Airline Biz Blog Reports on SWAPA/ALPA Process Agreement

[MILF Hunter]

This is a blog from the Dallas Morning News.

This and that from the airline labor front
By
Terry Maxon/Reporter
[email protected] | Bio
5:40 PM on Fri., Mar. 11, 2011 | PermalinkLet's wrap up several items involving airline labor in one item.
1. The Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association and the Air Line Pilots Association had an agreement a week ago on the process they would use for deciding how the Southwest and AirTran Airways seniority list would be merged.
And then they didn't have an agreement.
The original announcement from SWAPA and ALPA came on March 3. Then, on Wednesday, March 9, AirTran's master executive council said the union now has concerns about the March 3 deal.
"As mentioned in that announcement, it was clearly understood that prior to final agreement, the document would be subject to review and approval by our respective legal and management teams," the AirTran union told its members.
"As part of that review process, both our outside and ALPA counsel have expressed concern over portions of language formulated during the final session of talks on Thursday," it said. "We believe these concerns should be addressed, and we look forward to working further with our counterparts at SWAPA to draft language with which all Parties will be satisfied."
On Friday, SWAPA president Steve Chase informed his members about the ALPA MEC message.
"Ironically, the very language for which ALPA is now expressing concern is the same language that they themselves inserted within the Process Agreement back in December," Chase said in a message to members.
"As a result, a Process Agreement has not been finalized, further extending a long and cumbersome progression of combining the two pilot groups. That being said, your Negotiating Committee maintains its willingness to negotiate with ALPA in good faith to finalize a Process Agreement that will control the structure and timeline of the SLI talks going forward," he said.

 

[GuppyWN]

Last weeks news.

Only down side is it extends the amount of time the total process will take.

Gup

 

[swa737-700]

Gup,
Why are you in a hurry to get this completed?

 

[flynvixen]

This process is going to take years. The ALPA job killing machine will never accept any offer we put forth and I am sure we will not accept any offer they come up with.

They are going to demand the definition of "IS" is at every turn until this goes to arbitration. The lawyers are going to be the big winners in this fight.

Fence them off forever if we need to or, pull a Muse on them and be done with them.

While they are inside the fence start selling of aircraft and putting crews on the street until there is nothing left.

These hard core ALPA wackos could have our contract sooner than later but they are going to over reach and end up with nothing.

The greed of ALPA makes me want to vomit

Cheers

 

[Raoul Duke]

ALPA's concerns were the fact that they wanted to delay the loss of dues to ALPA. Talk about looking terrible - object to the deal you cut due to language that you proposed. Seriously, is this 3rd grade?

 

[PCL_128]

ALPA's concerns were the fact that they wanted to delay the loss of dues to ALPA.

We've costed ALPA more than we have brought in in dues revenue.

Talk about looking terrible - object to the deal you cut due to language that you proposed.

That's not what actually happened. Don't believe everything you read.

 

[CaptWidgeon]

We've costed ALPA more than we have brought in in dues revenue.

are you serious???

 

[Lear70]

The lawyers are going to be the big winners in this fight.

That's true.

Fence them off forever if we need to or, pull a Muse on them and be done with them.

While they are inside the fence start selling of aircraft and putting crews on the street until there is nothing left.

Once again, you haven't been paying attention, oh baiter of the flame.

Southwest can't do that, nor can Guadalupe or any other holding company. Once MV signed that letter saying that Southwest was, indeed, a "successor" as defined by our Section 1 language, it binds Southwest and ALL its holding companies to our Section 1 restrictions.

One of the many restrictions in that language specifically disallows selling or transferring any company aircraft. Period. End of story. Not that I believe in any way, shape, or form that SWA plans to do any such thing.

Sorry you can't "pull a Muse", although ANY pilot wishing any such thing on another pilot is a pretty sad state of affairs. Being permanently furloughed when your airline shuts down is one of the hardest things any pilot has to endure. People lose homes, they lose families in divorce, it's a Godawful mess, and I pray you never have to experience it first-hand; many of us here at AirTran have that T-shirt already, including most of our Merger Committee members.

It'll all get done; it just takes time. Had a talk with a MEC member over the weekend and now that I know the basics of the how's and why's of what happened, I understand and am still optimistic that it will get done soon.

And yes, between the literally hundreds of grievances on file when ALPA took over, the cost of the union drive, the cost of our contract talks and the Major Contingency Fund that those talks ate into, I think the ROI for us as a group was scheduled to take 4 or 5 years. Since ALPA won't have us that long with the way things are going, they'll lose money on us, but using us as an example of how they support pilots, have had good success with the ongoing union drives at other carriers.

 

[ASADFW7]

I believe whatever they are trying to do for alpa is going to hurt Airtran more. I would figure out what is better for Airtran versus alpa. Posting that what is good for alpa is good for Airtran is a telling misdirection.

 

[XRMEFLYER]

This process is going to take years. The ALPA job killing machine will never accept any offer we put forth and I am sure we will not accept any offer they come up with.

They are going to demand the definition of "IS" is at every turn until this goes to arbitration. The lawyers are going to be the big winners in this fight.

Fence them off forever if we need to or, pull a Muse on them and be done with them.

While they are inside the fence start selling of aircraft and putting crews on the street until there is nothing left.

These hard core ALPA wackos could have our contract sooner than later but they are going to over reach and end up with nothing.

The greed of ALPA makes me want to vomit

Cheers

Another shining example of the SWA "culture" of love. That really is a low down despicable thing to wish on anyone and their family. And over what? A few seniority numbers. Shame on you.