FrugalFlyerv2.0 said:
I doubt you'll get an answer from WT, he won't share his notes from the DL board meeting with you ... ... ... 😛
But I'll take a stab at answering your question: if you want to operate an airline, the pilots are more crucial than the other work groups. They're the group you can't easily outsource. The others, especially in today's economy are dime-a-dozen.
sorry but that is not true.
The reason why DL mechanics got a larger raise for one of the years was because of the large RJ modification clause that they provided.
Other employee groups have so far received comparable pay raises to the pilots in percentage terms in every other year of the pilot agreement.
The DL pilot's pensions were terminated. Other other DL employees, including PMNW pilots, had their pensions frozen. It is a significant difference in pension treatment during BK.
Kev,
yes, you are right. the mechanics did not vote in the representation elections. My question to you is were the replacement mechanics unionized? Whether they were or not, the reason there was no representation vote was because the number of NW mechanics was so much less than the number of DL mechanics.
no, I did not belittle you. I asked and you have yet to answer how 35 (or how many ever cities NW had) locally negotiated agreements with mgmt is superior to what DL offers.
And your statement is that DL has chosen to modify policies at will and without notification. DL's policies are written, Kev, and not some back of the envelope flavor of the day for attendance policies.
While I would like to know what various groups have done, if the information is not publicly available, then I would just as soon not know as to have someone post something that is not meant for public release.
I also asked what other carriers have done and yet to see a response to that either.
Finally, active employees in flight ops and in-flight said there are exception procedures that are used to keep the operation running and to ensure that employees aren't dinged when they try.
There are DL pilots who have posted on other forums that they attempted to reach the airport but did not have success, turned around and returned home, and were released.
I doubt seriously that any other employee group faced any different scenario.
Since you asked the question, how do your local personnel procedures record an employee absence should they attempt to come to work but be unable due to weather or governmental actions that are outside of their control?
meto,
I absolutely agree with your prioritization of how DL runs the operation.... reading the contract and making sure every "right" is met is a distant priority compared to employee and passenger safety and following the law.
Other airlines and labor groups do not see have not seen it the same way and some certainly still do not.
