UseYourHead said:
A No vote just really helps us along towards our demise, we can agree on that can't we?
[post="192975"][/post]
At this point in time, no we can't agree on that. Since I firmly believe that our demise is coming, I don't believe a "Yes" or "No" vote will make any difference to the outcome.
UseYourHead said:
Jim, we do not need to send back money individually
[post="192975"][/post]
Ahhh....so there is some individual sacrifice too great, even if it will help the company "survive". And therein lies a difference between us. You see, I was against the B scale - thought all pilots should be on the same pay scale, even if it meant a pay cut for those of us already on the property. Likewise the furloughs in 91. Likewise the furloughs post 9/11. I thought it was wrong to not give the former MetroJet pilots the new stock to replace their options lost in BK1 before doling out the remainder to everyone. You see, I believe that "give what we must, but make sure someone else pays a higher price than me" is wrong.
UseYourHead said:
I have never advocated that consessions only will save the company, rather that they are a necessary ingrediant at this point in time. (Just ask the BK judge...and oh ya, our advisors).
[post="192975"][/post]
The trouble with that is that "this point in time" keeps coming back - anyone have deja vu here??? Do I really need to mention Wolf's "parity + 1", pre-BK1, during BK1, DB plan, LOA 91??? Each of those were a "necessary ingrediant at this point in time" to save the company. Weren't those advisors advocating "this is necessary to save the company" each of those times??? Worked well, didn't they??? We've been "saved" right into BK1 and BK2. We'll soon be "saved" right into oblivion.
UseYourHead said:
Jim are you positive on anything we have done in the last few years? Adding the island flying, or point to point US city pairs which now (and have) make up a significant % of our flying. How about the changes in Feb?, do you give any credit to those plans?
[post="192975"][/post]
To be absolutely accurate, we haven't "added island flying", we've shifted flying from other domestic markets (and used RJ's as a substitued there). If we had "added island flying" (i.e. - growth) it would have been wonderful - growth lowers CASM. Likewise P2P flying was reduced post 9-11 and we are re-instuiting it by again moving flying from hub markets to P2P (and using RJ's to fill in the resulting gaps). Bringing back P2P flying is good, but it would have been better to not have cut it so much to start with.
The Feb changes? Too little way too late (plus, from the "fuzziness" of the info I'm still not convinced that this management can pull it off). If this had been done in Feb 2003 or Feb 2004, we wouldn't be in BK2. But back then, nobody wanted (or got a chance to cast a vote) to make management manage. Instead, it was "Live to fight another day" and management had an easy way out. Of course, that's what those adivsors said needed to be done....
UseYourHead said:
I agree with you that management will have to manage its way through this in addition to consessions, that too, is a no-brainer.
[post="192975"][/post]
Ah, management managing. Except for 2 or 3 people at the very top, don't we have the same management that got us here? And this round of concessions is going to make a difference when all the others didn't? I don't think so. In my opinion, we are no longer standing on the precipice, we are falling to the rocks below. Management had plenty of opportunities to stop our fall and didn't, despite the employees giving all that was asked. Now we will all pay the ultimate price for management's folly.
UseYourHead said:
And as far as CAL goes, I used to work there and know the history well. All we can do is navigate through our own rough seas; however, I pointed that out to show that it can be done, even if the odds were against you. I wish that I was at CAL today, I would be a B777 Captain...when I left I never would have dreamed that I would make a statement like this.
[post="192975"][/post]
Yes, it can be done. It could have been done here, but wasn't. Now we've run out of chances.
Jim
ps - I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the day that the pilots you left behind at CAL look over at you and think "Gee, I should have followed UYH over to US Airways - look where I'd be".