Airtran MEC voted no

[Red Baron]

AirTran votes against negotiated integration; SWAPA continuing preparation for arbitration


Fellow pilots -
Today the AirTran MEC voted against sending the seniority list integration agreement out to their members for ratification. This deal, reached by both sides' negotiators would have provided AirTran pilots financial and job security guarantees in exchange for seniority, which would have been gained by our pilot group. With no agreement reached through negotiations, SWAPA will continue preparations for arbitration. We are confident that arbitrators will understand our case and see the superior career value of the Southwest Airlines pilot. Due to ALPA's delay during the past few weeks, the beginning of arbitration will be moved from October into November. This does not reduce the number of arbitration sessions, it only pushes the end of arbitration back.

Moving forward we will switch gears from education on Side Letter 9, to education on what to expect from the arbitration process. SWAPA will go into detail on who comprises the neutral panel, how previous arbitrations have been presented and awarded, and what the process will consist of for SWAPA in the next six months.

The AirTran MEC did not see the value of this deal to their pilots and we have been prepared for this outcome. ALPA has, through this vote, expressed that $3 BIL collectively and more than $2 MIL, individually, is not good enough for their group. Arbitration is simply the next step in this lengthy process.



Jacob North
Communications Chair
[email protected]

I think it is obvious that on our side, we are preparing for arbitration, not mediation.

 

[Lear70]

Lear,

We've talked many times so no BS from me. If anyone on your MEC or ALPA has promoted the concept there is "still room/time for further negotiations", i.e. mediation of some sort...they have sold you a bill of goods. Don't promote that anywhere or to anyone else; to do so would be a failure to comprehend those on the other side of the table.

No B.S., I've enjoyed our conversations and I'm sure I will in the future, despite how this goes. I was actually a little shocked at the MEC decision, especially how nearly-unanimous it was.

That said, I'm just repeating what the Merger Committee, Attorneys, and MEC said yesterday. That yes, mediation is mainly just preparation for arbitration, but there is always room for a last-minute negotiated settlement and that it may just work out that way, but that it may not. It's simply on the table should both sides choose to go that direction.

SWAPA may not want to move that direction again; that's fine, it's their choice, but it's not off the table from AAI ALPA's perspective.

Your team and our team will make their sides known and the list will come out eventually, later than originally desired but come out.

After that, the future is still unknown but GK will control SWA's future and AAI's since your MEC has chosen to not give the pilots of AAI the opportunity to choose it. No fear mongering but simply recognizing the unforeseen challenges your pilots have chosen to face.

There's always risk. It's part of what we do. Our MEC made a decision and is moving forward. They had access to a WEALTH of information that our membership would not have had access to (weeks of meeting with the MC and attorneys) when making their decision, so I'm not 2nd-guessing them. They, along with our Merger Committee, still have my support.

I feel for the uncertainity your pilots and in turn your fellow employees are facing now. We were on van the other night and one of your fellow AAI FAs whispered to my wife the contempt she had for the pilots for their resistance. She obviously felt her future was jeopardized by the decisions of the pilots. My wife just listened quietly but she was amazed at the anger.

I've run into one of those, she was brand new, barely off probation, and one of the senior CA's had to remind her that it wasn't her place to interject herself into our issues. She would have her own seniority integration to figure out, as well as the mechanics, dispatchers, rampers, etc. We supported them when a strike vote by them would have potentially shut the company down just as our vote had the power to at the time. That's what airline employees do; they support each other.

I wish you all well and we'll see what happens next. Back to lurking and hoping there are no regrets on the AAI side in 6-12 months.

Best wishes to you as well... I've learned that regret is usually a waste of energy.

 

[On Your Six]

GK and the shareholders seem to want this deal done, so I think it's a good move. Let someone on the outside with no strings attached decide what is fair. That doesn't mean it will be 1 for 1 or anything close to that. I just don't see the bottom 650 all being AT or goofy rules about SWA FOs upgrading before senior AT FOs. Fences around ATL may not happen too, along with better seniority for AT guys to bid MCO and MDW (for displaced MKE AT pilots).



OYS

 

[SWA/FO]

Side Letter 8 = is huge

enjoy, the day. :cartman:

 

[MILF Hunter]

If as you say, this is in the best interest of SWA pilots, why all the fear mongering???

That's not fear-mongering. It looks more like predicting the future.

 

[MILF Hunter]

No room for negotiations?
Sweet! Now go tell that to the arbitrators, they gonna LUV you for not being willing to negotiate.
Allow me to bust your little bubble. Process Agreement states that arbitrator will set date for list implementations. Signed by your boss.
Chill, hot heads. You have 29 years to hate me. Pace yourself.

You clearly must not have followed our recent events. SWAPA and ALPA NEGOTIATED an agreement. Our BOD unanimously voted in favor of the deal. Your MEC decided the deal their own committee crafted was not worthy.

If the arbitrators take anything from this, it will be that ALPA tanked the negotiated deal.

 

[Newjetjockey]

Its simple really. Very rarely do different pilot groups agree with the other's side. That's why there is arbitration. We can agree to disagree and have a panel of neutral arbitrators decide what is fair and equitable. Hopefully we will be able to accept that list when it is all said and done and move on. I know I will.....No matter what the list looks like if decided by a neutral panel of arbitrators.

 

[Lear70]

If the arbitrators take anything from this, it will be that ALPA tanked the negotiated deal.

Or that since one side unanimously approved it and the other side nearly-unanimously disapproved it, that it was obviously biased towards one side.

There's many ways to view a situation. You never know what the arbitrators will think...

 

[Pervis]

At least ALPA secured the extention of the collection of dues for a bit longer.

 

[On Your Six]

This development can only mean BETTER seniority for the AT pilots. A staple won't happen, and Redflyer may end up in the bottom 300. Then he and I will have similar relative seniority at our respective airlines, until we continue huge retirements and they unfortunately stagnate. At least we'll be about the same for a few months! The bottom RULES Redflyer! Godspeed!


OYS