WHBM,
What you are NOT getting is the deliveries, under the contract, have to be operated by seniority list pilots. Last I knew AI pilots aren’t on the DL list. I’m not defending or promoting the grievance; just helping understand the situation.
Here’s how the DL MEC chairman put it,
This morning, Delta flight 9935 departed Toulouse, France bound for Minneapolis—without Delta pilots at the controls. Earlier this week, senior Flight Operations management notified the Association of its plans to violate the Pilot Working Agreement (PWA) Section 1 C. (SCOPE) by utilizing non-seniority list pilots (Airbus company) to operate new Delta A350 aircraft on the next three delivery flights from Airbus beginning today. Management's willful disregard of our PWA constitutes an unacceptable threat to the foundation of our PWA—and ultimately our jobs. This is not some minor issue that only impacts a handful of our fellow A350 pilots. Work rules and benefits mean little without SCOPE. Violations of our SCOPE language cannot be remedied solely through the Company's willingness to "pay" for it (like some IROP-instigated scheduling violations). This deliberate violation is another example of management's continuing hyper-focus on metrics and financials, pressing the operation towards the "red-line" at the expense of the front-line employees.
What I find funny is EU/UK pilots are so willing to accept contract pilots, alter ego lines (Joon, Level) without pressing for scope
GF