Southwest Guys

[Crash Pad]

The rumor mill is buzzing from Dallas.

It looks like we might get absolutely crushed.

The debate and banter has been fun for the last couple of months. It looks like it will be over soon.

I would just like to request that you take it easy on the gloating. Joke at work (with the mike off) etc... Try not to rub it in our faces. Most of our pilot group and the NC "got it" all along. A small group of us didn't.

Enjoy the win. Looking forward to working at SWA and discussing "which boat is right for me, whether it is better to summer in the Hamptons or French Riviera, Yachting, how many houses is too many, Why the crash pad butler is such a poor cook, etc..."

 

[GuppyWN]

PM me what you know cause we haven't been told anything other than a vote is coming.

Sounds like you're setting US up for bad news. You guys already turned down a deal that protected captains, aircraft and bases. I don't want to go into it but I thought it was a homerun for you guys. I can't see you voting yes on a worse deal.

Gup

 

[Daddy]

Pm me too...I got nothing on any of this.

 

[xkuzme1]

Just be done with all this hoop-la so you can open the application window again.

 

[SWA/FO]

We know nothing.

Not sure we can ever get some of these guys to stop talking about cars and boats though.

You are going to like it here.

 

[MDP727]

"which boat is right for me, whether it is better to summer in the Hamptons or French Riviera, Yachting, how many houses is too many"

If that's your true vision for yourself you need to find a new profession. One that will afford that.

 

[redflyer65]

Crashpad,

Same here, we've heard nothing. Just some speculation that 150 AAI captain slots go up for straight bid. Not even sure if that's true. It's great to be a mushroom!

RF

 

[OldManPilot]

Just hope we get to vote this time. Is that asking to much? There is a growing write-in campaign to demand a vote this time.

 

[Andy]

Whackmaster at APC posted something. Take it for what it's worth.
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/61661-airtran-southwest-aip-nutshell-12.html

Allow me to answer that! They want a STAPLE! No, seriously. If they could they would staple us all. Consider...........

- The last agreement, called AIP1, had 37% of our pilots STAPLED and 52% of our pilots in the bottom 10% of the newly combined list. Yeah, read that again and let those numbers sink in.

- It also featured a max relative seniority loss of 32% with an average loss for AAI pilots of 22%.

Fortunately, our MEC said "no way" and killed it by a 7-1 vote. Here's the part that all the SWA pilots need to read and have thoroughly sink in. Perhaps if I capitalize it'll help, because so far you guys just don't seem to get this little factoid. Here it goes...... THE REASON OUR MEC KILLED IT OVERWHELMINGLY WAS BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR PILOTS WERE AGAINST IT AND DEMANDED IT KILLED IMMEDIATELY. Did you get that SWA pilots? OUR MEC WAS DOING WHAT THE MEMBERSHIP WAS ASKING IT TO DO! Amazing, the Reps listening to the people they represent. What a concept.

It should also be noted that while our MEC voted against putting AIP1 out by a vote of 7-1, the SWAPA BOD voted 19-0 to put it out for a vote. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which side the AIP grossly favored.

Fast forward to the last two or three days. Our Merger Committee returns to Dallas to meet with SWAPA and SWA management. It is immediately a less than friendly reception. In short order, the threats and intimidation commence. Here's the part that sickens me the most. Herb Kelleher and Colleen Barrett pay a little visit and they themselves threaten our MC with potential nonintegration if we don't accept the new schit sandwich that is laying infront of our MC. That part to me is so incredibly sad and disappointing. The two people who helped create the "Culture" are now threatening our MC. Flabbergasted folks. Simply flabbergasted.

More specifically, the threat was that IF this goes to arbitration and IF SWAPA subsequently puts up a fight because of the award (which goes w/o saying that they will), THEN we will not be integrated and instead will eventually be pieced out.

Wait, it gets better. Allow me to explain what's been slapped infront of us now by SWA management. The new and even worse deal now features a STAPLE of only 450 F/Os instead of the previous 650 (we currently have 1737 pilots), but now approximately 350 Cptns. are supposed to downgrade so 350 of their F/Os can upgrade. This will create 700 training cycles for which the money is supposed to come from delaying the AAI pilots transition to the SWA payscale.

Also, this new piece of crap that they're trying to force down our throats features no fences in ATL (AIP1 had a 10 yr fence), no first right to reupgrade for downgraded AAI Cptns. (so now when we lose our seats, instead of being able to upgrade as soon as the company starts upgrades again, we'll be forced to try and upgrade with our GREATLY erroded seniority numbers). There are also other protections that were erased from the "offer" compared to AIP1.

So there you have it. Our pilot group is now faced with an even worse offer and a management team that has teamed up with SWAPA to try and intimidate, strong-arm, bully, and scare us into accepting an SLI that will make us the laughing stock of the airline industry. The supposed alternative is that they will pull the application for a single SOC, run AirTran as a separate entity, and eventually part us out a la ATA.

Is this the Culture that we kept hearing about? Where the friggin' LUV? Perhaps the ONLY upside to this is that the fallacy that is the SWA Culture is being exposed for what it is. More specifically, we'll LUV you if you're on the inside, but we'll try and kill you if you're not and dare to say no to what we think is "fair and equitable".

Frankly SWA and SWAPA, your behavior and treatment of us has turned into a despicable and sickening display. It's immoral. None of us feel the LUV anymore and many of us are starting to realize that we will always be "former AirTran" even after integration.

To Oscar specifically and actually I suppose all SWA pilots, all we ever wanted was a reasonable SLI, followed by the two combined airlines kicking some serious tail, but SWAPA's arrogance and elitism and your management's bullying, intimidation, threatening and strong-arming have prevented that. Don't take my/our word for it. Look at what our peers in this profession are saying. EVERYBODY sees what's going on here but the SWA pilots.

Good luck to all.

 

[scarlet]

WOW...They knew the process before they bought AirTran correct?

They know that Bond-Mack is stated to represent each pilot, not one union or the other. It protects each person individually right !

Bond-MAsk
Process Agreement (usair/Amerwest) never had
CBA at SWA
CBA at AT

Why is SWA so dreading ARBIT?