Airtran MEC Update

[General Lee]

Thanks for making my point. It's worth over one million dollars in pilot pay differences between AAI and SW. I would say that's a pretty big difference in career expectations would you?

I'm not saying AAI wouldn't have strived to achieve those gains, but when they do it overnight with another groups contract then that qualifies as a windfall for one group. How am I wrong? The pay differences alone are 60-80%.

Not trying to be condending at all, just stating the facts as they are.

That is the reason SWAPA doesn't want to do the JOINT contract first. After that is complete, every one knows what their expectations are for pay--because new rates are infront of them. Then, a NEUTRAL decides where to put everyone on a list. SWAPA doesn't want that, at all. Too bad, and it is fostering discontent as we speak. But hey, after it is all over, how about you all just shake hands, and then kiss the hands of SWA Captains (on the AF Academy rings)......????


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[texman]

All need to chill. Until the two air carriers merge, then we can see the big picture.

 

[GuppyWN]

I have come to the conclusion that Southwest and Airtran pilots could play nice on here if it weren't for General Lee.

I have also come to the conclusion that everyone here keeps taking his bait.

Gup

 

[Kharma Police]

I have come to the conclusion that Southwest and Airtran pilots could play nice on here if it weren't for General Lee.

I have also come to the conclusion that everyone here keeps taking his bait.

Gup

What's the big deal? The General just says that this should go to arbitration and for some reason you guys go crazy when he brings it up. It's not like he purposely tries to flame bait by posting internal e-mails or anything............

 

[CaptAntoineMack]

It's not like he purposely tries to flame bait by posting internal e-mails or anything............

You are right. He just purposely tries to flame bait.....period.

It is obvious to all of us his agenda. Delta....Atlanta.....SWA.....

Come on. The more he pits us against ourselves the more he feels like he is protecting his own turf. He use to slam both Airtran and SWA. Now that Airtran will be SWA he spends precious minutes of his life trying to get us to hate each other. And it appears to be working for some.

Unfortunately the only winner on this board may become the general himself. And his neurotic need to control. Its not a hobby with 16000 posts. Its a sickness.

He is hurting the Airtran pilots and I believe that is his ultimate objective.

No ones opinion on this board is going to change the outcome. Only the way we feel about each other. And that is very dangerous.

 

[CaptAntoineMack]

I must make a correction, the Germeral (purposely said that way) has 14,464 posts. Not that it changes anything.

 

[desolo]

well said capt....

 

[ivauir]

What exactly is our "rightful place" Bill?

If only there was some process to determine this ...

You know, a process where each side could present there case, and at the end of the day, everyone knew that their interests were represented ...

Can you imagine a world in which we each had pilot advocates who used the best legal teams they could find to right solution for each of these integrations.

STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS!

This board is rife with people who have trashed SWA for years. Ignore them. Let them stew in their misinformed hate.

 

[RLAblows]

The General also points out that a JOINT contract should have been negotiated, and AT union shouldn't be excluded from the negotiation process.
On the other hand you have Redflyer and his extremely elitist attitude towards AirTran pilots, for that matter all airline pilots who fly 737s. He says, because SWA pilots make more money then all the other 737 pilots in the industry they are better. That seems to be his logic. He keeps telling everyone AT pilots have no value, while completely ignoring the words of his leader Gary Kelly on the value of AirTran. When I say AirTran I am including its employees. After all, AT didn't become the profitable airline that was giving SWA a run for its money without us.
As far as expectations go, that's in the eyes of the beholder. I fully expected AT to keep growing, and we were up until the merger announcement. We had upgrade classes running and hiring weekly. We were taking deliveries and had plenty of future deliveries coming that would have given me my upgrade. As far as money goes. I received a 20% raise out of our 2nd contract as an airline. Not a bad pay increase. If I were to get another raise like that in five years it would be great, but either way, I could EXPECT to get another raise from negotiations.
SWA is 40 years old, and we have figured out a way to compete against the machine enough so that it made Gary Kelly buy us. My point is, if we had grown that quick, enough to become a threat, how much bigger could we have become in another 20 years?
Now this is all speculation, but so is everything about the future of this industry including SWA. SWA might be the flavor of the month now, but so was United in the 90's. I wish no ill will on anyone here and I hope that all pilots finally get a break, but constantly saying the AirTran pilots have no value, is getting tiresome. We all know that SWA pilots make a great living and have a good quality of life, but they are no better then anybody else.
I hope that something good comes out of our negotiations/meeting next week with your MC, but I really believe the General makes a good point. IF SWAPA doesn't communicate with ALPA and continues to do everything in secret, it could get very ugly.

 

[jonjuan]

Well said, RLA. swalpa needs this merger more than atalpa as the expectations at AT were soon to outpace those at SW. Staying separate, the future expectations for junior AT FOs would very quickly outpace junior SW FOs. The arbitrator will certainly see this. In any case, the results will be over before anyone expects.