But that is not unique to DL (or to airlines for that matter). Our raises every year (non-union) are based on keeping us competitive with area hospitals (union and non-union). DL's pay is based on other legacy's (who happen to be unionized). If JetBlue and Virgin America become large enough, I'm sure DL would use them as part of their peer group, and they are non-union (for now).
I don't think anybody (except maybe WT) believes that companies give raises because they want to spend more money. They need to remain competitive with others to get (and keep) talent.
Yes, companies want to spend money where it makes sense. It’s called an investment. You spend money on a plane because it can make you money. You spend money on employees because doing so will help your bottom line. If the expense you choose to make results in greater revenue, then it is generally considered a good investment. I can’t understand why some people can’t comprehend that some employers invest in their employees because they want the employees to continue to perform well. Again, it is no surprise that some of the highest paid employees in the airline industry work for companies that are also performing at the top of the industry financially.
But when someone says, "Employees who came to DL through mergers were treated the same as DL people except for pensions which differed with each carrier," I have to assume they meant more than just WA and NW.
Or perhaps you made an incorrect assumption.
We could argue this point as well but DL didn’t consider PA a merger and neither did UA – and DL and UA bought almost all of PA’s assets during the final 7 years PA operated.
DL did in fact hire far more PA employees than UA did for the Pacific acquisition which was the largest piece of Pan Am that United bought. I’m not sure if UA hired any PA employees as part of the LHR or Latin America acquisitions but DL hired 6500 PA people as part of the TATL/Shuttle acquisition compared to I believe 3000 by UA for the Pacific acquisition in 1985. Any PA employee hired when DL acquired the TATL and Shuttle assets fared far better than when UA bought the Pacific, a much larger network.
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You and I and anyone else can argue about how well DL employees did or did not fare, but other than your personal circumstances and a few anecdotal citations, no one has yet to show yet a SINGLE piece of data that shows that DL’s employees did not fare better.
The most accurate piece of data is that DL and NW had an IDENTICAL labor CASM at the time they merged which came about a year after both exited BK. CO had a lower labor CASM with DL and NW with the next lowest labor CASMs. If EITHER DL or NW employees ended up with lower pay or benefits coming out of BK, the cost should be reflected in the companies’ CASMs.
When you factor in that the number of FT equivalent employees at DL dropped the least (35%) of any of the formerly BK airlines in the 2000s compared to 39% for NW and more than 50% for UA and US (including the HP merger), then it is absolutely correct to say that DL employees fared better than their network peers.
AA and CO laid off fewer numbers of employees and CO cut its pay far less than the rest but AA employee pay cuts were similar to if not larger than their network peers who were in BK.
As much as you and others would like to believe otherwise, DL employees did in fact fare better than their network peers.
But that isn’t nearly as relevant as the fact that DL’s pay raises (recent and announced) make DL employees as a group the highest paid in the network carrier industry – and that comes as AA inevitably will cut its employees’ pay deeply in BK. When you consider that UA/CO pilots collectively are paid 15-20% less than DL pilots, then what DL employees are paid above the industry is not something that other carriers can easily or quickly match.
Kev, I am glad that the union helped you in the past and I am sorry that your personal circumstances have fared so poorly under DL….others clearly have not found the transition nearly as difficult as you have. I truly hope that 2012 will bring an upturn for you.