The pay cuts were not even across the board if the E195 becomes the DC9 replacement.
No argument from me. In
Sound Bite Nation that is a sad truth. When we remember what our goals were at the time (to put that type a/c at the mainline, and get rates for it higher than other operators), it was acceptable. Not "
good", "nice", "OK"....
acceptable.
We could spend the next few years documenting every single thing about the contract that we dislike. Or we could focus on fixinng them. We've done it before...successfully.
Pi$$ed is a nice place to visit....but I wouldn't want to live there.
So we should take another JB induced pay cut because they fly it for beans?
No. But I also don't think we should make it our #1 priority.
We're in a situation right now where our management doesn't seem able to operate the airline the way they envisioned under our contract, back when it was put in place. We need to prioritize our objectives, and work at getting them while those guys struggle.
So far, we've done a pretty good job of fixing some of the more irritating crap (Zero Open Time, DH credit, Block or Better, IP pay, Premium pay trigger), but I don't see anybody hoisting a
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner.
My personal priorities are fixing the Sick Leave limitations and getting the DC jacked up to a minimum of 15% across-the-board....for starters.
(Don't get me started on the
UNACCEPTABLE delay in implementing the Targeted DC! Since that didn't happen a frickin'
YEAR ago, as it should have, I don't list it at the top)
Danger Will Robinson - you heard it here first - we are parking the freighters?!
Yeah. We're parking all the B787's too....eventually. The freighters have a service life just like every other commercial aircraft. The DC-9's are being parked right now when they hit 104,000 cycles (or when they hit an Airbus!). The parking "schedule" is exactly the same right now as it was when it was posted on the ALPA bulletin board in '99.
Our issue is the replacement for both. I don't think there's any question management will replace the freighters, since too many of the China routes and NRT "A" slots are "freighter specific". It'd be nice to know what/when, but I don't want to make it
OUR issue. Our issue should be the
contract. Our management is run by predictable money-grabbers, and the freight operation is money. Getting new freighters to grab more money is THEIR issue.
But I think you missed my point. Your contention was that only the the most unior pilots at NWA were impacted by fleet decisions. You typed:
"No other aircraft on the property is currently in danger of being immediately replaced by an even lower paying category variant. That only effects ~2000 of our seniority list."
I pointed out the B747-200 is/was being replaced by the
lower-paying A330. Not a big deal...sorta like me posting that we didn't have a EMB-specific pay rate in our contract...and only focusing on the -175 and -190. An oversight. It happens. Still BFF?
And those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Shoot outside the circle - yes, common enemy - yes, also never forget the mistakes that were made.
I don't. Like you, I
live in the mistakes. But I don't blame my fellow pilots. I blame the reps on the MEC that could've killed the TA in NY...but left it up to a fractured pilot group to decide.
I think we need each other to get the items I listed above, when the oppotunity arises....and it will. If you study that "
past" we're "
doomed to repeat" then you learn we've gotten our biggest enhancements
mid-contract. eg: The only reason the pay cut was
40% was due to the largest pay raise in our history that we got mid-term in 2003-04, while others were taking cuts and/or going bankrupt. I
do want to
repeat that past!
When I hear the self rationalizing at this point that we made all the right moves the BS meter antenna go on high alert.....
Good call. We made some bad moves. We always do. We made a few good moves too, though. Preventing any changes to Section 24 in the new contract was genius, as we know now. Without them, we wouldn't have gotten the improvements that we have, so far. That conclusion doesn't require rationalization. It's there for all to see, in Technicolor. Of course, if we're busy being pi$$ed at each other, the only color we "see" is crimson...as in anger.
Not good, that.