John Culp Quotations

Whether or not to proceed down that path, that decision will be made by the representatives of the pilots and it's just another piece of an overall strategy we will use to convince management to negotiate toward a consensual agreement.

We feel that we are being asked to shoulder the lion's share of the employees' sacrifice.

We absolutely think that we can get a deal done if management is serious about reaching a comprehensive agreement.

No airline in the modern era has resorted to contract rejection to get what they want and we will not willingly work without a contract. If they reject the contract, we'll keep all legal options open.

If they're going to stop supporting the plan, then contractually they have to deal with us.

If the deal's not ratified, we end up back in court. I don't have any inkling of which way the vote's going to go.

It is a fairly close vote, and I would say that it is an uncommonly high turnout, showing the pilots' interest in this issue. And the close vote reflects the skepticism a lot of pilots have in management's business plan.

Our lawyers are prepared to argue that we have the right to strike.

We were interested and committed to bridging this gap. ... But management was clearly not committed to the process.

The pilots are telling us they are extremely disappointed in Delta management and are tired of listening to management?s demands.

We don't like the position we're in. But we feel time is of the essence.

We will continue to communicate with management and seek a negotiated comprehensive agreement rather than accepting their imposed terms.

This is the closest vote I can remember. It was an uncharacteristically high turnout reflecting concern about the issue and the bankruptcy process.

It's just the start of a new phase. There's nothing to preclude our talking up to and through the hearings.

It's just temporary. It gives time for many elements of Delta's business plan to become clearer.

It's not something we enjoy doing but we feel management has taken a turn for the worse in the last several years. We're in constant negotiations, but their demands are egregious.

For Delta senior executives to point out that the top paid hourly employees at an airline are mostly pilots is like pointing out that the top earners in a law firm are mostly lawyers.

It's always been the pilots' goal to work with management and to try and seek a consensual agreement that would try to satisfy the parties' needs. This is a path they have chosen; it's not a path we'd prefer.

Not a clue. We know there's a great deal of anger out there with the way management has conducted themselves and the state of the business. We have absolutely no inkling how the vote will go.

They were trying to pocket the money they weren't contributing to the defined benefit pension plan, and we called their bluff on it.

If you bang one on, your passengers automatically think you are Navy.

This is only an interim deal. Everything is going to be on the table again in the comprehensive talks including pay rates.