AAI Pilots Beware!!

[GuppyWN]

And another thing.

Look at the arguments. Airtran guys want relative. What do they have to back that up? What can they "give" to make their lawyer backed argument worthwhile?

Now look at the WN guys and what we have to use in our arguments.

I actually HOPE for an arbitrator. I am 100% confident that a panel of arbitrators will understand the disparity in what each group brings.

Gup

 

[ivauir]

GK and his crew came to BF, knocked on the door and asked politely to buy airtran.

Actually, BF approached GK at least 6 times asking for the white hat routine ..

 

[RedDogC130]

And another thing.

Look at the arguments. Airtran guys want relative. What do they have to back that up? What can they "give" to make their lawyer backed argument worthwhile?

Now look at the WN guys and what we have to use in our arguments.

I actually HOPE for an arbitrator. I am 100% confident that a panel of arbitrators will understand the disparity in what each group brings.

Gup

Gup,

I am with you 100%. If you put every aspect into a quantitative measure.. ie.. career expectations which if precedent is used equals career earnings potential (not which window you look out of)...then SWA wins...if it is used for sced flexibility/QOL....SWA wins again...on and on....SWA wins. Numbers will have to be used to back up these arguments...and when then they put numbers to these things...SWA wins.

Airtran people have yet to make a valid argument except for I am a Captain hear me roar....I want my seat. I will roll with an arbitrator panel of 3 any day of the week.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

If you think I am afraid of an arbitrator you are sorely mistaken.

Matter of fact I think we'd do better with an arbitrator than with our own pilots voting on Airtrans future.

Gup

Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.
And as far as what's fair.....I'm sure you'll find 8000 arguments as to what's fair.

 

[RedDogC130]

Scope...

I think the correct term per B/M FAIR AND EQUITABLE

 

[funnyman12]

Question for the SWA guys. I have been at airtran 4 years and have 21% of the pilot group below me. I could survive 2 10% furloughs. If we got DOH I would have 11% of the combined list below me. A staple would yield a whopping 4% below me. Many will argue that SW has never furloughed. 1st question....if a situation come where SW was considering a furlough, what motivation would SW guys have to protect the airtran guys? I would guess very little. I would imagine an arbitrator would be looking at that. The reason for the "fair and equitable" thing is to prevent that. One million dollar salary mean nothing if im in the street. My understanding is that since SW is the acquirer none of the SW pilot should be negatively affected. If the airline has 6000 pilots and plans 10% growth, as an arbitrary number, or 8000 pilots there should be no difference in career expectations. On top of that Gary Kelly has said without Airtran zero growth for 2 years. Airtran pilots will probably lose a little relative seniority but not enough to increase the potential of airtran pilots on the street, whom without the merger would have kept their jobs in the event of extreme financial turmoil. Airtran is more healthy now than during the 2008 fuel spike.

 

[GuppyWN]

funnyman12,

Two things.

1. Airtran furloughed a couple hundred of your OWN pilots without regard of where their next meal was going to come from.

2. Gary Kelly has stated that he intends to grow after the acquisition. The furlough fodder will come in behind you. Every guy on the bottom of the list is worried about being furloughed. Does it stop them from taking the job?

What you guys don't get is this. We should have furloughed after 9/11. We were flying jets around with more crewmembers than passengers. We didn't furlough. We could have furloughed last winter when the economy really tanked. SWA paid the pilot contractual guarantee for 3 straight months so they wouldn't furlough.

Quit thinking about what your management would do and start realizing what our management DOES.

Gup

 

[funnyman12]

After AA/TWA the new law in the RLA came to be. I would imagine an arbitrator would be looking T those implications and apply them to this merger. I would guarantee that 6000 SWA pilots would be opposed to getting paid guarantee to keep a few hundred airtran guys on property. An arbitrator knows that.....aka TWA. BTW we furloughed 169 pilots not a couple hundred. Your pay rates mean nothing if 800 airtran pilots were without work due to a staple. There is a way to merge the lists where no SWA pilot is affected negatively and the airtran pilots gets fair shake. It will be fair and many of the FI guys on here will be upset.

 

[GuppyWN]

I would guarantee that 6000 SWA pilots would be opposed to getting paid guarantee to keep a few hundred airtran guys on property.

I guarantee you don't know this pilot group.

Once you're on property you are my brother and I will go to the mat for you. I am not alone.

Gup

 

[funnyman12]

I hope you are correct and thank you for that. An arbitrator will look at history and find examples of that not being the case with a majority of other airlines. I understand the great culture SW had but proving that a bad SLI for airtran would not result in TWA esk situation would be hard to prove. The courtroom will most likely not consider the great culture at SW as a justification for an unfair SLI. The law was passed for a reason....to prevent, at any merger/acquisition, a repeat of the TWA scenario. TWA was in bankruptcy and the law still came to be.