Delta pilots authorize strike

[SKYW Pilot]

I wish all the Delta pilots the best. I'm so impressed at the unity shown with the vote. It's about time somebody stand up to management.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Good luck DAL pilots. I agree with the General, there is way too much money to be made through this bankruptcy process and eventual share valuation for the execs to kill the goose.

 

[michael707767]

Very proud of the Delta pilots tonight!

 

[800Dog]

I am sure that there is a large number of guys that would burn down the house on princple alone, but to find 50.1% not likely. Anyway you might want to check what jobs pay this day and age, not to many 85K+ a year jobs out there.

Oh my man, you have no idea what my background is nor my plans. Most friends and family make well over 85k and I am not in the least bit worried. Looking forward to holidays and weekends off and yes, clearing well over 85k.

 

[General Lee]

It sure would be a shame if a strike affecting thousands of pilots etc. effects the travel plans of HUNDREDS of thousands of Delta Airline passengers.

I have been a [SIZE=-1]Medallion member for over three years, and will no longer be booking flights on Delta even though it means making a connection and sitting in the back.

Why should I as a loyal Delta customer put myself in the middle of this high stake game of chicken between the Pilots and Management????


[/SIZE]

Well SLCpilot, you go fly some other airlines from SLC. Good luck with that. Enjoy connections. This game of chicken is important to all of us, and we won't be bullied anymore. You should be proud of us, but instead you are "inconvienced." Good riddence. And you're a pilot? Dumba$$.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Lollie]

General,

Then why would there be speculation of going under in short time if the pilots chose to strike, couldn't the company then handle the time off financial losses?

 

[Gobi Gred]

Hey General, Should the pilots strike, what do you think are the chances that management will try and use scab labor (like we saw with the Northwest mechanics) to keep Delta going?

 

[General Lee]

General,

Then why would there be speculation of going under in short time if the pilots chose to strike, couldn't the company then handle the time off financial losses?

I think there is some clause in the DIP financing that states any strike for over 48 hours will result in liquidation.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Hey General, Should the pilots strike, what do you think are the chances that management will try and use scab labor (like we saw with the Northwest mechanics) to keep Delta going?

Well, I guess they could try, but nobody is using our MD88 sims or any other sims at our facility, and I doubt they could ramp up training that fast. The FAA would be all over them. And, as I stated in the above post, I think there is a clause in the DIP financing that states any strike that lasts over 48 hours would result in the creditors selling the assets, or a liquidation. That really creates more pressure on the management, since they stand to make a killing in new stock if we pull out of this. We know that.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Draginass]

I don't think that will or could happen. I don't think Delta has the time to train a scab force. There isn't money to weather a strike. Secondly, I don't think they could get enough scum to do the job. You sure wouldn't catch me on Delta if there were back-alley scabs in command.

I don't think it'll happen anyway. DALPA will probably fold and managment will give them a figleaf to walk away from the table with.

In the case of NW, Stenland lured the mechs into a strike that he wanted, but he had been preparing a long time to recruit every scumbag he could find.

 

[FDJ2]

Hey General, Should the pilots strike, what do you think are the chances that management will try and use scab labor (like we saw with the Northwest mechanics) to keep Delta going?

Highly unlikely.

 

[Smoking Man]

Oh my man, you have no idea what my background is nor my plans. Most friends and family make well over 85k and I am not in the least bit worried. Looking forward to holidays and weekends off and yes, clearing well over 85k.

I was not trying to single you out, 5000+ people may not have the same options that you have. It was ment to be a broad statment.

I would say enjoy your time off but the strike will not happen.

 

[Resume Writer]

The only way to put pressure on management is to let them know you are serious about a strike - which is what the Delta pilots have done with this strike vote. What happens from there is exactly the reaction that SLCPilot has voiced - that he/she will book on another airline.

However, I do not think General Lee that you need to spank him for voicing that reaction. You should actually thank him.

I know that sounds strange, but management will only take notice when the revenue starts to dry up. If SLCPilot is a Medallion member, then get his support and ask him to write a letter to management voicing his concern over the unfair treatment the pilots have had to endure over the past several years.

The bottom-line is this - make friends of your frequent fliers, get them on your side and let them put the pressure on management. With enough letters, management will get the hint. This is exactly what the FAs did with AWA and it worked in our favor. It was just one of the tactics we took to secure a contract after we "negotiated" for five years.

Just my thoughts....

 

[NYRANGERS]

I am sure that there is a large number of guys that would burn down the house on princple alone, but to find 50.1% not likely. Anyway you might want to check what jobs pay this day and age, not to many 85K+ a year jobs out there.

I found one. There are quite a few good paying flying and non-flying jobs out there. I'm proud of the Delta pilots (hope to be one again some day).

PS

I wonder why there are not too many good paying jobs out there?????


Rangers 3 Philly 2 (ot in shoot out)

 

[NYRANGERS]

statment.

I would say enjoy your time off but the strike will not happen.

Thats the point of having a good turn out and a high percentage of in-favor votes. But I know you know that.

Best to you Smoke, hope all is well with you and the family. Let me know if you are ever is Derby town.

NYR

 

[General Lee]

The only way to put pressure on management is to let them know you are serious about a strike - which is what the Delta pilots have done with this strike vote. What happens from there is exactly the reaction that SLCPilot has voiced - that he/she will book on another airline.

However, I do not think General Lee that you need to spank him for voicing that reaction. You should actually thank him.

I know that sounds strange, but management will only take notice when the revenue starts to dry up. If SLCPilot is a Medallion member, then get his support and ask him to write a letter to management voicing his concern over the unfair treatment the pilots have had to endure over the past several years.

The bottom-line is this - make friends of your frequent fliers, get them on your side and let them put the pressure on management. With enough letters, management will get the hint. This is exactly what the FAs did with AWA and it worked in our favor. It was just one of the tactics we took to secure a contract after we "negotiated" for five years.

Just my thoughts....

Hey, this guy is supposedly a pilot, and should know what is going on here. For him/her to say he is miffed and would rather be inconvienced by making connections is a slap in the face to me. I hope he/she likes to do that, because I don't want his business. He is a pilot, right? I would expect that from a non pilot who doesn't know much, but this SLC pilot person should know the real story. He/she either needs to get informed really quick, or just go fly someone else. Good bye to him. I am nice to our regular passengers and medallion people, and I answer any questions they have with elloquence. This SLCPilot person is just a jerk.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Daveman]

Best wishs, F-Leo!!!

 

[Ty Webb]

Anyway you might want to check what jobs pay this day and age, not to many 85K+ a year jobs out there.

You're kidding, right? You can make more than that managing a retail store or running a restaurant (I wouldn't recommend either of those, since if I change jobs I want weekends and holidays off), but even a putz with only a H.S. degree can make $85K/yr in any decent-size metro area.

One of my best friends made well over $100K last year selling beds out of the classified ads . . . and that's all cash. This is the USA. Most people with the brains, drive, connections and capital to become a pilot at Delta would do just fine if Delta went away. I don't believe that would happen, but have some faith.

Past experience in the business world shows that those who believe in themselves will make it happen, and those who lack the testicular fortitude think the only option is to go work for soemone else, or start over at the bottom. . . . No thanks!

 

[Smoking Man]

Thats the point of having a good turn out and a high percentage of in-favor votes. But I know you know that.

Best to you Smoke, hope all is well with you and the family. Let me know if you are ever is Derby town.

NYR

I know, If this is what the majority wants, then by all means.

Family is doing great.

Ty

I don't have a dog in the fight just a SWAG in the outcome. Best of luck to everyone in the solution.

 

[CatfishVT9]

They may not even need to actually strike to have an effect. The local news in Tampa reported the strike vote and told viewers that they should make travel plans carefully because of it.

Could a drop in advance bookings be enough to get management's attention?

 

[michael707767]

Most people with the brains, drive, connections and capital to become a pilot at Delta would do just fine if Delta went away. I don't believe that would happen, but have some faith.

I have flown with many guys lately who are back from furlough. I always ask what they did while on furlough. Not one failed to get a good job and provide for his family. In most cases they did just about as well financially as they were doing at Delta.

If we strike and Delta liquidates, I have no doubt the vast majority of the pilots will land on thier feet and never look back.

 

[dbrownie]

5799 eligible voters. (others on military leave or personal leaves) (furloughed pilots not allowed to vote either, unfortunately)

5590 voted. (96.4%)

5295 voted in Favor of Strike if needed. (94.72%)

Bye Bye--General Lee

Hey General;

Great numbers!!


I just hope you use them to work out what you can and not be "sold out"

by your weak sisters like the T/A we at NWA are being told to take.

Our T/A is so bad the MEC vote is neutral !!!

Don't waste your strike vote capital!!!!

Dave B

 

[Resume Writer]

Hey, this guy is supposedly a pilot, and should know what is going on here. For him/her to say he is miffed and would rather be inconvienced by making connections is a slap in the face to me. I hope he/she likes to do that, because I don't want his business. He is a pilot, right? I would expect that from a non pilot who doesn't know much, but this SLC pilot person should know the real story. He/she either needs to get informed really quick, or just go fly someone else. Good bye to him. I am nice to our regular passengers and medallion people, and I answer any questions they have with elloquence. This SLCPilot person is just a jerk.


Bye Bye--General Lee

I understand what you are saying. However, the way he is reacting is exactly how you want the general public, Medallion members or not, to react. You want people to book away from your airline, and you want them to tell management why they are doing just that.

Most people who are not professional pilots (and judging by his profile it seems to me he is a weekend pilot) do not understand what has happened to this industry. Your union leadership has the duty to inform the public about what has happened - from the pilot / employee perspective. They need to paint management as irresponsible - asking for paycuts, getting rid of pensions, etc., while they take bonuses for non-performance.

As FAs, we took paycuts to help save the airline (as did other employees). We had FAs that were on food stamps, had lost houses from the bankruptcy, etc., while management was living high on the hog. The union made sure that those stories were told.

We were ready to strike also. We held a candlelight vigile at corporate headquarters on the night that would have ended the 30-day cooling off period. I was there, along with more than 1000 FAs, and we were ready to walk off the job.

The CEO even sent Senior Management to observe what was happening, and it got ugly, with FAs chasing the company CFO down the street! When management knew we were serious, they ended the possibility of a strike by caving in to our demands and a contract ended up being ratified.

General, we are not on the opposite sides of the fence. I am totally in support of the Delta pilots. As you know, I was in this industry for 16 years. I am tired of watching management take money off the backs of the people that built and maintained the airline. My only suggestion was to utilize these people to further your agenda.

 

[Caveman]

"You can make more than that managing a retail store or running a restaurant (I wouldn't recommend either of those, since if I change jobs I want weekends and holidays off), but even a putz with only a H.S. degree can make $85K/yr in any decent-size metro area."

I don't doubt that an educated college graduate could find a decent job outside of flying, but I live in a decent-size metro area and the only people I know that make over 85K are college educated professionals (i.e doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, architects, pilots, etc). 85K to manage a retail store or restaurant? Not in Cincinnati. I know people that manage stores and restaurants and judging by their standard of living they don't make anywhere near 85K.

The majority of pilots are not overpaid and many are underpaid, but I think too many pilots have an unrealistic notion of what other people actually earn these days. If DAL liquidates some of the pilots will land on their feet and do just fine. I think many are in for a shock when it comes to earning a wage. I hope it doesn't come to that. I want the DAL pilots to win on this and I wish them the best. I'm just commenting on the idea that replacing an 85K wage is easy. I think some folks might be in for a rude awakening.



Edit: I found this factoid published today or yesterday in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"The "average worker" in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky makes $37,740 or $18.14 per hour, according to the bureau. High salaries on the top end, however, skew the average. The median - half of the sample lies above, half below - annual pay is $29,740 or $14.30 per hour."
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/BIZ01/604020424/1076/rss01

 

[General Lee]

Hey General;

Great numbers!!


I just hope you use them to work out what you can and not be "sold out"

by your weak sisters like the T/A we at NWA are being told to take.

Our T/A is so bad the MEC vote is neutral !!!

Don't waste your strike vote capital!!!!

Dave B

Dave,

I think we are more united, since the majority of our senior pilots (over 55) have left. We are also not under the illusion that our pension will stay around. So, that means we are more focused on a few very important topics. Our company only has one union, and the others were given cuts without a fight, since they could not. We are the last stumbling block on the road to super riches for management people and the creditors. They saw what happened with UAL, and I was told there are people lining up to invest (why? Good question)---apparently the people who invested in USAir's exit doubled their money, and more people want that opportunity. The best thing that could have happened to this group was the 2300 Captains leaving quickly. Those true "loyalists" that would have voted for anything to keep this thing around, in reality voted with their feet and left the building, leaving a group that has pretty much the same goals. Good luck to you guys.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Smoking Man]

"
The majority of pilots are not overpaid and many are underpaid, but I think too many pilots have an unrealistic notion of what other people actually earn these days. If DAL liquidates some of the pilots will land on their feet and do just fine. I think many are in for a shock when it comes to earning a wage. I hope it doesn't come to that. I want the DAL pilots to win on this and I wish them the best. I'm just commenting on the idea that replacing an 85K wage is easy. I think some folks might be in for a rude awakening.



Edit: I found this factoid published today or yesterday in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"The "average worker" in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky makes $37,740 or $18.14 per hour, according to the bureau. High salaries on the top end, however, skew the average. The median - half of the sample lies above, half below - annual pay is $29,740 or $14.30 per hour."
[URL="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/BIZ01/604020424/1076/rss01"]http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/BIZ01/604020424/1076/rss01[/URL]

Eye opening isn't it!

 

[Ty Webb]

Eye opening isn't it!

What is eye-opening to me is that you think that the "average" wage in Ohiotucky has anything to do with this subject.

If the only thing you could do if you lost your flying job was pick something out of the "General Labor" column in the employment ads, no wonder you seem fixated on what a 7/11 clerk or a factory worker makes.

Perhaps you ought to spend a little more time rounding out your skill set so if it comes down to a strike at your carrier, you won't have to worry about what a Wal-mart greeter makes . . . I don't think you'll find too many Delta guys punching a time clock.


.

 

[lowecur]

What is eye-opening to me is that you think that the "average" wage in Ohiotucky has anything to do with this subject.

If the only thing you could do if you lost your flying job was pick something out of the "General Labor" column in the employment ads, no wonder you seem fixated on what a 7/11 clerk or a factory worker makes.

Perhaps you ought to spend a little more time rounding out your skill set so if it comes down to a strike at your carrier, you won't have to worry about what a Wal-mart greeter makes . . . I don't think you'll find too many Delta guys punching a time clock.


.

Smok'n Man........this is gospel coming from a former Ramper whose brown nosing got him noticed by Joe LeoFornio. LeoFornio agreed to pay his flt school costs in exchange for ramper pay the first 20 years on the line.

Way to go, Jimbo!:smash:

imp:

 

[Smoking Man]

Perhaps you ought to spend a little more time rounding out your skill set so if it comes down to a strike at your carrier, you won't have to worry about what a Wal-mart greeter makes . . . I don't think you'll find too many Delta guys punching a time clock.


.

Don't worry about me, doing fine on my own Skillz, I have a few rental properties now with a few other odds and ends.

I guess I did not realize but there must be 5000+, 85K+ a year jobs out there waiting on DELTA guys, obviously I am missing where these jobs are.

I know a few furloughed Delta pilots who did not have as easy of a transition as you make it sound though.

Like I said I could give a rats A to begin with, go on go on strike I don't care. Anyway peak oil is here and the bird flu is on its way, the polar ice caps are melting due to global warming, I have other things on my mind.

 

[Caveman]

"What is eye-opening to me is that you think that the "average" wage in Ohiotucky has anything to do with this subject."

Considering CVG is DAL's second largest hub I think it has everything to do with this subject. I know a lot of pilots commute but a lot live in the area and the prevailing wage around here is a pertinent issue.