J.C. Lawson, chairman of the Comair pilots' Master Executive Council, a unit of the Air Line Pilots Association. This statement followed a May 10 Comair press conference in Cincinnati at which Delta President and Chief Operating Officer Frederick Reid discussed the Comair pilots' strike. On behalf of the 1,350 Comair pilots, I'd like to say that I appreciate Mr. Reid's stated commitment to Comair's growth and prosperity, and to his recognition of Comair's important role in the community. But in discussing the reasons for the Comair pilots' strike, Mr. Reid missed the mark by a great distance. Delta management markets the latest settlement offer as an industry-leading agreement.
Pilots are intelligent individuals, and they are quick to recognize a good thing when they see it.
Why, then, would they reject by a 1,090 to six margin the first settlement offer, presented to us prior to the beginning of the strike. It wasn't the offer management claimed it was. The fate of the current settlement offer depends completely on management's commitment to concluding these negotiations fairly. Smart pilots don't walk away from a decent contract. Mr. Reid's comments about the importance of Comair would be more convincing if management negotiators exercised a much greater commitment to the negotiating process, thus helping to conclude this long and costly strike.