Quote from Diezl8:
"As for the non union enviroment at jetblue, it is that and it is what it is. Have jetblue caused the problems current at NWA, I think that would be stretching the truth. From a route perspective, I see few places indeed, where there is an overlap."
All LCC's have caused problems at all legacy carriers. They were eroding prior to 9-11 and after 9-11 they were hit with lack of business travel, lack of travel in general, fuel prices, SARS, and rising competition from the LCCs. Of course, it is a given that management was not up to the task of reacting properly to these challenges, but they were/are challenges. The challenge of competing with the LCC's is a real one. It gives legacy carriers management something to point to when it is negotiating pay and benefits. I think you will see in my post that I mentioned "Jetblue Airtran Spirit Independence Air etc." and later when I mentioned Jetblue I said "I really do not understand why, if you feel that our mechanics should be honored for their leaderships poor strategy, you do not understand that it is the mechanics pay scale and work rules at jetblue for example, that really caused the NWA mechanics headaches?" I am not singling out Jetblue. The fact that Jetblue routes do not overlap NWA routes has no bearing. LCCs are a challenge to what many on this board loosely call "our profession"
Diezel 8 quote:
"Is jetblue the way to do things, who knows? The better example, at present, would be SWA. They do compete with NWA out of DTW and they are unionized with good compensation, so are they the ones being the spoiler or NWA or is it simply NWA management? Case in point, would be the rhetoric at U, where management kept setting the goal post lower and lower as for as which company to compare wages to and who they had to match. Spiegel did a "great" job with: "They (SWA) are coming to Philly to kill us". Of course at that
point in time U employees, IIRC, were already paid less than their counterparts at SWA."
Yes SWA is a challenge. Frankly, it is such a well run company, that it is a challenge to any company it targets. You have no argument from me here on U and US Air. The pilots did not screw up those companies, management did. Just like at NWA. When you get in these situations (like NWA is at this time) you are in a position where your negotiators are not clairvoiant. They are not perfect. They are human. The negotiators at U and US Air probably wish they had done something different in hind sight. It is up to our negotiators to learn from those mistakes, and it seems that NWA Alpa is very aware of the lessons that could be gleaned from those situations.
Posted by PSYCHO:
"WOULD ALPA HAVE ACCEPTED THIS DEAL?
Please reread post #121 by dizel8. Nwa picked off the weakest union and all of the rest are next. Mgts offer to AMFA was a precursor to the Coup de grace. I could imagine the laughter in the boardroom had AMFA capitulated " Ha, we raped them and they begged for cab fare"
And sorry, that lame management excuse about protecting the mother ship from bankruptcy as a reason for no sympathy strikes is a little bit like begging the courts for mercy after murdering your parents because you are an orphan."
Hey PSYCHO,
That is my point. AMFA F#&KED UP. They could have worked this and blew it. It would have taken close coordination with the other unions and skilled negotiators. They were not up to the task. As for the mother ship thing, I do not think NWA Alpa is diverted by mgmt rhetoric. If striking at the correct time--which would shut down the airline and cause management extreme financial duress is the correct course of action, I am sure we will do it on terms that will bring management to their knees. NWA Alpa, and the rank and file PFAA members recognized that AMFA leadership brought their union to disaster through poor leadership.