sportingrifle wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:29 pm
Everything we have to give up in the MOA is temporary. Everything we get is permanent. The bid is delayed because the company needs to know if they have the MOA before they issue the bid. If the vote is “no” the company is likely to just issue a much reduced bid and move on. It will send a “shot across the bow” message, but in six months we will be in the full blown contract negotiations spending bargaining capital on cargo rates.
Another issue to keep in mind is how arbitration works. We may be headed there next year, probably in a recession, and the number one rule arbitrators must follow is that they cannot issue an award that imperils the financial viability of the company. Makes sense when you think about it. Which is why we do so badly - historically we have always gone into arbitration when the company is losing money and that pretty much guarantees a poor outcome.( The other thing to know is that arbitrators cannot consider wage comparisons outside of Canada. Hint. Hint.) The company is well aware of all this. It could be argued that allowing the company to grow profitably now increases our chances of success if we go to arbitration. In fact, given the company is well aware of this, it probably decreases our chances of even going to arbitration.
Nothing in this MOA is of any benefit to me at the point I am at in my career. But I have three friends who were laid off and are on flat pay. This MOA puts an additional $109K in their jeans and speeds their progress into a WB F/O or NB Capt. position. All while positioning us to make better gains in the real contract negotiations next year. I am waiting to see the actual draft language but I think at this point it would be pretty irresponsible to turn it down because of some undefined anger and an expectation that it should fix every deficiency in our entire contract. YMMV.
I have a few questions on your reasoning. First I think you made a bit of a typo on the extra amount your friends will make. $10500 as per the ACPA release. Not $109,000.
Secondly I’m not sure I understand how this speeds your friends entry into WB f/O positions or NB CA. The MOA allows an increase in DBM for WJA which means less positions not more. (Pilots fly more hours = less pilots required to cover the flying)
I also fail to see how giving up our one big leverage now (difficulty recruiting pilots) will position us to make bigger gains later. If we fix their pilot recruitment problem for peanuts now, why would they give us more next year? What would their incentive be to increase our pay or address the litany of other issues?
As you mentioned there is the possibility of a recession in the next year or two. Why should we wait until that happens to make gains when the company needs our help now?
Apart from those items I also have an issue with the 777 freighter language, (why not just say that they will be paid mainine 777 pay? Period. No extra language required. I also find it odd that ACPA is selling the wet lease credits as a gain. We already have a section on wet lease credits in our CA. We already have it. How is that a gain?
Yes there is an emotional element to this. However when you look at just the facts before us I find it difficult to see the gains we are being told are there.
