Cost of Living Increase in the new Contract?

As long as F/A's keep coming to work, F/A's will never get a raise. This is a new era, for airline pay. And F/A's keep voting YES YES YES every contract time because managment put's the fear of God in them that we will "go out of business", and the gun is put to our heads to vote yes or have the company impose "work rules and concessions". I've voted NO every contract, I don't care if this company stays or goes, I know I cannot AFFORD to work here anymore and yes I am furthering my skills and looking for another job that pay $30,000 a year, one where I'll have the capacity to prove myself and grow in salary - not keep getting behind the cost of living year after year! And for pilots it's the same, the days of great pay for you is over too! We are all screwed in this occupation because we cannot walk into another job making what we make, and the company knows this so they will keep the pay level, not to lose too many, just keep enough to operate.

While I would agree with you if we were...say Delta or United...US Airways problems started way before the first chapter 11 and I have NO DOUBT that this company was a fart away from shutting down. And we DID have imposed "work rules and concession." I remember the over 30% cut like it was yesterday.

Having said that, yes, the glory days (pay wise) in this industry are over. Voting with caution and preserving jobs gave fine folks like you a chance to PLAN your move as opposed to pushing you out on the streets. I choose to have a side career (in the making) on the side with the hope that someday it will blosom into something spectacular.

Yes I might be able to find a JOB making more, but I want more than just a JOB. The problem with this industry is that the CEO's want it to just be a job and sadly a temporary one at that.

NO Bawls
NO Backbone'
Stand up for your rights.
What are they going to do to you-fire you?
Vote No@!

Yeah...Ask the employees that went on strike at NWA how it worked out for them.
 
One of the items that keep wages artificially low is flight benefits, the company can attract unskilled personnel on this alone. Get rid of free flight benefits and see who sticks around, and see the airlines pay a completive wage to attract people. You shouldn't have to do this but you know plenty of people working here for the flight benefits alone and they don't care about the wages. Our own worst enemy is ourselves.
 
Pardon me for not sugar-coating this for you.

The amenable date of your contract is 12/31/2011. With the normal BS that goes on concerning negotiating a contract it will likely be 2013 before you vote on anything more then union officers. You folks had your golden opportunity to do something a few years ago and caved to management when you didn't strike when you had the opportunity.

HP FA, since you are no longer working here, you obviously are out of the loop on contract negotiations.
Yes, East FAs agreed to a contract thru 2011, but neither East nor West is renegotiating their former contracts.
We are in the midst of negotiating a JOINT contract.

And as Wench1 said, we can vote NO.
Which is a no-brainer.
Yes, the company is dragging it out as long as possible, and voting down the first offer will only extend the process, but they always hold back and then sweeten the the subsequent proposal.
I am maxed out on the current payscale, and agree that there needs to be cost-of-living increases.
That being said, I will continue to work under my existing contract as long as it takes before I am presented with a TA that contains NO GIVEBACKS.