ATNALPA Communication

[OldManPilot]

Ok, we get it. We will reap the rewards worked long and hard by the SWA pilots and your amazing contract. The fact is that you SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF YOUR CONTRACT. But we at AT have worked long and hard to make our company profitable, despite having a poor relationship with management. The AT pilots are hard working and have the warrior spirit, and for the most part want to simply be treated with respect and dignity. With what I am reading on these forums the attitude from many of the SWA pilots is hostile and far from what I expected. We, the AT pilots are simply trying our best to be at least recognized for the years of hard work we have put in during some of the toughest years in this industry, and work out an integration which recognizes this hard work. It is difficult to give up a company you worked hard to build. It is even harder when the company that has purchased you berates and belittles you. This treatment is very much like what we received from our management. That is why I think many on here are defending our position. Our Negotiating Committee is try to fulfill their duty to our pilots. To negotiate the best deal possible.

Just MY opinion.

 

[Ace McCoy]

I quit listening after I heard "All AirTran FO's stapled to the bottom of the list".

Amen to that!

 

[carl p]

Happiest days in my aviation career:
1) Being accepted into the Navy Flight Program
2) Being hired by SWA
3) Hearing that F9 rejected the SWA offer and were being bought by RAH

Soon to be number 3) moving three down a notch: The day I hear AAI rejects the SWA offer and will be going to arbitration, because GK will most likely restructure the company and sh1tcan the 717, then dictate terms to the remaining personnel. No SLI, take the best as entry level employees, keep the routes and cities that make sense and bye bye to the rest. I wish the AT folks no ill will .

Let me get this straight, after wishing about 1,000 AT pilots with families end up unemployed you have the nerve to say you wish us no ill will. We haven't even seen the offer mind you... Have you ever been furloughed? Sad, very sad.

 

[carl p]

I hope they all get shi#$$* canned and sold off, the greedy pri@#$Ks

staple staple or it's a NO vote

Your calling us names acting like that?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Let me get this straight, after wishing about 1,000 AT pilots with families end up unemployed you have the nerve to say you wish us no ill will. We haven't even seen the offer mind you... Have you ever been furloughed? Sad, very sad.

I'd be willing to bet that SWA will offer you guys preferential interviews, even after they offered you all jobs and you turned them down.

 

[Speed]

Sharing My Perspective (with Civility)

OldManPilot & other Airtran (Future) SWA pilots,

I understand where you're coming from and think you will be very happy once on property. I also think that you will be treated with dignity and respect...but how warm a reception the AT pilot group receives will be influenced by the group's attitude.

You see, the one thing all SWA pilots have in common is that we all feel genuinely blessed to be a part of this company. Many of us had it as a long term career goal that took 10 - 15 years to attain. We paid for our type rating for just the hope of getting an interview and then it took some of us 2 or 3 interviews until finally hired. We happily took huge pay cuts (100K in my case) that first year and commuted to sit reserve while sweating out our probationary year. The thing we have in common is that every one of us was willing to crawl over broken glass to get this job. We have an "attitude of gratitude" and a "can-do, servant leadership, how can we help the team mentality."

For those of you at AT the never wanted to be part of SWA...I'm sorry things didn't work out for you to stay at AT for the rest of your career. Starting in two years, all world wide Majors are forecast to be hiring like never before over the next 20 years, so hopefully you can find a long term employer that suits you.


I think most folks there see and appreciate the opportunity they're being offered here. While I understand that you want to get the best deal possible. Please keep the big picture in mind and resist the temptation to over-reach and appear ungrateful. From the perspective I shared above about our attitude towards getting this job, here's what I see you're being offered. You get our dream job without having to get your type rating. You don't have to interview. You don't have to sweat out a year of probation. You don't have to take a $100K cut the first year (in fact, most of you will get in the neighborhood of a $70K raise), and we'll build in some fence protection for a few years so you don't have to do the commute to sit reserve like we all did. That's such an unbelievable, smokin' deal in my mind after what I went through, that it wouldn't bother me a bit to start at the bottom of SWA's seniority list (like we all did without any of the bennies you're getting). If this would have been offered to me, I'd be walking on cloud 9...feel twice as blessed as I did to get the job the way I got it, and I'd have that attitude of gratitude, can-do, servant leader, how can I help the team mentality that would ensure I fit right into the Southwest culture. If the AT pilot group recognizes and appreciates my sentiments above, I guarantee you will be treated with dignity and respect...you'll be welcomed as family the way each of us was.
Fraternally,
Speed

 

[DougCorp-9]

Speed,

Your kind words are greatly appreciated. Looking forward to being part of the team!!!

 

[Speed]

DougCorp-9,

Looking forward to having you join us!

Note to the flamers on FI and to Congress: see how easy that was.

:beer:

 

[Daddy]

I was going to chime in but Speed covered it...nice work. No one should judge the many by the views of the few...it just doesn't work. I doubt our future citrus brethren would want to be judged on the views of PCL, Ty, and Lear. There are "one-percenters" everywhere....even SWA. It is, however, rare and no matter where you sit when you get here, you will love the way things work here. Seniority does not gain you that much when you get a line in your preferred base...most of us still just trade everything anyways....not kidding, literally EVERYTHING. The only times it matters here are for upgrade and furloughs. SWA has never furloughed and the upgrades will always come if we remain competitive. Besides, your government is just going to take over half of that extra upgrade income anyways since you will be well into the top income bracket. In the end, Gary will find a way to get his way...like many successful CEO's, he is just that kind of guy. If he wasn't that type of guy, you probably wouldn't want to work here for the lack of stability. Good luck to all of us.

 

[waveflyer]

Bad analogy. We didn't "barge in" anywhere. We were sitting nice and comfortable in our own house, and you came in and plucked us out of our house and brought us over to your house. And while we don't expect a seat at the head of the dinner table, we do expect not to be thrown in the basement with a cup of water and a piece of stale bread.

95% strike vote. Hostage furloughs. Mgmt that constantly screwed with you.

Compared to....??? Huge raises, better mgmt, A BETTER UNION, likely to keep the ATL base and positions= only in your mind would that be equated to the basement and stale bread.

PCL, YOU'RE SO TRANSPARENT IT'S RIDICULOUS.

Especially when any 5 year old could have predicted you'd be stirring the pot like this. I wonder what you're saying internally to AT pilots?

I've saved this signature for years for just this kind of moment. You've now earned it PCL. PCL is now officially Fredo.