Great southern land has it right. (1) The only meaningful theory of compensation is "minimum retention". Mgmt pays only what it needs to offer to retain staff. Got nothing to do with merit or fairness. (2) (at the risk of sounding like another coffee table military strategist...apologies) negotiation takes it basis from war - strike with maximum force when/where your opponent is weakest. For a (sympathetic) outsider to CX, this would mean with all staff (cockpit crew, FA, et. al.) and when the new aircraft are in service over a peak holiday period. You'all remember what the Company itself did during the slowdown in '97 and '98!