Other items such as?Our "ask" at NW wasn't reduced, but I can guarantee you the initial proposal was a whole lot worse than what the end result was. Each workgroup had a number to meet, but how they got to it was largely up to them. That's where you guys are at now. For example, freezing the pension gives some serious wiggle room to you guys to retain other items, and the membership needs to make sure that "Team Twu" gets that message loud and clear in their internet-equipped rooms...
We already get 30 weeks less vacation over the first 30 years of service, over that same amount of time we get 210 less sick days, 3000 hours less Holiday pay etc etc . You have to remember that this is BK #2 for us, the only difference is they didnt actually file. We gave up things that other kept through BK in exchange for the pensions and retiree medical. With the pensions frozen and Retiree medical on the table there isnt much left to pick, just the bones. We arnet just at the bottom, they are looking to set a new low. They want to outsource as much as anyone else but pay much, much less than anyone else. When NWA went through BK they had to compete with the largest carrier in the country, AA, who had cut their labor costs per hour by at least 25%. In Maint AA already had a cost advantage even prior to the cuts, the cuts made it even worse.
If AA gets away with what they want they will once again have set the bar for the industry, just like 2003, and you can look forward to another visit to BK court. Even if your employer is showing a profit they can still file, all they have to do is write up a few convienient coveneants to support their claim that they are technically bankrupt and they are off to the rubber stamp of the Old Customs House.