I think we still (Like many on Wall Street too) have many members that aren’t seeing the Forrest through the trees just yet. I’m not sure if a lot of them aren’t suffering from PTSD and won’t ever be able to find a cure for themselves?
You keep bringing up the time Delta had to put it all together after the NW merger. Of course, absolutely. AA has barely begun to put together it’s synergies yet and the World has fundamentally changed for Major N American Airlines in general.
Oh and as far as cost savings in our group. The Company has been hiring kids like crazy (Transitioning) getting them up, online and proficient before they can offer some type of incentive for us older (more costly) employees to leave. I firmly believe it’s coming in time. Bringing down their overall average Labor costs for the entire Association Membership.
Besides that. The Association said they were going to go for a 5 year pay progression scale in Fleet. Sorry but no freakin way IMO. No way would they offer $36 (If you hit that nail on the head) and let some 18 year old new hire kid hit it by 23. Uh, uh, nope. That lag of 12 years is what gives the Company the ability to compensate us old farts fantastically well in the first place. (At best maybe they can capture an 11 year scale and say it beats the industry 12)
Crew Chiefs BTW at AA already have the language to “assist” the crew as needed. Just need to define and clarify what that means a little better. And Management already can talk to the CC’s, don’t really need them to direct anything since that would be rather redundant. We don’t need to add another level to the operation.