Pilots vote 95% to authorize a possible strike

[dpayne1969]

Not much of answer for me but i know i am in the same situation . I may need to make alternate planes soon probally near my same times .I wonder
if i should book Jet blue or something .I am not to keen on all the flight stuff.
My delta ticket to Wdw is nonrefundale according to the receipt.

Im with ya on the nonrefundable thing Im also out of luck for my credit card as i booked my flights on Jan,06.I did pay for my tickets with my credit card but i assume i am out of luck there too.I too am thinking about alternate plans but it is going to be awful to be out $1,000 worth of tickets.
Im afraid if i wait and they do strike i will be in a frenzy trying to get a standby then i heard they charge you 50.00 PP each way.So then i would be out another $400/00 so this is just very stressful.I am so nervous and upset i cant stand it,i will probably not get any sleep till my flight plans are all good.I am thinking of calling expedia to explore my options at this time.

 

[DaveO]

Of course this is after the 50,000+ Delta employees find a job

If Delta goes down, our economy will take a plunge toward negativeland...

Atlanta might take a hit but the national unemployment rate will not budge. That is union scare tactics.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

We too are in the same boat, our biggest problem is the fact that we don't have the money to buy tickets just in case. We spent well over 1000.00 on tickets, and now we may lose it. I am sorry, but I think that both sides of this whole problem need to see reality a little bit. I could never imagine making anything close to what the pilots already make, and I am sure that there are plenty of members of mgmt who could take a pay cut. I can't help but think that a pay cut is better than no pay check at all, and the longer this goes on just shows pure greed. I am really hoping that everything works out, not only because I don't want to see people lose their jobs, but also because I don't want to have to try and explain to my kids why we are not going this year.

 

[dpayne1969]

I am not going to tell my kids anything till i can see if i can work this out 1 way or another.We may have to postpone till November to save up for airfare again.It is not fair to the customers of Delta and they need to realize this!
I know my husband is angry and said he would probably just drive next time.
I am watching my news and they are talking about the air traffic people going on strike as well.This is ridiculous,i am thinking of just driving now.I cant stand the stress of this airline stuff!!

 

[snickerboo]

When the airlines were making record profits pre 9/11 the unions and pilots put the squeeze on the legacy carriers for big pay raises. They even had strikes to accomplish this. Now when the airlines are making no money they do not want to give it back.

Exactly. Pilots were overpaid during good economic times because people had money to travel. 9/11 and a crappy economy happened and now people don't want to travel or can only afford to do so on a budget. Talk about supply and demand! The days of people jet-setting are over and the pilots have to realize that. There isn't the money and it's not looking good that there will be anytime soon. Airlines can't just keep paying them the same amount and survive. In any regular non-unionized job you know what happens in Chapter 11? You lose your job: 100% salary cut, pension loss, etc. I'm sorry the money isn't the same for pilots who trained for their jobs 10 years ago but that's life. My dh 'signed up' for a company that had a plant here with 400 workers, nice perks and a steady stable company. Since then, they went through Ch. 11, they have a skeleton staff, hundreds of people lost their jobs (that's, again, 100% pay cut) and all perks are gone. We thank God every single day that he escaped the layoffs and feel terrible for all of those who didn't. That's how it goes for the average joe who doesn't have the luxury of the pilot's union and the ability to cause major inconvenience/loss of money to hundreds of thousands of consumers through a strike. What bothers me most about it is that there are 5000 pilots of Delta's roughly 60,000 staff. Most of that staff are low-wage earners. They will all lose their jobs if Delta bankrupts due to a strike because a pilot just can't live on $100,000 per year.

 

[bicker]

If that was the case it would be justified. But when was the last time you saw an ad for a CEO?

Yesterday, it is posted on the board in our lunchroom. Your perceptions of how corporations work is tainted by what you know about the few bad corporations out there. The vast majority have no relation to what you're talking about.

 

[bicker]

Fair isn't the point in DHs situation.
...
When he accepted a job as an airline pilot he knew some of the drawbacks to a commercial aviation career. ...
He thought .... That is no longer the case.
He thought .... That is no longer the case.

Join the club. We all are in the same boat, and those of us without a union (as well as many of us in unions) have adjusted to reality, just fine.

 

[brentalex]

Join the club. We all are in the same boat, and those of us without a union (as well as many of us in unions) have adjusted to reality, just fine.

Not sure what reality you look at. There are more poor today than ever. There are more people without health insurance than ever. There are more people losing their pensions and other retirement funds than ever. And the rich get richer. People have somehow been convinced that this is ok. For me it is nice to have some people fight back for what has been theirs. I am not saying that the pilots should not share in the necessary changes that delta must go through in order to help it survive. But it is always on the backs of the little people that the greatest load is placed. The leaders come out fine. When/if delta gets back on its feet, who will be getting the big rewards in the paychecks? the ceo for 'saving' the company. What will the pilots get?

 

[deltachi8]

What will the pilots get?

A job.

 

[bicker]

Not sure what reality you look at. There are more poor today than ever. There are more people without health insurance than ever. There are more people losing their pensions and other retirement funds than ever.

That's the reality I was talking about. I'd figure most of us are less secure, financially, than we were five years ago. As I said, we adjust.

And the rich get richer. People have somehow been convinced that this is ok.

It is okay. It's capitalism and it is the best economic system there is. Americans weren't complaining when the United States was applying capitalism to the world to get rich as a nation. We have to learn to take the good with the bad.

For me it is nice to have some people fight back for what has been theirs. I am not saying that the pilots should not share in the necessary changes that delta must go through in order to help it survive. But it is always on the backs of the little people that the greatest load is placed.

Sorry, but people making twice what I make aren't "little people." Remember where their salary comes from: My wallet and yours.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

What will the pilots get?

Nothing... Because in the end, they are most of the problem.

 

[brentalex]

Nothing... Because in the end, they are most of the problem.

Those in power have you convinced that the little guys are the problem. While the leaders of the corporations take out millions in their pockets, they convince the public that the employees are the problem, the cause of all that is wrong. They are laughing their way to the bank. It used to be that the ceo of a company was happy making a little more than their employees. Now they are not happy unless they are making thousands times more than their employees. And if they are not making enough, they get rid of some employees so they can make more.

 

[alabamagirl]

I could kick myself for buying a Delta ticket for June. Please, don't strike!! Some of us don't have the money for duplicate plane tickets!!