No reference, just idle speculation on my part.
With the
VB EBA about to expire, I would expect that a 737 Captain would be hoping for a pay rise above the current $190K. Even at 3%, it comes out at about the same as the Level 1 777 CPT pay - not so hot. A 737 FO would (assuming 3% pay rise) would actually take a pay cut to move to the 777 as an FO.
Agreed, hence my thoughts that it is a fight for the
VB pilots to determine where they slot into the VA payscales. It was never going to be an option for the VA pilots to make a stand for conditions that only affect
VB pilots. That will come sometime in the future when we are an integrated workforce and can make a unified stand on those important points. That time is not now.
Hopefully the post
VB EBA period will have two groups on fairly similarly structured conditions and from there it will be an easier step to discuss a fully integrated and consistent group salary structure
Itnis also important to understand that the unions are just bargaining representatives, it is the pilots who make the decisions, and VA pilots shouldn't
be expected to make a stand on what are essentially
VB conditions.
There were many issues over which the unions told the company to go jump, but the company controls the document, therefore they control what is put to the vote. In essence they don't have to listen to anything the unions say. So in this case they put forward the salary structure they preferred, and the pilots voted it up. Very long bow to draw to say the unions dropped the ball.