ATN ALPA Backs Out of Process Agreement with SWAPA???

[Lonestar]

From our swa prune forum.(Thanks to the AirTran guys who send this stuff to their SWA buddies!)

March 9, 2011

On Thursday, March 3, the ATN MEC Merger Committee and the SWAPA Negotiating Committee jointly announced that we had reached consensus on a Process Agreement, which will govern the protocol and timeline used to attain an integrated seniority list (ISL). As mentioned in that announcement, it was clearly understood that prior to final agreement, the document would be subject to review and approval by our respective legal and management teams.

As part of that review process, both our outside and ALPA counsel have expressed concern over portions of language formulated during the final session of talks on Thursday. We believe these concerns should be addressed, and we look forward to working further with our counterparts at SWAPA to draft language with which all Parties will be satisfied.

In Service,
Your ATN Merger Committee

So if I understand this correctly,
The ATN Merger Committee negotiated a deal with SWAPA, then their lawyers slapped them upside the head for what they agreed to.

And this is just the process that dictates how and when to negotiate. This isn't even the real negotiations!

Fear not AirTran bubbas, just believe what Lear 70 says:

Nah, there's a BUNCH of people that took a collective sigh of relief when that letter was signed and the Process Agreement was T.A.'d.

I also see no reason for SWA management nor AAI management NOT to sign the Process Agreement (and SWAPA and AAI ALPA already did).

Oops....

 

[Ty Webb]

Sounds to me like they "agreed in spirit and in principle", but upon review by Legal, some of the language needed to be tightened up.

Nothing to see here . . . . We now return you to your regularly-scheduled merger, still in progress.

 

[Lonestar]

It kinda seems odd though...

Stalling negotiations, walking out, and taking back previously agreed language. These seem like the same familiar tactics your own management used throughout your nearly 6 years of contract talks and some of the very reasons y'all voted to strike and shut your airline down.

 

[Ty Webb]

I doubt our guys walked out on anything, except for lunches and happy hours. :laugh:

 

[roughneck]

both our outside and ALPA counsel have expressed concern over portions of language formulated during the final session of talks on Thursday.

Both internal and outside counsel at ALPA had a problem? I had a SWAPA BOD rep on the jumpseat last week and he said both teams had legal at the table when the deal was made. Sounds like ALPA made a deal and then reneged. I guess this is a glimpse of what to expect in the future.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Mama Mia holy diarrhea!

Good luck! Things are gettin ugly.

 

[GuppyWN]

How about we put the most junior SWA and Airtran guy in a room, tell them there is only 8 hours of oxygen and come out when you've got a deal!

It would probably be pretty fair and we'd each save millions of dollars.

Gup

 

[Bob Dylan]

Um, pretty sure the AirTran guy would beg for a straight staple. The meeting would last about three seconds.

 

[jonjuan]

How about we put the most junior SWA and Airtran guy in a room, tell them there is only 8 hours of oxygen and come out when you've got a deal!

It would probably be pretty fair and we'd each save millions of dollars.

Gup

They would probably come up with a staple for anyone whoever posted on FI. Now THAT would be fair.

 

[GuppyWN]

Uh oh!

Lear would you please delete my last 2,500 posts! Quick!

Gup