Possible Pilot Strike at Delta Airlines Looming...

[gtalum]

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but the pilot negotiations at Delta Airlines are looking grim. There is a hearing on Wednesday, and some rumblings about a walkout right then if they don't get their way and their contract is thrown out by the bankruptcy judge. I don't think it's likely that they'll walk out that quickly, but it's a good idea for anyone flying Delta in the next few weeks to at least be aware of the flight alternatives on other airlines that work for you, just in case.

 

From The Washington Post:

 

ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc. said Monday it can't predict whether it will be able to prevent a strike if its pilots choose to walk off the job should their contract be thrown out in bankruptcy court.

 

more

 

If their contract is thrown out, then the standard 30 day "cooling off period" that usually occurs before airline strikes will not be required.

 

So as I said, just do some research and know ahead of time what options are available to avoid spending hours and hours in line at the airport.

[hdawson]

Suicide! ! ! ! ! !

Delta is already in bankruptcy. In debt to the tune of 28 BILLION and the pilots are still insisting on having the second highest wages in the industry. And threatening to strike? Sounds like 2000 or 2001 before 9-11 when they insisted on having the highest wages in the industry or they would strike. This logic is beyond me.

[gtalum]

I agree it's ridiculous, and the optimist in me assumes the pilots are just talking tough and are not actually stupid enought to strike. But it is always wise to be prepared with alternatives. :)

[hdawson]

As I recall, the Eastern Airlines pilots walked in support of the machinists that had vowed to break the airline.

[gtalum]

...to break the airline

 

Well it worked, didn't it? :rolleyes:

 

If the Delta pilots strike, Delta will go out of business. It's as simple as that. I assume they are smart enough to know this, but I guess you never really can tell.

[eroller]

The pilots at Delta are generally a well educated, reasonable bunch of people. They know that if they do walk out, it will probably mean the end of Delta and their careers. Who else will hire them? Of course there are those militant pilots that don't care, but I think the majority do and will not walk out. I think they will come to their senses, and really, what other options are there for them? Time will tell.

 

FYI, there has NEVER been a strike in the history of Delta Air Lines. Delta has an EXCELLENT track record in this regard.

 

Ernie

[BlueHerons]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought that having federal bankruptcy protection threw all the negotiating rules out the window concerning union employees and the employer?

 

Didn't Reagan fire the Air Traffic Controllers when they went on strike?

[hdawson]

BlueHeron. The air traffic controllers were US government employees and although represented by PATCO, had a no strike provision in their contract.

They struck and the government enforced the provisions.

[gtalum]

You're right, the rules go out the window. The day the contract is thrown out, the pilots can all walk. Delta could also fire every single one of them. However, Delta has no replacements for them, and it would take a long time to find enough replacements to fly struck work. Once Delta finds them they have to train them current on their equipment.

 

If the Delta pilots walk out, Delta is done.

 

Regardless, still keep alternatives in mind when you fly Delta, just in case.

[BlueHerons]

BlueHeron. The air traffic controllers were US government employees and although represented by PATCO, had a no strike provision in their contract.

They struck and the government enforced the provisions.

 

Thank you hdawson, I knew the circumstances were different.

[tef43]

Suicide! ! ! ! ! !

Delta is already in bankruptcy. In debt to the tune of 28 BILLION and the pilots are still insisting on having the second highest wages in the industry. And threatening to strike? Sounds like 2000 or 2001 before 9-11 when they insisted on having the highest wages in the industry or they would strike. This logic is beyond me.

It's all about the Gimme Gimme Gimme. :mad:

[smoothdancer]

So, should this occur what will the recourse for us that have booked and paid tickets on Delta? Will Delta attempt to reschedule on another flight, refund your purchase???

[gtalum]

if your flight is affected, Delta will attempt to reschedule you on another carrier. You may be able to walk right up to another carrier and get on for a small fee. It seems like things work differently every time there's a strike.

 

My recommendation, as before, is to know what airlines fly the route and when. You can call Delta or the other airline as soon as there's word regarding the strike and confirm seats before others get wind of it.

[TexasFyre]

It's bad enough Delta put so many people of of jobs when they yanked most all their flights out of the DFW International airport, (texas) they are the only carrier that actually gets me to my mothers house without driving 2-4 hours! Closest airports in WA state are Seattle, Spokane, and Portland, Oregon! Geeze! They stirke and Delta goes out, I have no choices left except 10 hour flight days!

 

Money hungry *^*(( Geeze!:mad:

[cruzin2paradise]

Aren't unions grand? (dripping with sarcasm)

[hdawson]

TexasFyer. Delta, like most legacy airlines, are faced with the need to cut costs and increase revenue or to cease operation. The industry, in fact, may be better off if the bankruptcy courts let at least one major fold and exit the business.

[Cruising89143]

I personally think that this is a bluff by the pilots. As stated above, this would be the nail in the coffin for this airline and suicide for the pilots.

[futaba951]

I personally think that this is a bluff by the pilots. As stated above, this would be the nail in the coffin for this airline and suicide for the pilots.

 

How convenient for the pilots. They can jump in the coffin before it's nailed shut. :D

[dsclark]

If they strike, will the pilots for Song strike too (I am booked with Song for 12/27/05)?

If they need pilots, I am sure some of the recently laid off pilots from Northwest would be happy to be employed again. As a matter of fact, they should be sending applications to any pilot who is now flying for Independence Air.

[hdawson]

Song is going to be folded back into Delta. I'm sure if the pilots walk it will include both elements of Delta.

[Globaliser]

I think that Song is Delta. That is to say, legally and structurally there are no differences between Song flights and Delta mainline flights; the only differences are in marketing, branding and service levels. This is unlike some other airlines where specific operations or brands are different airlines, legally and structurally.

 

So if the pilots go on strike, that will be that.

 

For everyone following this thread, don't forget that there is another Delta pilots strike thread going here.

[doone]

Anything new on these talks?????

[Globaliser]

Anything new on these talks?????

The hearing is today, so try reading the evening news on the web.

[jnc411]

So, should this occur what will the recourse for us that have booked and paid tickets on Delta? Will Delta attempt to reschedule on another flight, refund your purchase???

 

Hello, like smoothdancer, we have a booked and paid for ticket also non refundable on Song/Delta, but it is not until March 2006.If the pilots strike and Delta tanks then my question is will Delta try to place us with another airline since our booking isn't for quite some time, or are we just out of luck and hope our travel insurance will cover it. We booked before the Bankrupsy filing so we should be covered by our travel insurance I hope. I am currently checking our alternatives to see if I can find a replacement flight should we need it.

Really appreciate this thread, I was hoping to get some information on the CC board , and you people that are posting are well informed and know your stuff. I will be watching the evening news with my fingers crossed hoping for the best outcome. Thanks for the information.

Cori

[usha]

Delta Seeks to Void Pilots' Union Contract

By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ and MADLEN READ

AP Business Writers

 

NEW YORK - Delta Air Lines Inc. asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Wednesday to void its contract with Delta's pilots' union so the beleaguered airline can impose deep wage and benefit cuts and avoid further financial erosion.

With several uniformed Delta pilots looking on in a standing room-only courtroom, Delta attorney Jack Gallagher said the airline valued its pilots and tried to negotiate reductions, but ultimately failed.

 

Faced with rising fuel costs, Delta is seeking to slash $325 million from its collective bargaining agreement with its pilots, saying the money is needed to keep its operations running. The, ALPA, which has offered $90.7 million in concessions, has threatened to strike if the court grants Delta's request.

 

The hearing started with union attorney Bruce Simon asking U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Prudence Carter Beatty to remove herself from deciding on the union contract, claiming Beatty showed bias through comments in earlier court hearings in which she said pilots wages were "hideously high."

 

Simon cited a Nov. 10 Associated Press story in which Beatty was quoted as saying: "What's really weird is that anyone agreed to pay them that much money to begin with."

 

Beatty denied Simon's request, saying that her comments, made in jest, were misinterpreted.

 

Beatty could decide immediately on the company's request to void the contract, although it's considered likely she will give the sides up to 30 more days to reach an agreement before deciding on her own.

 

In Atlanta Tuesday, 800 pilots' union members and spouses rallied in support of the union's position, insisting the threat of a strike was not a bluff, although Delta maintains a strike would cripple the company and force a shutdown.

 

In court papers filed Monday, Delta called a potential strike a "murder-suicide" that would eliminate every job at the company. The airline also argued that, under the Railway Labor Act, a strike would be illegal.

 

Delta pilots currently earn an average of $169,393 a year, according to a company bankruptcy court filing. The document says the figure is a projection based on year-to-date actual earnings by people employed throughout last year and up to Sept. 16 of this year. It does not include proposed pilot pay rate reductions. Junior pilots make considerably less, while senior pilots in some cases make more. The type of aircraft a pilot flies also is a factor in the pay scale.

 

If the court approves the cuts, they would be on top of $1 billion in annual concessions the pilots agreed to in a five-year deal reached in 2004. That deal included a 32.5 percent pay cut.

 

Delta, which filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 14, has recorded losses of more than $11 billion since January 2001 and over that period has announced it would cut up to 33,000 jobs. Its loss in the third quarter, reported Thursday, was $1.13 billion.

 

___

 

AP Business Writer Aleksandrs Rozens contributed to this report.