Delta TA flies

[Brad737]

70/30 in favor, whew.

[DownIn3Green]

And with that windfall you still vote "NO" to further assessmants for the Comair guys?

What's up with that?????

[Brad737]

You must've read my response to another thread Huh? Well, though I think "most" of their demands are reasonable I think they drew a line in the sand at the wrong place and at the wrong time. If they want to send this latest TA down in flames then they're on their own.
If you, however, would like to part with some of your paycheck to support your Comair brothers just let me know and I'll find out where you can send the money. I've sent them enough of mine!

[newswatcher]

The detail, according to Atlanta Journal:

"Delta Air Lines pilots approved a new contract that boosts their pay to the top of the industry and pushes up the company's labor costs at a time when demand for business travel has taken a nose dive.
Seventy percent of Delta pilots approved the five-year contract, with 97 percent of roughly 8,600 eligible employees voting. The contract lifts pilot pay between 24 percent to 39 percent by 2005, depending on the model of plane flown and pilot seniority.

Delta pilots will earn 1 percent more than United pilots, who previously had the top pay rates. Last year the average Delta pilot earned $158,500.

"Seventy percent is pretty sound," said Michael Boyd, a Colorado airline consultant. "It means there is pretty much a consensus going forward that this is a deal they can live with for the time being."

Approval ends the most tumultuous labor talks in Delta's history. The company, which has never had a pilots strike, came within seven days of a strike deadline before reaching the tentative agreement in April. With 70 percent approval, the deal got less support than the previous contract signed in 1996. That agreement was approved by 76 percent of eligible pilots even though it included a pay cut.

"We came out of '96 with a bad taste in our mouth," said Capt. Charles Giambusso, chairman of the Delta pilots union. "I think we have a few people disposed to vote against anything now.

"We are confident that, where applicable, the significant improvements of this contract will carry over to all Delta employees," he added.

The higher pilot pay boosts Delta's costs $2.4 billion through 2005 and kicks in as the airline industry struggles to bring in revenue and faces a grim outlook for the rest of the summer.

In May, domestic airline industry revenue dropped 10 percent -- the worst decline in more than two decades. Delta and several other top airlines posted first-quarter losses and expect to remain in the red this quarter. In addition to the weak demand for business travel, Delta has also endured a strike at its Comair regional unit. Comair pilots are voting on a tentative agreement this week.

In a memo to employees praising the ratification, Chief Executive Leo Mullin reiterated that the economic downturn is hurting Delta. "Delta is in many ways fortunate to conclude its labor negotiations at this time, facing as we do the most difficult financial challenges of the past 20 years," Mullin said. "We can expect the next several months to be extremely challenging."

The ratification vote quashes fears that a strike by Delta pilots would disrupt summer travel plans.

President Bush's statements that he would take steps to stop strikes at big airlines this year had already eased concerns, and many top airlines negotiating with their workers in the springtime have settled their disputes. One exception is American Airlines, now in late talks with its flight attendants.

This week AirTran Airways said it will pare its July flight schedule, blaming a small-scale work action among some of its pilots. But the company's pilot union, which is in contract negotiations, has said the airline doesn't have enough workers or equipment to handle operations in bad weather, which disrupted operations last weekend.

AirTran pilots make substantially less than those at Delta and hope to narrow the gap."

[ironbutt57]

Brad 737...just the kind of fleeting support you folks offer your regional airline brothers.....next time tables are turned, hope you remember your condescending remarks...and watch out for people to come cash your paycheck while you're out pounding the pavement, looking for support from the people you just forgot about...who are you to decide that the offer being tabled is good for them? remember where you came from there "brad 737" you just might wind up back there

[Petergozinya]

Hmmm. No elimination of the Express B-scale. "Whew" is right. With Mullins being the one doing the "Whew"ing. Thanks guys you did it again. No elimination of the 50+ seat RJ's. And all for UAL +1%.............
:mad:

[Brad737]

ironbutt, I have supported the Comair pilots for 3 months, despite my misgivings about their timing. There is, probably, the most reasonable offer they're going to get on the table right now. If they flame this one then their leadership is way off the mark. I, personally expected Comair to be dismantled so I'm happy to see a TA evolve that might fly, I hope so. I really don't understand how everyone has drawn the conclusion that I don't care about these guys. But I'm not blindly supportive, I'm not "blindly" anything. I don't live in a vacuum. I stand by my opinions and respect yours, let's keep it that way.
peter, this process was drawn out until we held little advantage (dubya) to wield. There are those, 1/3rd to be exact, who feel as you do. They were shooting for the perfect contract. That will never exist. In any army there are always those who get caught up in the rhetoric and are willing to fall on their swords for the cause. I, however, will sheath mine and live to fight another day. "Whew" is right, logical minds prevailed and the day was saved.

[This message has been edited by Brad737 (edited 21 June 2001).]

[DownIn3Green]

Ironbutt,

Don't worry about "brad" pounding the pavement. If in fact he is with DAL, he won't have to. And if it ever came down to it, "brad" would most likely be on the other side, looking out for "his", no doubt under the guise of a management or training pilot.

From his post, he obvivously doesn't have the convictions of his beliefs to walk the line for long.

In fact, he says he will scab, "I don't blindly follow, I don't blindly do anything".

The minute that fat DAL paycheck boiled down to strike pay, you can bet where you'd find "brad".

[Ignition Override]

If Delta CEO Mr. Mullin was quoted without editing, when he stated that they had concluded negotiations, he seems to be very hesitant to address the sad COMAIR situation, at least in the hometown newspaper, for tactical reasons (ASA, the other main regional affiliate, is based there).

In a strategic sense, did Delta's leadership seriously consider last winter the possibility that COMAIR pilots were angry enough to go on strike? They knew that ASA might be next, and the other major and regional airlines might have been leaning very hard on Delta, via the Air Trans Assoc and Regional Air Assoc, both of which have lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

Did Delta's CFO etc need such a large tax write-off via COMAIR, which must have resulted from the strike? The possibility must have been factored into their calculations. After all, that is exactly what labor represents at the largest US airlines and nothing more: factors in multiple cost projections. Correct me if I'm wrong-the truth is always educational, no matter how cynical I become about typical US airline leadership, or the lack of it. Some analysts might be right-this might be a commodity business, not a service industry.

[dallas dude]

IO

That's a good post.

With regards to Comair/DAL timing, I think mainline was less enamored with Comair after Comair and ASA demanded one seniority list WITHOUT first allying fears amongst the big boys giving up DoH.

I know if Eagle asks AA for the same, DoH is off the table.

dd

[Slacker]

The PID to integrate the lists was a tactical move to keep the 70 seat RJ. It worked. The regional MEC's are smarter than that...

[This message has been edited by Slacker (edited 22 June 2001).]

[Brad737]

3green, I've always wondered what politicians or other public figures feel like when either misquoted or have some nimrod interpret their statements with complete disregard for intent. You must be a contributing writer for the Globe or National Enquirer in your spare time as well, keep up the good work. I think most other Ppruners know whats what, thankfully you're the minority.

[This message has been edited by Brad737 (edited 23 June 2001).]

[Ignition Override]

Dallas Dude: Just to be clear, I'm not with Delta or any affiliates, but am always trying to learn from all such "industrial actions", even though these are often complex, by posing questions which might stimulate some more "big-picture" answers, and enlighten us all, whether open-minded or not.

To be honest, my questions about Delta or COMAIR management might just be as simplistic as others' criticisms of the COMAIR's MEC. None of us can truly understand such situations by reading "soundbytes" on Pprune or in the other media.

Let's hope that they all get back to work again, and very soon, but under safe conditions (safe contract work rules, not just under the 'beschissenen' FARs, which the public assumes will protect us).

Is it no surprise that again, Pres. Bush, who claimed that he would allow no airlines strikes, seems to have been influenced ( I said nothing about ATA/RAA lobbyists and alleged contributions, did I?) to again NOT intervene in an industrial dispute, no matter how many CVG and MCO passengers were affected?


[This message has been edited by Ignition Override (edited 23 June 2001).]