AirTran MEC Chair message.

[Lear70]

By the way, verified with the MEC today, there have been NO training failures among the pilots. That's zero, zilch, nada, zippo, nothing.

But thanks for stirring the pot. :/

 

[scoreboardII]

Lear, nobody thought there was, if you passed the AT training, SWA training is well, not so much training as review...

 

[Lear70]

Lear, nobody thought there was, if you passed the AT training, SWA training is well, not so much training as review...

I was talking about the original post from QF where he alleged training failures and our guys washing out.

Not sure why he has to rile everyone up, I was enjoying watching the other thread quiet down from the back-and-forth to talking about AM/PM's.

 

[Penguin46]

Chair message?

From AT MEC Chair...

Fellow Southwest Pilots (Uh, what?!),

Yes, I just did that, and for good reason. We are all Southwest pilots. (No WE are not.)

I know what you’re thinking, so before you start sending me nasty e-mails threatening my dog, let me explain.

Think back to the SWAPA Round-ups and the presentations made during the road shows for the seniority integration agreement. The overriding theme was that when we had an SIA, and after the Date of Corporate Closing (DOCC) and after the Single Operating Certificate (SOC) was granted, that we would be Southwest pilots and treated as such. However, the reality doesn’t look like what we expected. (Things change.)

We don’t feel like Southwest pilots. (You shouldn't because you're not. Comprende?) Or at least we don’t feel like we think Southwest pilots should feel (I'm sorry Oprah, what was that?), and that’s not good. It’s not good for us; it’s not good for the Company.

We are all too familiar with the history of the seniority integration process, and the contentiousness that it brought. There were many arguments, even among close friends, and many scars from that engagement. At times it felt like civil war.

Eventually, with a transition plan in place, things began to settle down. Despite our future loss of seniority (here we go...), I think we began to move on. There were a few small improvements to our quality of life: reduced insurance costs, a kinder-gentler scheduling department, new leadership in the training department, and Rob Amsler in the Chief Pilot’s Office. It was just a morsel of the Southwest culture.(You were lucky to get those considering you're not Southwest pilots.)

But then, as it often seems to do, the other shoe dropped. Southwest announced the B-717 sublease tentative agreement with Delta. (If this came as a surprise to any of you, you deserve to feel like a moron.)

In an instant, all of the goodwill and trust that management had worked to cultivate with our pilots vanished. Gone. Kaput. (Guess it wasn't true "trust" in the first place.) On top of that, some of the messaging from SWAPA on the day the B-717 deal was announced was read by many of our pilots as gloating. (You guys appear more and more sensitive with each passing day.)

Can these problems be fixed? I hope so — and believe so — not for only for our sakes, but for the sake of our Company. (At the rate the Tranny's are screwing up in transition training and failing IOE, it's doubtful there will be enough of you left to do any noticeable harm.)

First of all, we are all Southwest pilots. (Hasn't this been covered already?) It is time that we are recognized as such. (Why? You work for Critter therefore you are not SWA pilots.) There is only one master seniority list, and our names are on it, intertwined with our friends and colleagues across the partition. We are not in a “pool” waiting for a seniority number — we already have one; we fly Southwest owned and leased airplanes with a different paint scheme; and, our corporate address is no longer Orlando, Florida — it is Love Field, in Dallas, Texas, the home of our (Not yours) company, Southwest Airlines.

The MEC has tasked our Negotiating Committee with engaging the company (read: begin whining more loudly NC!) to ease the burden of this transition on our pilots — the Southwest pilots represented by ALPA. (For the record, there are currently NO SWA pilots represented by ALPA. There never have been.) Yesterday, the NC started that process by meeting with management in Dallas. The conversation was wide-ranging and overall could be described as fairly productive. To continue our talks, we are making arrangements to schedule a follow-up meeting in the coming weeks.

On Monday, Captain Jim Gallagher and I will join ALPA executive administrator Capt. Tim Canoll and ALPA Directors Bruce York and Jon Cohen in Dallas for a meeting with SWAPA to move forward the process of transferring representation. While I believe the events of the past few weeks demonstrate the benefit of ALPA to our pilots, it is in the long-term interest of all Southwest pilots to have a single voice (This is actually a valid point. So you're up to 1 now.), regardless of the color of the airplane they are flying. It is also important that SWAPA recognize that former AirTran pilots will soon comprise almost a quarter of their membership, and it is to their benefit to consider the impact of their actions and statements on the future of the organization in a post-SOC world. (Was that a threat?)

I spent most of this week meeting with the MEC, discussing these issues. For a while, we were joined by Southwest Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven as well as Southwest Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer Bob Jordan. We shared with them all of the feedback that you have given us over the past few weeks, both good and bad. We were brutally honest and I think they appreciated it. I also think they now understand that there is a unique opportunity for the Company to demonstrate the values for which it is famous, not the least of which is its commitment to its employees. (Good thing you cleared that up for them. Amazing they were able to do it for 40+ years without you Jim.)

Having spent four years in Missouri, the “Show Me State,” I learned a good deal about Midwestern values and skepticism. True character is displayed through action, not words. (If this is true, could you ask your pilots to shut up and color? Come to work as a SWA pilot AFTER completing transition training and IOE with hat in hand like the rest of us did. Be quiet, play nice, fly, get paid and go home.) This is the time for Southwest management to show me, and you, that we are all an integral part of the team. I trust that they will. (Don't count on it.)

I’ll see you at the airport.

Capt. Jim Morris, Chairman
Your ATN Master Executive Council (ATN? Thought you said you were SWA ALPA...)

I thought this title was about a chair -- sorry must have got mixed up with craigs list. Hope you feel better, don't forget your medication. Cheers.

 

[livin'thesim]

What a immature, whiny little girl-man post.

On the bright side, he is very angry, so that must mean something is getting to him. Good, he obviously deserves whatever it is that is happening to him.

 

[MILF Hunter]

When the 717 Agreement comes out, if there's not a way for the pilots who want to transition to Delta with them in the deal (I'd bet a solid 1/3 of our pilots would be happy to go) and/or there's no addressing the pay rates and loss of Captain seats, things will likely get a lot worse on the line.

I completely agree with you about some of your pilots going to Delta. Sincerely. Its a win-win deal for everyone. Those that go will certainly get a much better SLI deal via ALPA merger policy. Many ATN pilots would see keep their seats or see a relatively quick upgrade vs. SWA where they may not upgrade at all before retirement. RSW pilots will be able to take better advantage of our retirements for career progression. Win-win.

I believe the language is there, its just a matter of pushing the issue. Gary may resist initially, but if he sees angry pilot who truly want to leave SWA, he might feel inclined to assist them in that endeavour.

 

[WalterSobchak]

By the way, verified with the MEC today, there have been NO training failures among the pilots. That's zero, zilch, nada, zippo, nothing.

To take that a step further, I was on two SWA jumpseats this past week where the Captain had recently flown with an AirTran guy...both had nothing but good things to say. One went as far to say, "if they are all like _____, we're gonna be in good shape".

Just sayin'...

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

Considering what has happened, and assuming this Delta 717 deal goes through, how many at AAI wish they could have accepted the first seniority integration plan?

I'd still vote no. I wouldn't voluntarily give up 32% seniority and frankly, the pay ain't worth it. BTW, I'll be flying AM trips.

 

[Cometman]

I was talking about the original post from QF where he alleged training failures and our guys washing out.

Not sure why he has to rile everyone up, I was enjoying watching the other thread quiet down from the back-and-forth to talking about AM/PM's.

Because people like yourself respond to things like that. Your mistake.

 

[Ty Webb]

Because people like yourself respond to things like that. Your mistake.

Yes, that's right. We should have let that garbage that Qweef posted go completely unchallenged.

How about, instead, if a few of his coworkers put him in his place, so we wouldn't have to?

Unless, of course, you agree with Qweef.