Saturday, April 08, 2006

Anyone Have a Ruler?

Don your rain coats everyone, the world's biggest pissing contest is going on between Delta Airlines and its pilots.

We can hope Delta management and the pilots will come to their senses and work things out before the possible last minute. Delta's pilots have voted to strike but an actual strike deadline has not been set. An arbitrator will rule April 15 if the bankrupt carrier can dump its contract with the pilots. Delta is losing money like mad as it has never recovered from 9/11. It faces stiff competition from low cost carriers domestically. Reduced international travel demand has made its long haul routes less profitable. Compounding all that is the fact that Delta pilots have one of the fattest and most lucrative pilot contracts in the world.

Experts in Labor Relations and business pundits feel that a strike would not happen as both sides know the result would be certain death for the nations # 2 airline. I wonder if Bushie would like a job loss of over 40,000 on top of his other problems?

Here is what some in the industry have to say:

"Perhaps those who are wanting to strike should just find other jobs if they are unhappy with their situation at Delta. It's not like someone is holding a gun to their heads and forcing them to work there. Besides they're going to need the job hunting practice once the airline dies."

"I have given 30% of my pay. I only make $24,000 a year. I resent someone controlling my destiny who makes nearly ten times as much as me. I resent the concept that when we were MAKING money, they had no problem signing a contract to make them the highest paid pilots IN THE WORLD, weeks before 9/11. But now when the S#$@ is hitting the fan....they wish to deny me the right to work. I understand their distrust of management. I have been through this dance once before with TWA. I say, make out a big IOU and when the money comes in, make them first on the list if that's what it takes to put this fire out and get on with work. I respect the pilots and their stance. I am just not sure that they have the right to place so many people in peril over their own pocketbooks."

Someone who makes 24K at Delta sounds more rational than the Union or Pilots in my opinion.

I have no love for Delta, I last flew them to Istanbul, where they promptly screwed us up royally. I wrote them and said I would not fly them again, and I have held to my word.

Maybe a better idea would be to take a ruler and measure everybody's dicks. The biggest pricks lose it all.

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