Ahh... grasshopper... snatch the pebble from my hand.

Now let's see if you understand that reference J. Edward...
Or do I need to explain something else to you grasshopper?

They also drink a lot of Bush's Kool-Aid. Problem is everyone's got the right to vote...

The answer is....#4. We will be casting 2 ballots. One to accept or reject the new contract offer reached in December. The other to authorize a strike against CAL if the agreement is rejected. My personal opinion is that the agreement will pass. The NMB has stated that they will consider releasing the parties if this agreement is not passed. That is why the union is taking the strike vote. They can not call a strike unless the membership votes and authorizes it.

Thanks for the answer ^

Good luck FA's on your vote tomorrow I do know Kung Fu

Whenever I was home from school sick it was that, Gilligan's Island, Knight Rider (sp?) and the animated Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (how I was - and still am - in awe of that woman! ...in fact, she was my first TV crush )

I know it's OT, but check out Bush's Year End Review at www.jibjab.com for a laugh!

The real problem is even though everyone's got the right to vote... not enough of them do.

You just gotta love Kool-Aid.

<<STANDING OVATION>> ^

......and that is quite simply why I want CO to succeed (quite apart from the fact Mrs Bealine works for 'em). For the most part, I have found their Flying Staff (which includes the pair up front) most helpful, friendly and eager to please!!! I don't want to see those good people let down by militant colleagues - Industrial Action only only comes back and bites you in the bum, even if you get a short-term fix!!!

The voting period lasts until Jan 29.

This contract will pass, and all will be well in Continental land. The execs will continue to earn their insane amounts of money, and the FAs will retain their base pay....until the airline is merged, bought, sold off into little pieces...what have you.

Nor do we like to fly with pax pouting becuase they did not get their upgrade or choice of meal in f/c.

But otherwise I still think you guys on this board rock.

The execs are under paid comparied to equally qualified people at other companies. And the stress is insane on airline executives. I see silly comparisions to the President of the United States salary of about $200,000, thrown around of this board. People don't run for president for the money, they do it for the ego. Running an airline is a tough job that deserves fair pay. The guy flipping burgers at McDonalds doesn't spend all day, worried about what the CEO makes. If you don't like CO... go work someplace else. The union has NEVER saved one airline job EVER. The reality is the barier for entry is very, very low. 4 weeks training. Almost every other occupation in the world takes more training. And the pay was way out of line. The cleaners over at NWA were making between $45,000 and $60,000. To walk through an airplane with a trash bag! The reality of the airline industry is not caused by management. It is caused by disjointed legistlative and regulatory policy here. All congressmen are "for" cheap flights. Yet they all want to play politics and "save" jobs in their districts with expensive bailouts. General Electric is also a problem propping up sick airlines. USair had no reason to exist. It should have died. Had that occurred, you probably wouldn't have to have a pay cut. Since they didn't die... you can make what you make now for six months, and then flip burgers at McDonalds when the carrier folds. Or suck it up and make less. Both choices stink on a personal level. But that is life! I lost a ton of money January 1st when the government changed Medicare. Not a darn thing I could do about it. But I am not going to "blame" someone else. It's just life.

Whoa...

While a little strong, it is true that "this is life". I am worth no more than what someone else would be willing to do my job for, assuming they are qualified. The two big problems are pensions and the LCC. Once the LCCs became successfull, they set the bar for compensation and pensions. Eventually, sooner rather than later, any airline that wants to survive will get to a situation similar to what the LCCs are in with benefits/pensions/pay, etc. They must in order to compete. The only alternative is to go back to regulation where the government sets the air fares and that would be a disaster. The LCCs will always be able to undercut the Legacy Carriers because their costs are so much lower. Also, sooner rather than later, expect the LCC guys to start flying internationally. When that happens, whatever Legacy Carriers have not gotten their costs down to the LCC levels will go out of business.

The smart thing for those caught in this difficult situation is to look for a new job now, while they still have the current one. Most people would be surprised that their talents might be appreciated more elswhere with better pay. By doing it now, you avoid the desperate situation of having to grab something that comes up, rather than something you really want.

Its an unpleasant situation, but the ones that emerge successfully are those that stop feeling sorry for themselves and take the bull by the horns.

You simply don't know what you're talking about. Airline execs are generally underpaid vs. other industries. Try learning something about the business world before making comments that are so devoid fact.

I would suggest that it's you who doesn't know what you are talking about. The fact that airline execs are paid lower than other industries does NOT mean they are not grossly overpaid!!! (and, since 09/11 with "Chapter 11 Protection" - another word for State Aid - their grossly inflated salaries are being subsidised by the airlines' creditors ) (I would say the execs in other industries are fat pigs too, hence the tremendous problemsd the US has with obesity right now, and which the rest of the world is just starting to wake up to!!!)

The pay differential between execs and workers is reaching boiling point - anyone from outside the USA who saw the suffering of the poor people in New Orleans, cannot fail to see the corruption than gives execs and movie stars millionaire lifestyles for a less stressful, easier ride than the working folks - the real producers!!!

Now - in the words first coined by Cher - "Go and Flagellate Your Bad Self!!!"

Voting ended today at 5pm. We should have the results in a few hours. The strike ballots will not be counted unless the TA is rejected.