And I never heard anything about it from management, it came from the union folks.

Micheal, a 1.5% raise in the face of 4.4% inflation is not really a raise. It's actually a loss of your purchasing power. Technically, yes, you got a raise. The problem is, you can afford less stuff today than you could one year ago.

 

[JohnyChimpO77]

NWA/DAL ALPA Fighting? I don't think so. I would bet money to say they are stalling on the new contract agreement because they can. I think the new contract is already agreed on between the two groups. The pilots are finally in the drivers seat and I think they are enjoying it. They should. Management and investors want a happy combined pilot group. I am sure they are willing to throw more money at the pilots and better work rules to get a peaceful resolution because in the end it makes them more money. If the two pilot groups settled everything before or by the deadline, you could never squeeze management for more money.
Meeting the deadline is like taking the first offer, you just don't do it!

Or they could just be fighting. But what do I know???

 

[michael707767]

Micheal, a 1.5% raise in the face of 4.4% inflation is not really a raise. It's actually a loss of your purchasing power. Technically, yes, you got a raise. The problem is, you can afford less stuff today than you could one year ago.

you are correct. But don't try to spin it like management promised a pay raise and then renigged. Our contract has very specific targets that have to be met, and then based on that spells out the raise we get.

 

[Tanker Clown]

you are correct. But don't try to spin it like management promised a pay raise and then renigged. Our contract has very specific targets that have to be met, and then based on that spells out the raise we get.

The Delta guys I work with made it sound like they were going to make the numbers say what they need to say to hose you guys. They were anticipating this happening this time last year. Maybe I just tend to be around the Delta Reservists that are Kool-Aid free.

 

[michael707767]

The Delta guys I work with made it sound like they were going to make the numbers say what they need to say to hose you guys.

Our union has full access to the numbers. Given what happend with oil prices at the end of the year, I don't question why we didn't get more than we did. Only a fool would think the oil prices would not affect our operating margin. Even if you are able to raise fares enough to cover the increased fuel cost (a big if) the margin still goes down.

 

[ExAF]

9s and 319s

But then you guys also need the bottom 1000 for the dc9 and 319s. JMHO.

Why do you keep lumping the 319s in with the DC9s. They are worlds apart in every respect. The 319 is a common type with the 320. They are much more efficient than a 9 or MD. I'd much rather fly a 319 than a MD88 (big DC9) and most passengers feel the same way about riding in the back. They are in no way similar to a DC-9.

 

[~~~^~~~]

Well they share one defining characteristic...

They are smaller than an MD88 in the same way that a 777 is smaller than a 747.

Cuts both ways.