So the hubby told me to "NUT up" yesterday...

[Kristie]

and ya know what?! he's completely right!

I wanted to talk budget and start thinking of ways to start trimming and/or watching our budget more closely "just in case"... and when we were talking about it, I told him that I completely support the union and the pilots and if they need me to walk next to them, I will.. I'll do whatever it takes.. but for the time being, i wanted to be "realistic" just in case and plan for the future.. and he said "will you just stop and NUT UP? your not helping by being "realistic"!"

my hubby's dictionary version of "NUT UP" means literally "get some fraking balls"...ie: sticking to your guns, staying strong, fighting the mean ol nasty fight and not giving up - not even for a second...

according to him, by me being "realistic" and trying to keep things kosher, planning for the future and doing the whole "just in case" thing, adjusting our budget should we need to etc, i'm not *one* with the pilots & union... i'm assuming (by planning ahead) that we're going to lose and the company is going to win and that, according to DH, doesn't help them win their fight.. they need everyone on their sides...mentally...

the company plays us in ways that scares the crap out of us, esp us wives and wives with children and if we let them succeed then we begin to "accept the inevitable" which hasn't yet become inevitable KWIM?!

so the last thing a pilot NEEDS to hear from his wife is "well, i'm just being REALISTIC" or "we have 7 kids to feed, we need to plan *JUST IN CASE*" because, they begin to lose all hope because WE don't believe THEY can succeed...

So, he's completely right.. I need to NUT UP, we women need to NUT UP and BELIEVE that they can do this, that they can beat the big bad corporation...

i'm not going to plan on a single thing except keeping things AS THEY ARE and i'm gonna stop being so dang realistic and just NUT UP! grow some balls and support our pilots 150%..

It's not about taking 19% and bad work rules.. it's about not EVEN taking 2% and bad work rules... we need to win this thing and if there's anything the pilots need on their side are their wives!!

whose with me here? whose going to help our husbands fight? if there's anything they need, it's us calling and/or emailing the reps if our husbands don't - making sure the reps understand that WE, as providers, are NOT happy and we expect them to work their magic, use the dues *our families* pay and win this war... if we can win this then we will make a difference for every single pilot fighting to have a decent job, decent wage, decent work rules and above all - go back to enjoying their jobs!

I'm determined... i never thought that talking about "being realistic" or planning for "just in case"'s would be harmful to our pilots perspective, to their mental stability... but man, i saw the light this weekend when hubby came out and whipped my mental ass and helped me see the psychological terror the company's using and just how effective it really is! I have to to their skill in psychology and at the same time say "FU, i'm gonna do what it takes to keep my husband happy" because there's nothing that comes between ME and HIM.

Enuff said!

now whose with me? are you prepared to call your rep and tell them or reiterate what hubby is/needs to say?? I suggest us wives get into the mix here.. make our voices known.. there's no powerful voice than a ROAR from the wives in the family!

**I figured i'd post this in general topics instead of in the Delta Pilot Wife section, since it really relates to all the pilot wives and not just Delta's, now that we're in BK.

[lucky81698]

Kristie,

Don't just stop with the union reps if you are unhappy with them, while you are at it, write to your congressmen, etc. to tell them not to allow the pensions to be taken away. Along with this crap about management getting all these bonuses while employees are expected to take paycuts. I know my mother wrote to everyone about the UAL pension, including the judge(don't do that, she got a nasty letter from his assistant since I guess you aren't supposed to communicate directly with judges since they think they are God or something). Thousands and thousands of people wrote to people in the govt but I don't think it changed anything. Maybe if thousands more do, it will do something, who knows. USAir unions/employees tried to stop the management from getting bonuses when the merger deal went though but of course the judge sided with management. Somehow the contracts with this handful of management types is always more important than the contracts with thousands of employees that have spent their entire careers at companies. It's time this crap stops, maybe if some politican can get a bug up his butt about it or something and try to do something. Maybe one from GA since DL is based there? Know anyone? Good luck.

Jan

[Kristie]

I suppose I could and thanks for the advice!! all of our reps out here are unfortunately republican and one of them, being John Mccain, would do just about anything to get rid of the unions.. so i know we wouldn't be in his sympathy pool.. but i could try a few others!

I don't know any of the politicians out in GA but definately putting some pressure on them, esp with DAL being an Atlanta based company, might actually work!

[MQAAord]

McCain would sooner see his grandmother pickled than lift a finger to help a union, a pilots' union DOUBLY so. He has something personal against airline pilots, which is funny because his son is an American pilot. He once called airline pilots "overpaid crybabies".

As for 'Nuttin' Up', I'll fight. But with two small kids I can't affort NOT to prepare for the worst, regardless. We need ALPA's help to win this, and ALPA National, the DL MEC and every LEC needs to get the message. Sadly, I've seen ALPA turn really political over the past years, and I hope they take a minute to remember who they're representing.

It kills me to see the decimation of this career. A career I once aimed for myself, and was only on hiatus from until the kids got older and I could get back into flight training. Now, I hope my kids never aspire to be airline pilots. We'll let them learn to fly, flying is and will always be a wonderful thing But unless the industry makes some BIG changes, I never want them to fly for an airline. And I have pretty much given up 'the dream' for myself too.

[Kristie]

Sadly, I've seen ALPA turn really political over the past years, and I hope they take a minute to remember who they're representing.

not to mention whose paying the bills!!

[Bigsweetie]

I can totally relate. Eric's company is going to arbitration early next month and we've been dealing with similar QOL issues. These unions can be very minipulative and destructive. So can these airlines. It's ridiculous. Alot of times I can see the despair in Eric's eyes. Like "What have I gotten myself and my family into?" He gets really depressed about it sometimes. I try to stay positive, but these companies always seem to get their way! . It feels like a losing battle sometimes.

But I hear ya about staying positive. Eric feeds off my negativity or enthusiasm. I've been trying to stay positive about this arbitration, but I seriously have my doubts. It's scary, cause if we lose things could get ugly for us financially. I know it would throw Eric into a serious depression. He's worked SOOOO hard, and this has been his dream for so long. I think it would kill him to be a reserve FO. I know he should be happy to have a job, but it's hard to get so close to something only to have it pulled out from under you.

Anyway - thanks for uplifting advice.

Tanya

[Tonya]

I don't know what your financial situation is but I do know that if you have a financial plan that plans for the worst case scenario then it is much easier to "Nut Up". I know that when we were going through the company bankruptcies and the unionization of another company I said to my DH many times " No matter what happens I am there for you. Do what you have to."

However no matter how much you say it and try to mean it there are always those moments that you are scared and try to hide it from him and those moments he is scared and tries to hide it from you. There are also those moments when you want to blame each other. With these types of situations if pilots had money they could make marriage counslors rich. They do make divorce lawyers rich.(I could not even imagine those same situations with children.)

How can he stick to his guns with the company if he knows that his family can be affected if he makes the wrong decision. With a plan in place he can let his company know that yes he wants his job however he doesn't need it so badly that they can walk all over him and expect him to just take it.

Being realistic doesn't mean that you expect him to lose. Being realistic means that no matter what comes you are ready to tough it out with him and stand by him no matter what and are making the changes so that you can outlast the company if needed.

The first time we went through the BK we were lucky enough to be able to sell some of DH's extra toys to get us through. The second time I had been laid off from my company for two months and we had to refinance our mortgage in order to get us through. Now we have managed to sock away enough that if anything should happen we will be okay... (at this rate we may never be able to retire but we will be okay)

Just my two cents worth.

[Erin]

I'm just going to continue being a pilot's wife... shove him out the door in his spiffy uniform, smile and say "whooo hooo" we can do it... and quietly, behind the scenes, make sure we really can.

Most importantly, I'll be here to give support, and receive support, from the only group of women I know that can really relate to this whole mess we're in.

Thanks, Ladies, for being there.

Erin in Seattle

[Kristie]

ya'll are right.. I should do the same thing! like Erin said "shove him out the door with the motivation that we're going to win" and strategically plan on my own to make sure we will make it through without too many bumps!

[roz]

Originally Posted by lucky81698

Kristie,

Don't just stop with the union reps if you are unhappy with them, while you are at it, write to your congressmen, etc. to tell them not to allow the pensions to be taken away. Along with this crap about management getting all these bonuses while employees are expected to take paycuts. I know my mother wrote to everyone about the UAL pension, including the judge(don't do that, she got a nasty letter from his assistant since I guess you aren't supposed to communicate directly with judges since they think they are God or something). Thousands and thousands of people wrote to people in the govt but I don't think it changed anything. Maybe if thousands more do, it will do something, who knows. USAir unions/employees tried to stop the management from getting bonuses when the merger deal went though but of course the judge sided with management. Somehow the contracts with this handful of management types is always more important than the contracts with thousands of employees that have spent their entire careers at companies. It's time this crap stops, maybe if some politican can get a bug up his butt about it or something and try to do something. Maybe one from GA since DL is based there? Know anyone? Good luck.

Jan

The new bankruptcy law prevents the bonuses. That's one of the other reasons NWA and DAL filed prior to 10/17. They filed early in September to eliminate the pension obiligations due in September. Defined pensions are on the way out--across all industries. Don't count on them--ANYWHERE.

I'm sorry Kristie, I totally disagree. The time to NUT up was 4 years ago when Delta management took the 9/11 best carrier in business model down to the worst. Now you are in the hands of the creditors. They control the plan, not the union any longer.

Please plan for the future--even if you have to do it in secret! Listen to Tonya--she has good advice. And Erin has good advice! Preparing for alternatives has nothing to do with not fighting the fight. It's being smart. US Airways executives, Wolf and Gangwal, when asked what "Plan B" was after the failed merger with UAL said, "We have no Plan B." Everyone has been laughing at their stupidity since. Please, don't follow in their path of not planning a "Plan B."