"The Negotiating Committee won't be involved until AFTER arbitration..."
Interesting default you have there. I know you went on to say "if it comes to that", but the fact that you chose arbitration as a default instead of a negotiated deal says a lot.
Ummm... it's not a "default", it's as per the Process Agreement...
In the event of a NEGOTIATED settlement (reached through negotiations OR mediation), our Negotiating Committee won't be involved. The timelines and changes to our contract, including pay and benefits, scheduling rule changes, everything will be part of a NEGOTIATED PACKAGE by our Merger Committee and SWAPA's NC that will INCLUDE the Integrated Seniority List, and the *WHOLE PACKAGE* will go to vote. When we vote on an SLI agreement, we vote on all the timelines of integration as well, all in one YES or NO vote (I'm assuming SWAPA members will be voting on the whole package as well, and not just the ISL).
*IN THE EVENT* we can't come to an agreement, even under mediation, and it goes to arbitration, the ISL, including any fences (or whatever portions of those two that our negotiators couldn't iron out) AND the date that integration begins, are given to us by the arbitrators in their decision. THEN our Negotiating Committee meets with SWA management (not SWAPA, although they're allowed to have a rep present) and negotiates integrating our contract into yours, including dates that pay happens, other benefits, scheduling changes, etc, etc. During that time period SWAPA will also be meeting with SWA management (not us, although we're allowed to have a rep present as well) to determine 717 pay rates, international overrides (if any), international per diem, and other items that will need to change in YOUR CBA.
That's all straight out of the Process Agreement. Again, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I TRULY hope for a negotiated agreement, and my post wasn't a statement one way or another, sorry you interpreted it that way, it was just explaining how and when (if) our NC will be involved straight out of the Process Agreement because one of your pilots asked.
My friends tell me that they would have never imagined a negotiated deal until they spoke to their NC.
Your friends where? AAI? or SWA? Trying to figure out whether you're talking about the SWAPA NC or the AAI MC (Merger Committee).
I've spoken with the AAI MC quite a bit over the last few months; they recognize the difficulty in finding something that's fair and will pass vote on BOTH sides of the aisle, but recognize the NEED to do so and not leave something so important up to 3 people who aren't personally involved and have nothing to lose from how it's integrated, and they're very hopeful that it can be done.
They're very smart individuals and very committed to that goal, but I don't envy them their job right now. Eat, sleep, and breathe SLI for a year of your life and be forever praised or forever vilified, depending how it goes and how you're affected...? No, thank you. But they'll never buy a beer when I'm around, that's for sure, no matter how it goes.
Thankful for all your work, guys! (and yes, a couple of them do read this board both in our MC and your NC) :beer:
