AirTran Election Central

[maxblast72]

For all the junior Captains and FOs voting for the 3 new board members, a very good question has been brought up on the NPA web site (in the Election Central section). Look at question #16 asked by E.A. to the candidates and lets see their responses. I wouldn't be surprised to see all newly elected board members have less than 7 years seniority at Airtran.

Maybe with junior guys taking contol of the union, our FO attrition rate will slow since any new TA should be more junior pilot friendly.

 

[PCL_128]

You don't necessarily need junior pilots in office to make sure that junior pilots are taken care of. I voted for two pilots with employee numbers that start with 5. I have no doubt that they'll be the best representatives of the junior pilots, even though they have been here for years.

 

[maxblast72]

You don't necessarily need junior pilots in office to make sure that junior pilots are taken care of. I voted for two pilots with employee numbers that start with 5. I have no doubt that they'll be the best representatives of the junior pilots, even though they have been here for years.

You might be right but I have flown with several first officers that said some senior captains they have flown with have given them a hard time for voting no (and screwing up their pay raise in TA2).

I think most of these first officers are going to be hesitant voting for senior guys that they don't know after seeing what AP and SH brought the junior guys with TA2. They are getting upset listening to senior guys complain about their $20,000 raise, second home, third car, etc when they were being offered a $5K to $10K raise with TA2. Our junior guys are alot farther away from "industry standard" then our senior guys.

 

[PCL_128]

I've had some of the same ridiculous comments from more senior Captains about TA2, but I don't pin that on everyone above a certain employee number as the guy who asked the question on the NPA site seemed to. RP and BD may have employee numbers that start with a 5, but they can't be compared to AP or Skipper. It's a completely different mentality and leadership style. I think they deserve the positions, no matter what their employee numbers are.

 

[maxblast72]

I agree you can't compare the current senior guys running to AP and SH. However, it is tough to get alot of information about the candidates (the new NPA question site helps). I have been here 3 1/2 years and I would only recognize 3 out of 9 candidates if I walked by them in the hall (and I am around the crew room alot as I have been a reserve Captain for the last year). I have been asking questions and reading as much as possible to learn about all candidates to make an informed decision.


In absence of solid information about the candidates (alot of the answers they give on the NPA website seem to be vague typical politician type answers that sometimes dodge the true question), I think alot of junior voters will take the same reasoning apparent in MS response to EA's question:


"I could not agree more.
Although I have nothing bad to say about any of the Candidates, We need a complete changing of the guards. Pilots who are senior (7.5 years or longer) have lost touch with the rest of the pilots here.(about 75% of us) It is time for the Majority rule.
Thanks for asking the tough questions."

 

[Lear70]

I know that BD and RP will fight for EVERY level of the seniority list. Many of the points in the rebuttal regarding junior pilots were actually things that these two found in the language and were dead-set against.

Like PCL said, you don't need a specific seniority list position to identify with that seniority, you just need someone who has the *sincere* wish to spread the gains across the entire seniority list, as well as bolstering the sections that are sub-standard when compared their industry peers.

Personally, some of the responses from other candidates have given me cause for concern, specifically views on job actions such as informational picketing and/or strike when they become necessary and legal (which may be sooner rather than later), as well as some candidates' reticence to bring back the hostages before any agreement is ratified, which is STANDARD PRACTICE among major airlines.

The time for candidates who just want to "play nice" is long, long gone. Time to play hardball, and we need a BoD that will.

Choose wisely...

 

[cpilot]

There is only one name I will not vote for, the rest I will consider. It happens he hasn't answered the question posed to him in election central.

Is it BD that showed porn in a BOD meeting?

 

[Yuppyguppy]

WHEN are y'all gonna get a real contract??

 

[Lear70]

Good question...

Based on the company's actions, I'd say it won't happened until they're backed into a corner with the "gun" of a LEGAL strike threatening them.

They just have no interest in rewarding their employees. They'd rather intimidate, strike fear, and get more senior pilots to go to other airlines in disgust, thus lowering their employee cost structure.

Klaus was quoted one day as saying "I'd question the intelligence of anyone who wanted to make an entire career of AirTran".

On a side note, I just won my first of 4 major battles. They denied my unemployment claim saying I was terminated for fraud. I appealed that decision and won. The administrative law judge who heard it made the decision, stating that "The company failed to carry the burden of proof". Basically, that a video of me changing a tire 2 days before I returned to work isn't proof of falsification of an OJI claim.

Next is OJI denial appeal, then Grievance, then Civil suit for career earnings plus damages from my ruined major airline career. Can't even get picked up by Netjets or Virgin America at this point... They WERE going to interview me, but after my termination was official, they rescinded the interview offers.

The way AirTran operates, only force is going to be useful at this point. "There is a time for diplomacy, and a time for action. Diplomacy is dead."

Choose your representatives accordingly...

 

[CatfishVT9]

For all the junior Captains and FOs voting for the 3 new board members, a very good question has been brought up on the NPA web site (in the Election Central section). Look at question #16 asked by E.A. to the candidates and lets see their responses. I wouldn't be surprised to see all newly elected board members have less than 7 years seniority at Airtran.

Maybe with junior guys taking contol of the union, our FO attrition rate will slow since any new TA should be more junior pilot friendly.

Interesting responses from the group, including 2 "you're full of crap" (okay so I paraphrased that).

Only 2 days left to vote. No vote = No right to complain.