FFPax wrote:
it's an outrage that the pilots even dream about pay raises and even contracts during the times like this. I run an own small business and I think I know what I'm talking about.
Regardless of what you think, you don't know what you're talking about. Delta pilots ARE NOT talking about pay raises. We HAVE a contract. The raises in our recent contract only brought us up to historical parity with inflation. Our CEO Leo Mullin has been frequently quoted saying just that. The vast majority of other professions's salaries are increasing by far faster than that of pilots. Pilots' salaries are only breaking even in inflation-adjusted dollars. If you think that's unfair...deal with it!
Delta's operating profit in 1995 was $700M. It was $1.3 BILLION in 1996, $1.6 BILLION in 1997, $1.76 BILLION in 1998, $1.9 BILLION in 1999, and $1.9 BILLION in 2000. An increase of labor costs of $100M/year over 5 years is nothing. At the end of the September 2001 quarter, Delta had $2.8 BILLION in cash, and $8.9 BILLION in unencombered aircraft assets. They still expect to have $2.3 BILLION in cash at the end of the year. November bookings are down only 5%, December down 4%. Leo says traffic will be at pre-9/11 levels by Q2 2002. Goldman Sachs is predicting a full-year profit for Delta in 2002.
Yet with the announced furloughs, retirements and military callups, our pilot force will be reduced by approximately 25%. It doesn't add up. It's a BS bluff, and we're not falling for it. We have filed a grievance due to the violation of our contract, and we will win.
All you guys so spun up about about pilot salaries, mind your own damn business, and get a life!
[ 03 November 2001: Message edited by: MikeM727 ]