quote name='Phoenix' timestamp='1329684861' post='873483']
The FAs on the East seem motivated to study the actual TA for themselves rather than rely on summaries. Of the many that have already read it, I haven't heard one that is in favor of it.
I overheard one FA on the hotel bus trying to persuade the others to vote in favor of it, but she didn't get too far when it became apparent they had read it and she hadn't.
Good luck.
I have popped in reading the various posts on this thread, but I really didn't have anything to add. As I previously stated, it's all well and good to attend the roadshows and hear the hard sell, but for me it's about three o'clock in the morning.
You know, when it's you and scheduling and you're being threatened into doing whatever nasty thing they want you to do, despite the fact that you're illegal, exhausted or just plain screwed? "Grieve it" is the usual response. Then you find out that the union won't grieve or even fight it.
The written document. That's it. That's all you've got, and usually it's not enough. Whatever the explanation is, it does not change the document, and despite the general opinon of F/As that many of US execs hold, I can read.
I cited SWA and Continental because they are part of the industry, and they are relevant. SWA I think everyone realized we wouldn't match. Continental is relevant because most likely Continental F/As aren't going to allow a decrease in pay, more likely they'll negotiate status quo + United work rules. That is not farfetched and given the tentative that UA is entertaining, which, by the way is more favorable than ours, and add another contract within four years, and they really embody industry standard.
I think it is relevant that they will get raises annually, and start with a 5K signing bonus.
Meanwhile, ours is five years, which usually translates to six, and you get three raises. Are there some good things in our TA?Absolutely. Not enough to wash away the concessions and mask that it is at BEST cost neutral and at worst we lost more than we gained.
Throw all of the UA comparisons away, and you still have a US tentative agreement with huge concessions and very little gain.
This forum is dominated by pilots, and probably lurked by some F/As, I don't know how many F/As really do read it anymore. I do know that posts that lobby hard one way or another should be suspect, and that includes me. Ask yourself why posters are posting.
I will tell you why I am posting. I am intensely infuriated by the insult that this TA poses to my intelligence. I refuse to let it go unchallenged. Having said that, I recognize that my situation is not everyone elses and everyone has to vote in their own best interests, which could mean that this is what you want.
Just consider doing the math. For your own edification. Know what you're voting for / against.
I would also argue that if you vote for something because you're afraid you'll have to wait or not get anything better, then negotiating five years from now will probably be a formality. If the company thinks they can get you to accept anything because it is better than waiting, then it's over before it begins.
