Mediation Statement against FLOPS

[Live4flyng]

JetCapt69

I don't think anyone is denying the fact that SWA is a great company to work for. I think a point was trying to be made to an ex-NJI non union member that went to work for SWA. You can read the post below for yourself.

I figure the Teamsters must be paying your salary or you wouldn't be spouting such BS. All the Unions have done a wonderful job for pilots. Charlie Bryant killed Eastern, they've turned a good $200,000 dollar a year job at US Air into a $100,000 a year job - not to mention cutting the pension from nearly $100,000 to $28,000 if your lucky enough to not have to pay money back. They managed list integration just peachy with the American/TWA merger - Oh! I forgot, they didn't and most of the TWA guys are gone. They really stood up for Northwest and UAL pilots when they needed them and IBT is helping Netjets pilots get paid Citation 2 wages for flying Falcons. Great. That's really money well spent. I also really enjoy the way the unions try to rule by intimidation.

So you leave a non-union company to go and work for a unionized company that you so despise. That sounds very negative and hypocritical to me.

 

[bluepost]

Didn't mauddauber only work 6 on and 4 off? Or was it he felt forced to stay out longer and do a little butt kissing to make sure he advanced at his non union company on some of those long international trips? Maybe that is why he went to SWA where he could be just a number, upgrade when his number allowed him too, and not based on the amount of brown nosing he did. Now he can stay home and enjoy the benefits of work rules negotiatied by his union AND company.

 

[Fozzy]

Thor,

Would you mind passing the bottle over here?

 

[Muddauber]

When I worked for EJI we were flying 6 on and 5 off with the first and last day of the duty period a protected travel day. The last time I talked to Joe Murphy, he told me they were now on 7 and 7 because that's what his guys wanted to do.

Unions are pretty much a necessary evil if you want to work for an airline - they're closed shops - so I chose the least egregious one. SWAPA is not exactlly a part of our daily lives and it's a non-profit pilot's organization. From what I hear, the IBT has EJA so tied up contractually, they couldn't dump the union if they wanted to.

Muddy

 

[Aspiring to be]

The truth ?

here is no contract between the union and the members. There are rules, regulations and laws that control the interaction. So whom ever you are listening to knows very little. It is all part of the RLA. The pilots of NJ are not tied up with a contract with the IBT anymore than are the pilots of SWA with their union.

 

[flyfish]

The last time I talked to Joe Murphy, he told me they were now on 7 and 7 because that's what his guys wanted to do.

The reason NJI went to 7/7 is because it is more economical to reduce travel cycles. "His guys" have no say in the matter. They're at the mercy of a pen stroke. RTS is a mathematician he knows it is a more economical schedule. That's why they have the 7/7. They would like us to believe they are bending over backwards to "allow" us this schedule. When the truth is, it's less costly.

Just curious, how does flying for SWA equate to more time with your family? Aren't you now working 17 days+ a month, and more if you commute? I have several friends there. They all say they work their tails off. 90+ flt. hours a month sometimes over 100.

On the 7/7 schedule with 3 weeks vacation you would average less than 13 days a month.

 

[G100driver]

Although I am not part of the frac or airline industry this quote truly amazed me.

I worked for NJI before I came to work for Southwest. I liked it. I left because I have a young family and wanted to spend more time with them. It amuses me watching you guys try to screw yourselves. Ever wonder why NetJet's Gulfstream pilots don't want a union?

It almost sounded like: "I got mine, so F#*k You."

If was not for those "worthless" unions at UAL and like, SWA would not pay the wages it does. The only real difference is the great leadership at SWA.

Next time you come home to your family remember that it was the worthless unions that kept you from spending your "days off" in Jackson, MS or Baltimore.

 

[Muddauber]

The last time I talked to Joe Murphy, he told me they were now on 7 and 7 because that's what his guys wanted to do.

The reason NJI went to 7/7 is because it is more economical to reduce travel cycles. "His guys" have no say in the matter. They're at the mercy of a pen stroke. RTS is a mathematician he knows it is a more economical schedule. That's why they have the 7/7. They would like us to believe they are bending over backwards to "allow" us this schedule. When the truth is, it's less costly.

I am told that EJI had to hire pilots to accomodate the 7/7 schedule, but to the leadership it was a quality of life issue. The thing I liked best about working there, other than the great equipment, was the way they valued the pilots. We were organized into cells and the cell leader communicated his guys concerns or ideas up the chain of command so even the most junior guy had a voice. There were intangibles as well, that were hard to put a value on like the annual Christmas party at the South Carolina Yacht Club, the golfing, occasionally seeing the King Air used to get a line pilot home on time, then seeing the King Air pilots promoted into the Gulfstream.

A friend of mine left about the same time I did because he had an autistic kid and Delta's health benefits were better than EJI's. You do what you have to do.

Just curious, how does flying for SWA equate to more time with your family? Aren't you now working 17 days+ a month, and more if you commute? I have several friends there. They all say they work their tails off. 90+ flt. hours a month sometimes over 100.

On the 7/7 schedule with 3 weeks vacation you would average less than 13 days a month.

I was working 6 and 5 when I was at EJI. Now, I live in Dallas, average 68.6 hours a month and am paid for 95 segments. 17 to 18 days a month is about right. It's a good company with good leadership and a good business model. My only concern right now is that the TWU is going to make trouble and adversely effect our profitability and ridership.

Muddy

 

[BortaS]

I think what he means are overnights. He may "work" more days, but the shorter trip cycle gives him more nights at home. I love the 7/7 schedule, but I have seen it put a lot of stress on families. Not all families are able to deal with so many nights gone in a row. When you break it down to only being gone 2 or 3 nights it can ease the strain quite a bit. It's all about doing what's best for your family. For some the 7/7 works fine for others it's too much.

 

[Dep676]

7/7 is only one more day that 6/5. What is the big deal with one more day gone and two more days home?

 

[LR45JI]

My only concern right now is that the TWU is going to make trouble and adversely effect our profitability and ridership.

Muddy [/B]

So I guess you don't support the FA's?

 

[Dep676]

Over the course of a year -

6/5 199 days working/away 166 days off

7/7 182.5 days working/away 182.5 days off

16.5 days per year more time off...

That's the big deal...

That's what I am meant more time off with the 7/7. Somebody said that people were having trouble with teh 7/7. I don't see the trouble.

 

[Dep676]

Still I am missing a lot of little league baseball with all these nights away from home.

I think that's just part of being in aviation though. Unfortunately we miss a lot of that kind of stuff.