AMC has rejected the cost-of-living ("COL") and inflation raise that was proposed by the Union. With the COL and inflation rates continuing to rise in May and being projected to rise further this month, this raise would have not only have been some much needed financial relief but a huge boost in morale considering the current state of the industry and our competitors.

AMC provided no explanation on why they would not agree to, or even engage in discussion for such an important and timely raise. This is disappointing considering that AMC is coming off a record breaking year of transports and revenue and their push for us to exceed that this year. We share the same frustrations that many of you have expressed when seeing the level of time, energy, and money being spent by AMC on other programs and products. After all, we are the primary revenue generators for AMC and without us and our hard work, none of this would be possible.

After we received the notice that AMC rejected our proposal we sent a request for the company to reconsider. We apologize for the delay in getting this information out, but we wanted to give the company adequate time to consider the benefits that this raise would have provided to the employees while allowing them a reasonable time to respond. We were optimistic (more importantly hopeful) that the company would change their mind and do the right thing by their employee's. Unfortunately, that request has fallen on deaf ears and AMC has declined to respond or engage in direct negotiations with the union. Instead, AMC has decided to bypass procedures outlined in the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and immediately filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB). This is an indication to us that the willingness and desire to ratify a fair and reasonable contract in a timely manner is regretably not matched by the Company.

We anticipate that without a change in priorities and cooperation by the company this will be a very long and drawn out process that could have been completely avoided. Our hope is that we will have more promising news to release in the future and we encourage everyone to get involved and be active on the official union forum.

Attention AMC pilots: QUIT BAILING AMC OUT! STOP PICKING UP OT / WORKOVER SHIFTS!!!

Quit filling empty shifts to bring them to the table

You filed for Section 6, so live by it!

https://www.reuters.com/article/labor-injunction/union-cant-encourage-pilot-work-slowdown-during-contract-talks-d-c-circuit-idUSL2N2461A8

Therefore they cant afford to turn away from the overtime.  its a generation of Bose Headsets, rims for their lowered Subaru and the fancy ray bans.  Apartment rent clilmbing through the roof!

again.

Made a strong strategic power play to energize their base and paint a clear picture of what kind of people are running this company at the executive levels; running it into the ground that is.

8.6% inflation rate and 3.25% as current annual...no math whiz but that works out to be 11.85%. Throw in projected inflation of at least .25% through August 5th and thats an easy 12..1%

seems like the union was spot on with the raise and well prepared, while air methods was not. It's okay. Thanks to the last contract air methods will either pay now or pay more later because if I were the union I would have told air methods they had their chance and now they will pay even more and with full back pay. 

Company could have came back and said we will give yoh 8%, 10%, even 3.25% for that matter and put the blame back on the union for no raise. But, they didn't and the union outplayed these guys once again. The union should not accept anything until a final contract is ready to be voted on. Let them squirm and feel the repurcussions screwing over tenured and loyal emloyees. Nothing less than 12% now! Nice work boys.

hold your breath.

inflationary environment it is very difficult to increase employee compensation quickly until the financial environment better defines itself.  Sounds like double talk and rude but if you think inflation is not starting to have a really big impact on the company bottom line that is mistaken.  

Back in the inflationary environment post Vietnam, particularly late '70s early '80s interest rates hit 19%.  My mortgage was at 14%.  The entire era was tough for all companies and employees.  By most indications the ride ahead is not going to be short and not comfortable.

If the CBA does not include adjustments for inflation I wish you luck.

If you have a relatively secure job now would be the time to become quite conservative with your finances and ride this out.  

There is much more money to be made in other jobs than an HAA pilot.  Flying AND non-flying.  Vote with your feet and get out now.  Stop holding your breath for AMC to give a measly wage increase...

It can hardly have come as a surprise that all proposals are rejected and a mediator sought, that was AMC's tactic in the first two contract negotiations.

Delay, Delay Delay, push back any new contract for as long as possible. Usually 2-3 years or longer if they can.

Meanwhile the pilot salaries stagnate and more importantly, any increase only reflects what would have been adequate three years earlier, not taking into account any inflation in the intervening years and the value of salaries declines year after year in such a way that by the time, 3 years down the road, a new CBA is ratified, even though several million dollars will have been spent on their lawyers, the company have actually saved money. Additionally by holding up the pilots pay increases they can effectively use that to hold pay raises for the maintenance staff too. Another big saving. 

Whilst it is inappropriate to measure Pilot salaries against increasing management and executive staff pay or even medical personnel as each performs a function with a different value criteria based on education, experience, (Good 'ole boy network) market forces, etc., It is appropriate to examine the manner in whch the union perform their obligations for negotiations on behalf of the pilots.

At every CBA juncture the Union have advised AMC of their intention to renegotiate and thereafter the sequence of events has followed exactly the same pattern. Back and forth, meetings, meetings, meetings, ad nauseum, NMB, meetings, meetings, meetings, month after month, year after year, until finally a CBA.

What was Einsteins famous comment about doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result?

I would suggest that what the Union is missing is the to need to create a situation PRIOR to the negotiations that make AMC want to negotiate and resolve those negotiations quickly. And the only way that will ever happen is that their financial situation is directly and significantly impacted before negotiations begin, not afterwards with "Let's not do a workover now."

However we are where we are now and SNAFU is in place. Obviously leaving shifts uncovered would be a positive step IF and only IF everyone was on board with that decision but the very fact that AMC see that that does not happen emboldens them to continue the protracted process. Having settled on any CBA previously that they knew three years down the road would probably mean the pilots would be only too willing to carry out workovers to keep abreast of inflation, they had no doubt then that history would repeat itself when the time came for renewal and so it continues.

Wise up pilots, get united and all reading from the same game plan. Its in your interest.

Just my 2c 

and how to achieve it in the practical, usable sense IS the key to effective negotiations.

That is the silver bullet to be discovered.