The truth at NWA

[Lear70]

On August 10, the June Monthly Operating Statement was released, but I didn�t access it until this past weekend. A combination of record loads, lowered costs, increased ticket prices, and only $35 million in mostly paper loss reorganization expenses, resulted in a net profit for the month of $98 million. I am not talking operational profit here, which was $170 million; I am talking a monthly net profit of $98 million.

SOMEONE (32LT10) owes me a C-note. I think I said about 2 or 3 weeks ago that NWA would start posting record profits. You can only hide the money so many ways for so long...

Nine months after declaring bankruptcy, NWA, operating with fuel costs of $2.10 a gallon for the quarter, shows a large monthly profit that cannot be explained away by any apologists in the TA YES vote camp. Remember that this monthly net profit was achieved without any of the employee TAs being implemented. The full effect of all employee group TAs will not show up on the bottom line until October at the earliest.

POW! Right in the kisser!

Guess you didn't really need those concessions after all, did you, boys?

So the question is; where are we today? I agree with the sentiments of the new MEC Chairman and those in the membership who say that we have to look beyond what has recently transpired and try to figure out a way to shift out of reverse and at least put this vehicle in first gear. The damage that has been done will linger for many years, but I think that we can at least mitigate it somewhat by drawing a final line in the sand and defending it vigorously.

Years? How about decades, bubba... Final line in the sand? Please, after the caving that just went on, I will never, ever expect anything more out of that pilot group again. Spineless. Pure and simple.

As I see it, we have a choice, we can sit around and complain endlessly about an absolutely terrible contract, or we can start to do something about it.

That list of items he goes on and on about has one major problem: THE COMPANY DOESN'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOU. YOU HAVE NO BARGAINING POWER LEFT UNTIL THE NEXT NEGOTIATING SESSION which is, by the way, probably a decade or so away from getting anything tangible accomplished.

You guys and gals who voted NO should drag all the Yes voters out behind the Macnamara terminal and beat the tee-total sh*t out of them with the quarterlies every time they come out.

Disgusting, but no surprise.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Lear... I agree, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black. You're making 40 bucks an hour flying a 717. That's not exactly raising the bar....

 

[Lear70]

Lear... I agree, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black. You're making 40 bucks an hour flying a 717. That's not exactly raising the bar....

Actually, it's $43, but who's counting single bucks, right?

Well, let's see here. Of the majors hiring, starting pay is:

CAL - $30
JBLU - $37
SWA - $50
FRTR - $52
FDX - $50
UPS - $27

So, the average is $41, and I make about 2 bucks more than that an hour with some of the best trip and duty rigs out there so I'm pretty much "middle of the pack", right?

But thanks anyway. Since you don't seem to like it, you won't mind if I keep an eye out for your name on the interview list and write Stephanie G if it ever shows up to let her know what you think about us, right?

That's OK man, I know, deep, deep, down somewhere inside, you love me. But you can't have my last Bud Light.

 

[Dangerkitty]

Actually, it's $43, but who's counting single bucks, right?

Well, let's see here. Of the majors hiring, starting pay is:

CAL - $30
JBLU - $37
SWA - $50
FRTR - $52
FDX - $50
UPS - $27

So, the average is $41, and I make about 2 bucks more than that an hour with some of the best trip and duty rigs out there so I'm pretty much "middle of the pack", right?

But thanks anyway. Since you don't seem to like it, you won't mind if I keep an eye out for your name on the interview list and write Stephanie G if it ever shows up to let her know what you think about us, right?

That's OK man, I know, deep, deep, down somewhere inside, you love me. But you can't have my last Bud Light.

Not to nitpick but the hourly converted SWA rates on airlinepilotcentral.info are not correct at all. If they are to be truly converted I would say the SWA first year FO rates are at $60 an hour at a minimum.

 

[Lear70]

Not to nitpick but the hourly converted SWA rates on airlinepilotcentral.info are not correct at all. If they are to be truly converted I would say the SWA first year FO rates are at $60 an hour at a minimum.

I must admit to not knowing much about the converted SWA rates, just like I don't know much about the "blended" CAL rates, although one of the CAL pilots I talked to on the crew van 3 nights ago said that NO first year F/O's get the blended rates.

Either way, I think airTran first 3 years pay is pretty middle of the pack, and since upgrade for me will run 3 years or so unless something drastic happens (crossing my fingers), and our CA rates are higher than most of the NWA rates after their unwarranted concessions (how many widebody CA's will they have in 3-5 years?), I don't think Peenuckle's pot and kettle reference was especially accurate, but then again we've disagreed before and still managed to get by at work without giving each other the finger in passing or anything.

I would be curious about the whole SWA conversion stuff if you'd like to PM me with it, don't want to hijack the thread.

 

[PeanuckleCRJ]

Haha, I gotta give you crap You just didn't see the finger.