Current contract proposal SWA

[dgs]

I'm glad to hear a few more voices of reason chime in about some of the good things at SWA. The whiners were starting to overwhelm this thread and giving SWA a black eye. My post was aimed at them--and keeping things in perspective. I'm glad there are some of you who are still having fun who were just lurking this thread instead of speaking up.

I'll be the first to admit that JB has the benefit of looking at 31 years of SWA experience as we plot our future. I also applaud your efforts to improve customer service and the airport experience. I read Colleen's article on doing away with lines--especially the secondary screening--and I couldn't agree more. That's all part of my point. Let's make this industry better--to benefit us all--with increased passenger traffic. I believe there are plenty of customers for all of us if we do a good job of attracting and keeping them. Tearing your company (SWA or AA--on another thread) apart is counterproductive.

You are right that JB is relatively small and it is easier to have that family feeling and trusting relationships at this stage of our development. I'm sure SWA was a very different place to work when it was only 2.5 yrs old than it is now. It's also my guess that you all would have enjoyed working for the company in those days--particularly knowing now how much your stock options would be worth today. We may have to deal with unions one day. If we do, I suspect it will be an in-house union like you have at SWA. I can't see ALPA ever caring about our needs.

I need to set the record straight on a couple of issues. First, we have 28 airplanes as of today and another 7 on the way before year's end. We are pushing 400 pilots today and will have almost 500 by the end of the year. We are still hiring 24 a month. Second, we are paying for our airplanes. There is no magic financing. This seems to be a very popular lie that gets repeated often by those who can't figure out how we are making money. Check our prospectus. Our airplane payments are all a matter of public record.

You are all welcome to our jumpseats. As you probably know, we will fill any empty seat (pax or FA jump) with any qualified jumpseater (pilot or FA). With loads exceeding 85%, we may not always have a pax seat for you, but we do everything we can to take as many people as we can (including putting JB people in the cockpit so you can have a comfy leather seat with live TV). I'm a commuter myself, and I enjoy hauling my brothers and sisters around as a way of saying thanks for the seats I get from you.

I realize that contract negotiations create tension and strong emotions. Again, my point is simply to keep it all in perspective and to be thankful for those things we do have as we discuss those things we would like to have.

 

[XNav]

Let's see....poolies, probies, wannabe's and koolies from other airlines. Since y'all have the big picture sharply in focus, perhaps you can shed some light on these issues.

I wasn't aware we had a new contract. I thought RLA section 6 negotiations were required for a new contract. I was under the impression we were extending an existing concessionary contract following interest based negotiations. I wasn't aware that IAP would harm our business model. In fact, I recall a study funded by SWAPA which concluded even ILP would do us no harm. (Do you even know what I just said?) Renegotiate in two years you say? How many years is it between now and 2006 (our new amenable date)? Do you know what raise percentages in the ICA are over and above what was already in our current contract? Do you know what percentages are guaranteed? What do you feel the odds are that we will receive all the profitability bonuses based on the current state of the industry? Do you understand the FOP and ORG and the values associated with each grant? Do you feel the ORG distribution is fair? How about the vesting schedule? Does that sit well with all you guys? How about the -200 override issue? Should we have offered that up so quickly? Do you feel the Black-Scholes method of option valuation is valid for monthly-vested incentive options with 8 and 12 year lifespans? Is it ok that my current 3000-odd options are presently worth minus $20K? Should I be concerned that my year group gave up $57K more in pay value in the '94 agreement than what the options awarded in lieu of that pay are now worth? But we have PS, right? How much will that total this year? Is that a guaranteed source of retirement income? How do our available 401K investment options look to you guys? Is it okay to simply say yes to the first offer and consider ourselves lucky without attempting to negotiate for the best deal we can get? C'mon, help me out here. I'm just a simple-minded fighter jock trying to get the big flick. Maybe one of you broadly-focused, intellectual-type gas passers can square me away.

You guys really ought to stick to the tail wagging just-happy-to-be-here stuff. I have no problem with an informed individual who espouses a different point of view. Vocal ignorants, however, I find intolerable.

 

[rodeopilot]

Sour grapes will do nothing for us as NO voters. Im no Kool aid drinker, and yes I do think SWA could cough up the cash. How many times have you(or any of us) paid the sticker price on a car in the lot? Im really dissapointed that the majority chose that path, but pointing fingers and calling names doesnt do a thing for our position. I hope Weaks has a plan to get this group unified, because I just see another tube of K-Y coming in '06.

 

[nimtz]

I wish you guys all the luck in 2006. You deserve to be the highest payed 737 pilots. Hope you guys can raise the bar next time

No you only deserve highest payed 737 rate if your pilot group has the b*lls to go get it. Sadly the SWA guys lack that!

 

[falcon20]

XNAV,
Im glad that you are the very limited in number of the vocal minority with the pilots of SWA. Im here to assure you that the great majority of the pilots at SWA have an attitude that is ten times better than his. Sometimes people who were given everything and their career came easy they often dont know what it is like to be in the real world. For all of you waiting for the class date at SWA, I assure you it is not like every other airline that 95% of the pilots have this very immature and self-preserving attitude that xnav has. You will have an great time and keep a good attitude, for that was the reason you were hired.

 

[XNav]

And what are your thoughts regarding the questions posed above? There were a couple more I thought you may be able to help me with. Do you feel the new duty rigs will positively effect our schedule quality? The SWAPA Scheduling Committee said no, but you must have some deeper insight, what with your having worked so hard to get where you are, (hey, I just showed up, told them who daddy was and they put me in a class) and with your positive attitude and all. How do you feel about the super mediation language? The attorneys say it's untested and therefore they have serious doubts about our ability to make it binding, but you obviously are a very mature, team-oriented kind of guy so you must be able to explain where they went astray in their analysis. Any knowledge of any of those issues? C'mon, you've got a unique grasp on the real world; a grasp I must lack (you said so yourself)....tell me what you think is the best way to address these issues that will directly effect our livelihoods for the next x years.

You won't because you can't. That's because there's more to it than little slogans like "good attitude" and the "big picture". It's business. Not love, respect, family or any of that. Taking interest in the process, understanding the issues and negotiating for the best compensation has nothing to do with whining or the golden goose. SWA wants the best deal for the company and will get us to do our thing as cheaply as they can. We need to understand that and approach the process in an equally professional way.

If your just happy to be here, fine. That's understandable. But to indignantly imply that we who support the union in its stance against the ICA are somehow stupid, ignorant or self-serving while you apparently have little or no knowledge of the offer presented or its future implications is simply ludicrous. Gather information. Formulate an opinion. Support your argument. Such is the road to credibility.

And quit calling me names. You're hurting my feelings.