AirTran Pilots, Informational Picketing!!

[-9Capt]

Sign up here. Do it now.

[email protected]

Name, seat, emp#, contact info.

 

[captainj]

I just signed up

 

[Lear70]

Done.

Just in case my info had been removed when I resigned from P2P last Saturday.

 

[Citrusflyer]

Just curious

Why would the union still have a place to sign up for picketing if they are so much in favor of the TA?

 

[Joey Bayonne]

Why would the union still have a place to sign up for picketing if they are so much in favor of the TA?

Hopefully they will remember, whether they endorse the TA or not, they are the governing body of the union that is supposed to enforce the will of it's members. . .

Signed up and ready.

 

[AFcitrus]

Did it two days ago!!! When is the first event?

 

[Shrek]

Never vote in the first TA.

 

[Citrusflyer]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second.

**Disclaimer: I'm against the TA, I have struck and walked the line before and, if necessary will do it again. **

What good will informational picketing do for us, especially if done in ATL? If you consider who we would be trying to get support/sympathy from; it seems like it would be a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. I can see the press release from the company now...."Airtran pilots refuse a pay raise to as much as $180k/year - choose to picket instead". Thinking of the passengers who we fly, and would be picketing in front of, we'd come off as the classic "spoiled airline pilots" who just want more money.

Not that I agree with what they would be saying, but the PR battle would be lost from the get-go. The company would have the press against us. Our union has recently demonstrated that they are completely incapable of mustering any type of positive PR even to it's own pilot group - let alone to the public in general.

Picketing is meant to pressure the company into coming to the table and honestly dealing with labor. That would not happen in Atlanta. I can see it backfiring bigtime. I may be wrong, if I'm missing something in this posting hopefully someone can try to "show me the light".

I'm voting NO, and will do what is necessary in the future, but I don't see how picketing combined with our BoD's ineffectiveness (and their supporting the Company) will do anything but hurt our cause.

 

[RIDETHELIGHTING]

Then we need a new BOD ASAP.

 

[Ty Webb]

Surf that beach!

What good will informational picketing do for us, especially if done in ATL? If you consider who we would be trying to get support/sympathy from.... "Airtran pilots refuse a pay raise to as much as $180k/year - choose to picket instead". Thinking of the passengers who we fly, and would be picketing in front of, we'd come off as the classic "spoiled airline pilots" who just want more money.

Good point, and one that gets brought up frequently.

Now, I don't know about you, but my issues don't revolve around pay- they revolve around longer work days, less rest, less training, less scope, less respect.

Tht's what this fight should be about.. . . and what the picketing should be about.

 

[CitationLover]

the most effective "threat" a picket would pose to management would be the MEH shareholders meeting where air tran's interest's are at stake. would have to be quickly organized though.

6/14/07 - 11am - in MKE

or call the Journal Sentinel and talk to the reporter who has been writing the most anti-merger articles. tell him about management's treatment of its employees and the impending labor strife at air tran.

 

[FlyWolf]

I agree with Citation, there a lot at stake for airTran management at the BOD meeting in Milwaukee.

We know how the guys here at flightinfo feels, how about the rest of your pilot group? what are the general feeling?

 

[Lear70]

the most effective "threat" a picket would pose to management would be the MEH shareholders meeting where air tran's interest's are at stake. would have to be quickly organized though.

6/14/07 - 11am - in MKE

or call the Journal Sentinel and talk to the reporter who has been writing the most anti-merger articles. tell him about management's treatment of its employees and the impending labor strife at air tran.

Can't do that, violation of Section 6 of the RLA.

This was CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED by management to:

a. Prohibit us from picketing at the MEH BOD meeting and,
b. Make it appear to the MEH BOD that the company has their house in order with pilot costs and labor in general.

We can't picket without notifying the company of such, notifying the airport police of our intent and legal right to conduct public protest per our constitutional rights to freedom of speech, blah blah blah.

We can't do that outside of our union; the NPA has the only authorization to organize and conduct such a work action.

The NPA is expressly forbidden by the RLA from conducting any action that would appear to be "not in good faith" with the T.A. that our own BOD just agreed to, even if they had given it a "neutral" vote.

Our hands are, effectively, tied until after the vote on the T.A.

 

[-9Capt]

We know how the guys here at flightinfo feels, how about the rest of your pilot group? what are the general feeling?

I haven't talked to any line pilot who will admit they like it.

 

[CitationLover]

Can't do that, violation of Section 6 of the RLA.

This was CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED by management to:

a. Prohibit us from picketing at the MEH BOD meeting and,
b. Make it appear to the MEH BOD that the company has their house in order with pilot costs and labor in general.

We can't picket without notifying the company of such, notifying the airport police of our intent and legal right to conduct public protest per our constitutional rights to freedom of speech, blah blah blah.

We can't do that outside of our union; the NPA has the only authorization to organize and conduct such a work action.

The NPA is expressly forbidden by the RLA from conducting any action that would appear to be "not in good faith" with the T.A. that our own BOD just agreed to, even if they had given it a "neutral" vote.

Our hands are, effectively, tied until after the vote on the T.A.

it is not picketing per se. buy a share of MEH stock and ask to speak at the meeting. AA pilots did this at the AMR shareholders meeting recently and Arpey had a cow. AA is in section 6 right now. you have an individual shareholders right to do this. if others, in a similar career as yourself choose to do the same, all the better.

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN1632244420070516?rpc=77

or suck it up and pay the $20,000 fine.

there is always leaking a summary of the TA to a reporter and asking them to report it. write to senator kohl. talk to MEH ALPA and use ALPA's AFL-CIO pull in washington, etc.

all i'm saying is they, mgmt, could care less about ATL "picketing" versus MKE targeted "picketing".

the "market" rate has a ring to it very eaglish. our "market" is "Industry Average Indexing", although our "Industry" is defined (very loosely) in our CBA.

keep up the good work.

 

[Ty Webb]

Can't do that, violation of Section 6 of the RLA.

This was CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED by management . . . .
Our hands are, effectively, tied until after the vote on the T.A.

Another strategy failure by AP. How anyone could have been convinced to announce the TA before the AAI Shareholders meeting, and close the TA Vote after the MEH meeting, is beyond me.

 

[Lear70]

or suck it up and pay the $20,000 fine.

I'm on 2nd year F/O wages, what bong are YOU smoking?

there is always leaking a summary of the TA to a reporter and asking them to report it. write to senator kohl. talk to MEH ALPA and use ALPA's AFL-CIO pull in washington, etc.

You know, all of that would be GREAT,,, if it would help us.

The only thing it would gain us, now that the TA is on the table, is p*ssing off everyone involved. It is the worst missed opportunity I've seen yet, and I've seen 3 HUGE ones in just the year I've been here.

AP doesn't have what it takes to properly run a union.

all i'm saying is they, mgmt, could care less about ATL "picketing" versus MKE targeted "picketing".

Agreed. Need to choose our picket locales VERY carefully, such as MKE, our brand new cities we just opened, etc. Hurt 'em in their pocketbook, that's the only way to get their attention.

 

[Lear70]

Another strategy failure by AP. How anyone could have been convinced to announce the TA before the AAI Shareholders meeting, and close the TA Vote after the MEH meeting, is beyond me.

We, as pilots, are simply outclassed at the bargaining table.

We like to think we can be all things to all people, and we may have the intelligence to do so, but not the training or experience.

There may be a few people inside our pilot group who could level the field SOMEWHAT, but they are either not interested in participating or have angered the pilot group in the past by their behavior, or they're tools, which makes things very difficult.

I'm probably in group #3, I know... Gotta preempt that before someone puts it out there for me.

 

[CitationLover]

I'm on 2nd year F/O wages, what bong are YOU smoking?

well i would imagine the NPA would be assessed a fine for picketing in the wrong, not you.


$20,000/1500 can be afforded on a 2nd yr FO. (now i am smoking that bong) hey don't worry 4yr CA pay is right around the corner!! (you want a hit?)

 

[Lear70]

Heh heh...