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AirTran FO suspended for dropping family off at circus in uniform...WTF?

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j41driver

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2002
Posts
1,300
From the latest NPA email...is Mgmt trying to piss us off???

Fellow Pilots,
Yesterday, your NPA leadership was notified by the company that First Officer xxxxx xxxx was suspended for five days simply because he dropped off his kids at the recent Family Awareness Circus Event while wearing his uniform. First Officer xxxx was on his way to work at the time, and merely stopped by the event to drop off his family so they could enjoy a day at the circus. To the best of the NPA's knowledge, First Officer xxxx has had a spotless record during his tenure at AirTran Airways. Despite his record of faithful service to this airline, AirTran senior management made the decision to suspend this pilot merely to fire a shot across the NPA's bow in regards to wearing uniforms at union-sanctioned events. Your union finds this action by the company to be completely unacceptable.
What could AirTran senior management possibly hope to gain by taking this unwarranted action against a faithful employee? The answer is obvious. Management’s intent is clearly to intimidate our members and scare you into not taking part in union-sanctioned activities. Prior to issuing this suspension, senior management threatened the NPA with the possibility of a suspension if we refused to relinquish our right to wear our uniforms at union events and demonstrations. The NPA steadfastly refused to relinquish our rights, and management's retaliation was swift. Make no mistake, senior management understands clearly that our strength is in our unity, and intimidation and scare tactics aim to divide and conquer this pilot group. We must stand strong and unified, and refuse to allow these tactics to divide us.
As a union, we must always remember that an attack on one of our pilots is an attack on all of our pilots. Today the victim is First Officer xxxx, tomorrow the victim could be any one of you. Who will be the next pilot that senior management chooses to use as an example? The way to prevent this is to stand together and act as one unified group.
Rest assured, your NPA Board of Directors will use every resource at its disposal to defend this pilot and any other pilot that management chooses to attack in this manner. Your Board of Directors has unanimously decided to provide First Officer xxxx with flight pay loss to compensate for his lost pay due to this suspension. We will also vigorously pursue a grievance to strike this unwarranted blemish from his previously spotless employment record.
Remember, as union pilots, we must join together in common purpose and act as one unified group. We must defend our own. We must not back down to threats and intimidation tactics. We will not be intimidated. We will not be divided.
In Unity,
Your NPA Board of Directors

 
Answer from management to your Alpa vote
 
I had heard before he worked at Airtran he was part of the traveling circus.:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
If I can't wear my uniform to the circus, then I don't want to wear it at all. What would be the point?
 
The FO in question is a stand up guy. We were in the sim together as new hires. He has a spotless record at this company. And our previous company also. This is not gonna go down the way the Orlando folks thought it would. They may have stepped in a pile here. This should let everyone here know what you are dealing with. This is how the average joe who goes to work everyday and does his job well is treated. This is dispicable, shame on BF or whoever made this call. I hope our union uses this outrage to bring our pilot group together. We need to support this guy. He's one of the good ones. Anyone know anyone who writes for the Orlando or Atlanta newspapers?
 
I hope that he wasn't ratted out by a fellow pilot. Mgmt people watching everyone would be bad enough. I do think a story in the AJC and OS would be in order.
 
First Officer xxxx was on his way to work at the time, and merely stopped by the event to drop off his family so they could enjoy a day at the circus.

This doesn't make any sense. If the FO wanted his family to enjoy a circus, he should have dropped them off at Airtran Headquarters!
 
What an outfit, I hear crap like this it reaffirms my decision to leave. As I have said before, the vast majority of the pilot group are super individuals, however, you have a select few that try whatever they can to make others miserable. I wonder who ratted this guy out===scum!!!!
 
did this really happen?

Ironic that its a circus in question here, in dealing with an airline that most resembles a damn circus.
 
I'll put $20 in home brewed beer in the kitty that it was your super duper, ex-ALPO (before he was removed from his position as sect./treasurer), well known management mole, Vice Chairman Linden (Mr. Jefferson) Hillman.

1st you elect him in
Now you want in to ALPO
You guys have worse judgement and instincts than a sailor on a 3 day shore leave in Tijuana with a wad of $100s.
 
I think it's embarrassing for the airline and think someone really should follow up on getting the facts to a local and/or national newspaper.

That's just adolescent management with shallow egos.
 
You guys have worse judgement and instincts than a sailor on a 3 day shore leave in Tijuana with a wad of $100s.

That's some bad judgment.
 
did this really happen?
Yes, the first post is the official union update on it.

Tomorrow should be interesting, the union and company are meeting for negotiations in Atlanta. This looks like:

1. Retaliation for voting in ALPA.
2. An excuse to get the NPA to walk away from the table and waste a negotiating meeting.
3. A good way to get the pilots riled up to violate the RLA, and you can BET the company would file a status quo violation if they had ANYTHING to pin it on.

If you had ANY questions of whether AirTran management really DOES play these stupid games with people's lives, this should remove all doubt.
 
"If you had ANY questions of whether AirTran management really DOES play these stupid games with people's lives, this should remove all doubt."

Touche'!!!

Well done, Sir!
 
So I'm not a lawyer, but wouldn't the best course of action be to have hundreds of pilots begin wearing their uniforms to union functions? If they are not all fired, this pilot in question could then claim he is being held to a different standard than the rest of the pilot group.
 

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