Talk of the Town

By Jon

November 16, 2005 08:34 AM | Link to this

STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! Once Delta is out of business, my AirTran stock should go up enough to retire early.

By Wing-Nut

November 16, 2005 08:52 AM | Link to this

I’d lead Delta’s group of unified pilots straight up “Moak’s” point, to the gallows…Although, first I’d ask if they enjoyed their last meal…Apparently, no one’s told them yet. That, for every one of them there’s 200 hundred in line {literally, right now}, waiting for work. I thought you had to be intelligent to operate multimillion dollar pieces of equipment!

By Mrs.Law

November 16, 2005 08:52 AM | Link to this

I would ask all Pilots in the US to rally for the Delta Pilots. These pilots have worked hard to get where they are today! The judge should not allow the pension plans and pay to be taken from them. How would the Judge feel if her or his pension plan was taken away? Judge would you like a 30% pay cut and to be told that you are over paid!! How much education do you think it takes to become a safe pilot? Oh, I forgot the Pilots are over paid! I guess you thank you can replace them with a taxi driver. All the pilots need to rally together to not allow this to happen to any of the airlines!!! How much do think the top executives are paid at Delta? Is there any contract that is valid?

By Pierre L. Schrichte

November 16, 2005 08:58 AM | Link to this

Provide the company with what they want for one full year. After that, restore the pay by 20% per year for the next five years. Then provide pay raises for the following four years based on the Consumer Price index.

In exchange, the company must fully fund the pensions and agree to keep the pension fund fully funded.

By BOB

November 16, 2005 08:59 AM | Link to this

Cut my pay huh? Come on boys lets drink all the little bottles on the plane and crash right into the Georgia Dome. Go Falcons!

By RP

November 16, 2005 09:04 AM | Link to this

I would definitely not encourage a strike. The Delta Pilots and ALPA need to learn from what happened to Eastern Air Lines. If you strike, and cause service interruptions and additional lost revenue, during a time when your company is in bankruptcy, you WILL be without a job. You may be able to carry an “I stood up for myself” attitude, but that won’t do a bit of good when it comes time to pay the mortgage in Peachtree City.

Of course, most union members don’t realize that the sole purpose of a union is to perpetuate the power of the Union. If you strike and lose your job, they continued to get paid for urging you to go out on strike.

I would not like the concept of taking a pay cut either, especially to the percentages being talked about for the Delta pilots. But, that leaves you with a choice. You either accept the pay cut and keep your job, attempt to go to work for another airline, strike and lose your job, or find another career. Let’s find out just how arrogant and self-serving ALPA is over the next few days.

By C.A. Nix III

November 16, 2005 09:12 AM | Link to this

Either go along with the bankruptcy court or eventually go out of business. Could happen either way. Striking is not the answer. Murder-Suicide. Keeping the company going long term should be the goal of all people including the pilots. The pilots should be willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to save the company and keep their jobs. What is their alternative? No job, no pension, nothing. Pilots and executives should be willing to drastically cut their pay for a time to save the company. Anything else is just selfish in my opinion. Look at Eastern in the late 1980s, and see what an ugly strike can do.

By sandra gean

November 16, 2005 09:29 AM | Link to this

The party it’s over. Can’t live in big mansions any more, start smelling the coffe ,like every other group did, take the cut and start living in the real world

By James H

November 16, 2005 09:30 AM | Link to this

As head of Delta’s Pilot Union, my advise for all pilots is three-fold. 1, As a professional service provider, public support is our lifeline, not a contract. 2, Never forget the childhood dreams and determination that allows us to do what we do as a career. 3, Our place is in the clouds at FL400, and we would do this for free if need be. We are professional aviators, and that, we will remain in spite of all. Lets all be about service, and keep em flying full throttle.

By MC

November 16, 2005 09:31 AM | Link to this

The Delta pilots have to remember they were the highest paid in the industry for over 4 years. The rest of the frontline agents and flight attendents have struggled with increased medical costs and benefit cuts. I agree we have been let down by former and current leadership, but lets not kill a great company because of what has happened over the past few years. Enough noise has been made and will continue to be made by all employee / stake holders of what needs to be done to gain mutual respect with work groups and management. Agree to what has to be done now to save the company, but put forth some very agressive plans that will not benefit one group but all employees. I have been with Delta 28 years and am looking forward to a few more. We are at rock bottom and no current DL employee who is not in senior management can be blamed. Think towards the future and pray for our pensions

By Brian

November 16, 2005 09:32 AM | Link to this

Let me see now…..Let me see if I have this straight.

Scenario 1: Accept the pay cut: Have a job, have a paycheck that is still HIGHER than the second highest paid airline pilot, still keep your best part time job in the world, and still make a lot of money.

Scenario 2: Go on strike and NOT accept the pay cut: Have NO job, have NO income, have NO Delta, have NO house, work at Wal-Mart FULL TIME making 90% less than you make now.

Scenario 3: Quit and work for another airline: Have a job (maybe), make less than if you accept the pay cut, start all over on the seniority list, still have the best part time job in the world, and still make a lot of money.

Now let me think…Seems like a NO BRAINER to me….

By MM

November 16, 2005 09:47 AM | Link to this

For the sake of all Delta employees ALPA had better get a grip on reality. Great sacrifice is required of you if we are to have a chance to right this sinking ship. As a group you are the highest paid among us. “To whom much is given much shall be required.” As formerly the highest paid in the industry your only shot at regaining that position you so cherish is to sacrifice now. You only have to look as far as Eastern Airlines to see the alternative.

By Larry

November 16, 2005 09:52 AM | Link to this

Most Delta pilots have been “spoon fed” since mom and dad put them through college and the tax payer trained them. I would tell them the truth. You are an employee, not the owner of DL. The airline has spoiled you over the years, and now it needs your help in a big way. Better listen! You cannot do anything about bad management decisions and circumstances beyond anyone’s control.

Look at the bright side- it’s a great time to get rid of ALPA and start your own organization. I resign!

By Brian

November 16, 2005 09:53 AM | Link to this

Strike. No employee out there would willingly take a greater than 60% paycut over the course of one year and stay. This would put Delta pilots at the bottom in terms of pay and retirement. They are all well educated and find new careers.

By Bart

November 16, 2005 09:56 AM | Link to this

Dear Pilots: The glory days are over for the airline industry, high fuel, 9-11, poor management and a public unwilling to pay for great service all added to the troubles. You can no longer expect to fly 11 days a month and make over $180,000 a year. I also hear the guys on the ramp saying NO ONE CAN load an airplane like a regular Delta guy……sorry that no longer applies either. There are thousands of Pilots on the street who would take your place in the seat for 1/2 of what you are currently making. Tuff it out and when things get better in a few years maybe you can get some of the $$$$$ back. If you strike you can Pilot that 18 wheeler down I75.

By barry smith

November 16, 2005 09:58 AM | Link to this

For years Delta hired the cream of the crop. They looked for the quarterbacks the Eagle Scouts. Delta wanted individuals that could not only fly the new complex jets but also serve as a company representative. It was an honor to stand in the door and thank the customers for flying Delta. Is this a time to make a statement? The market says no. It’s obvious that the pilot force has lost faith in management and the current business model. Will the new emphasis on International operations be a mistake? The bird flu epidemic could easily shut down all International flights. How would I advise the rank and file? I would let the members vote. Democracy is the American way. What happens next is anyones guess. Would a stike be economic suicide? Delta entered that arena when they declared bankruptcy. A retired FEDEX pilot.

By Change Agent

November 16, 2005 10:10 AM | Link to this

YOU DECIDE - There are too many signs of past, and present (and future) events, both within the industry and outside that the pilots at Delta fail to comprehend. The onslaught of the low cost carriers is one reason alone. The early warning signs in the US automotive sector are the same mystery movie but with a different title: Companies like Toyota are eating their lunch. In manufacturing, old world economies are reinventing themselves because they cannot compete with India or China. Countries like Germany are suffering because they are not changing at the same rate. Moreover, the political and social climate throughout the world will be turbulent for some time to come. The GREAT companies are looking for ways to prosper with mitigating risk strategies. Mediocre and weak companies will either rise to the challenge or DIE. The reality is that this is the last chance that Delta has to restructure the company. It is an opportune time. It needs a competitive and efficient structure to withstand unprecedented times. Change is HARD. Yet, indecision, complacency and failure are more perilous and deadly.

By BFB

November 16, 2005 10:25 AM | Link to this

I’ve already been through a bankruptcy and I chose to leave the company I worked for. I was mad and disgruntled but I left in a manner that did not jepordize the jobs of my fellow co workers. The pilots need to realize that the creditors in possession only want the assets they are entitled to. If the pilots want to strike and ruin the airline, I’m sure most of the creditors would be much happier to collect their share and get on with other money making projects. The pilots should try to devoid themselves of emotion, look at the picture calmly and find other positions flying for other companies. Whey not accept a reduced salary while you’re searching for something better? I did and it worked out great for me and I didn’t affect anyone else’s job in the process!

By Daryl

November 16, 2005 10:42 AM | Link to this

As a 30 plus year in-the-sky airline veteran, I remember how the Braniff pilots all said “we won” on the day the company went out of business and being at Eastern the day the company shut down. Not to give the company what they need to survive, no matter how painful can mean: no job and no company. You really don’t have a choice; at least not now at Delta. Starting over at the bottom of another air carrier’s sonority list if you are over age 40 is suicide. All of this talk of “we’ll strike” causes travelers to book-away from Delta and go else where. Think USAir last winter, Northwest-more than once before and so forth. Our industry has a history of idle threats on the part of pilots and flight attendants; but since 09/11/01, it’s all changed. We have to remember that we are all “overpaid, heavy equipment operators with cute outfits to wear when we work” nothing more and we should remember who has buttered our bread all these years when things were good. Sorry guys, but this is 2005 and this is the real world in the airline business. Good luck!

By dee

November 16, 2005 10:51 AM | Link to this

Perhaps more negotiations are in order. There has to be a middle ground somewhere and both parties should seek to find it. Exactly how much is MANAGEMENT willing to let go of their salaries and their pensions? The Delta pilots Union should MATCH management’s percentage of benefits losses and pay losses exactly. No one wants to work a job for 28 years, sacrificing pay cuts after pay cuts year after year, just to learn that their pensions that they worked hard for and are almost ready to receive, will be cut in half. That will leave pilots too old to fly still flying planes in order to make ends meet, well beyond their effective years. That’s a no win situation for everyone.

By Glenn

November 16, 2005 10:51 AM | Link to this

Make the needed “short term” consessions. Have these consessions based upon specific bench marks the company must meet to show it is moving out of bankrupcy and back into profit mode. If the company fails to meet it’s goals have an agreed upon arbitrator step in.

By soon2bxpilot

November 16, 2005 10:54 AM | Link to this

Speaking as a DL pilot who has actually seen the company’s “proposal,” if I were the local MEC head, I would advise the pilots not to strike. Whether dying in a flash from a strike, or death by a thousand cuts that will certainly happen with DL’s inept management, Delta is history. At least if we do not strike, mgmt and other ignorant people will not have us to use as convenient scapegoats. Beyond that, I simply do not care anymore.

I’m out of a job whether we strike or not - and so are most of Delta’s non-pilot staff - - the either/or scenario offered by some here is not valid. Delta per its “proposal” to ALPA will continue to outsource mine and others’ jobs to the next regional airline/ground handler du jour, as it becomes the next PanAm flying dilapidated aircraft trying to compete internationally while having no domestic feed. Wish it were otherwise.

By FM

November 16, 2005 11:14 AM | Link to this

…Delta, a once proud and well run company, has fallen prey to the greed that controls Wall Street and Congress. And every other corporation will follow suit. It’s the American way! What will I tell the rank-and-file? Walk.

By Jo

November 16, 2005 11:16 AM | Link to this

You had better take what you can get from Delta. Don’t fight the contract. Let it go. Just be happy to have a job. If Delta stops doing business you will all be out of a job. Something is better than nothing.

By Jerry Jones

November 16, 2005 11:35 AM | Link to this

I belive as a head of the Delta pilots , I would have to realize that it is all about “market yield”. The airline market does not support the amout that the pilots have made in the past..These men and women are true professional people who deserve respect and the amount they should get with that “market yeild”. Who would have thought the super power DELTA would be facing the reality the world market has delt to them?

By stick

November 16, 2005 11:49 AM | Link to this

even with the proposed cuts pilots will still average over 100k a year. if you think you can make that in this economy, go ahead and strike. it is a tough pill to swallow, but most people do not even make half what you make and they have little or no retirement as well. …

By JB

November 16, 2005 12:13 PM | Link to this

If you guys strike and put your airline out of business I guarantee you will regret it for the rest of your lives. You have an obligation to yourselves and all Delta employees (both active and retired) to right this ship and bring Delta back from the brink. Don’t act on anger. Think about your futures. Make the sacrifices now and reap the rewards later. Good Luck! a former Eastern employee P.S. Putting Delta out of business would be the ultimate paycut!!

By viktor

November 16, 2005 12:19 PM | Link to this

Delta pilots have to ask themselves: Would I be better off flying a 757 3 days a week for $100K per year plus benefits or MAYBE flying a 6 seat Learjet MAYBE 5 days a week for $80K per year without benefits OR getting my real estate license and selling real estate without benefits until I can get another flying job. …

By C-dubb

November 16, 2005 12:22 PM | Link to this

I would say take the cut see what happens after a year. If it doesn’t look bright just find a new job. But dont hurt everyone in the company that might happen to have a little hope. Past mangagement got the company in the shape its in now not the current, there only tring to fix it.

By Feithalind

November 16, 2005 12:34 PM | Link to this

In your decision to walk off the job at DAL, keep in mind how DAL and it’s pilot group took care of the Eastern Pilot’s looking for work after their unfortunate run-in with Frank Lorenzo. DAL hired very few if any Eastern pilots. Not much of a show of help. It would smart to anticipate them same behavior in reverse assuming a strike when considering future employment opportunities.

By jojo

November 16, 2005 01:49 PM | Link to this

OK, here it is: stand up for what you believe in not give in and go hungry (not to metion your family) or give in take a pay cut and let them walk all over you again and again (because this won’t be the last time) I would be looking for another job right away.