Spirit is now officially on strike (5:00 AM June 12th)

[Beetle007]

ALPA announced the strike at Spirit.

 

[flynryan15]

It isn't on ALPA.ORG?

 

[Beetle007]

Email from MEC

"In May 2009, 98% of this pilot group voted to authorize the MEC to call a lawful strike—and this morning we did just that. At 501 a.m., June 12, your MEC called for and instituted a lawful strike against Spirit Airlines. "

 

[flynryan15]

Stand tall man! We are all behind you guys trying to make this a better career! You guys have done what many of us thought would never happen in this day in age.

 

[flynryan15]

Her you go!

Release #10.SPA7
05:01 a.m., June 12, 2010
Spirit Pilots: ON STRIKE
Hundreds of pilots walk off the job to demand fair contract
Washington—At 5:01 a.m., June 12, Spirit pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), went on strike against their company—and will not return to the cockpit until a fair and equitable contract is negotiated. Pilot negotiators agreed to extend the strike deadline twice in order to review final proposals put forth by both parties to keep the airline running. In the end, both sides could not reach an agreement.
“Immediately after 5:00 a.m., the Spirit Pilot Master Executive Council, as authorized by our pilots, called for and instituted a lawful strike against our management,” announced Captain Sean Creed, head of the Spirit unit of ALPA.
“Spirit pilots are willing to withdraw their services to get the contract they deserve,” said Captain John Prater, president of ALPA. “Every one of the 53,000 pilots of ALPA stands with them as they go on strike. As pilots, our livelihood is in the air—not on the picket line—but the inability of Spirit management to negotiate a contract that adequately compensates our professional members has created this dispute. I urge Spirit management to reconsider their position on the value of their experienced and professional airline pilots.”
The strike comes after nearly four years of contract negotiations and numerous attempts by the pilots to find a middle ground with management and avoid a strike. All Spirit pilots, especially first officers, have been working at below-market rates for years, and under substandard work rules.
For the past week, pilot representatives have been meeting with company officials in a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement. However, after two extensions that pushed the deadline until early Saturday morning, no agreement was reached, so the pilots were forced to use the last weapon in their arsenal and call for a lawful strike.
“No one wanted this strike—certainly not this pilot group. We have sacrificed so much to see this company prosper. Now we are sacrificing our paychecks until we get a contract that reflects our contributions to this airline,” said Creed. “This contract is not just for the pilots who currently fly for Spirit, right now. We have a responsibility to maintain our profession and pass down a legacy of a job worth having.”
At this time, pilot representatives will not comment beyond this statement.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union and represents 53,000 pilots at 38 airlines in the United States and Canada, including more than 440 pilots at Spirit Airlines. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org.

 

[castle bravo]

Walk proudly, brothers.

 

[NAAPilot]

Stay strong and fight for what you deserve! We are all behind you 100%. Best of luck to all of you, and kudos for having the guts, determination, and pride in your profession to fight to make it one worth having. Give em hell, Spirit pilots!

 

[rjpilot7667]

Good Job guys. Normally I'm not for this kind of thing but something has to be done. You have my support.

 

[jetflier]

Good Luck, hang in there.....

 

[9rj9]

So....

Good Job guys. Normally I'm not for this kind of thing but something has to be done. You have my support.

So what you're saying is you normally don't stand up for yourself or others except just this, well, once and a while. Grow a pair !!

Again I think Spirit misread the level of anger and frustration of the Spirit pilots and all pilots for that matter. I think they plan to let this go on for a week, not a big a loss for a short time, no fuel or pilot wages, can write the whole thing off on their taxes. Lose a couple mil to save 15 mil over 10 years, Wall Street firms are calling the shots, Baldanza is just their puppet.

 

[Erlanger]

Here's the story.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/12/airline.strike/index.html?hpt=T3

 

[The Drizzle]

Anybody know a place a non-DTW based DL connect guy can park his bag? I've got a 4:50 sit in DTW today, I'd like to go be a proper Teamster and support a picket line.

 

[Mike man]

.....double post

 

[Mike man]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spirit_airlines_pilots

The company said it offered to raise by 30 percent over five years. It would have included work rule changes but would have retained a four-day break between every pilot trip, something the company said no other http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spirit_airlines_pilots# contract has. The offer also included a $3,000 signing bonus and a larger retirement plan match.

So 30%...ok lets figure this one out Ben:

4 years to negotiate a contract
5 year contract
4 years to negotiate a new contract after the 5 year one
--
13 YEARS

30% / 13 = 2.3%

The historic inflation average is 3.42% from 1913-present, granted it was 2.7% from 2000-2009...so Ben, what you are saying is you are offering a NEGATIVE .4% raise? Get bent!

 

[27 driver]

Anybody know a place a non-DTW based DL connect guy can park his bag? I've got a 4:50 sit in DTW today, I'd like to go be a proper Teamster and support a picket line.

Go down to the picket line area. Just ask somebody. They will have a staging area somewhere near by.

 

[9rj9]

pure PR

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spirit_airlines_pilots
So 30%...ok lets figure this one out Ben:

4 years to negotiate a contract
5 year contract
4 years to negotiate a new contract after the 5 year one
--
13 YEARS

30% / 13 = 2.3%

The historic inflation average is 3.42% from 1913-present, granted it was 2.7% from 2000-2009...so Ben, what you are saying is you are offering a NEGATIVE .4% raise? Get bent!

Exactly...
30 % is just PR spin hoping the public will get behind management. Sorry here in So Florida Spirit is primarily know as the airline that wants to charge $45 for a carry-on so demonizing the pilots is impossible. Oaktree investments should fire Baldanza and his cronies for putting his ego above running an airline.

 

[joe_pilot]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_spirit_airlines_pilots
So 30%...ok lets figure this one out Ben:

4 years to negotiate a contract
5 year contract
4 years to negotiate a new contract after the 5 year one
--
13 YEARS

30% / 13 = 2.3%

The historic inflation average is 3.42% from 1913-present, granted it was 2.7% from 2000-2009...so Ben, what you are saying is you are offering a NEGATIVE .4% raise? Get bent!

You're being too kind to management. To get the actual percentage rate you have to use i=((fv/pv)^(1/n))-1 and get 2.039% or a negative .661% raise.

And that is really too simple a caclulation because it assumes just an annual compounding.

Source

Hang in there Spirit guys

-JP

 

[flynryan15]

You're being too kind to management. To get the actual percentage rate you have to use i=((fv/pv)^(1/n))-1 and get 2.039% or a negative .661% raise.

And that is really too simple a caclulation because it assumes just an annual compounding.

Source

Hang in there Spirit guys

-JP

Great post even thought the formula made my head hurt!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Go Spirit Pilots.....

Point... for .... United, CAL, AMR, etc....

 

[teach2fly]

It's about time that these pilots are standing up to these greedy airline management!...all the best to these Spirit Airlines pilots!...somebody has to do it!

 

[urflyingme?!]

Kick some ass.

 

[Grimper]

Thank you Spirit Pilots.
52,000 + are standing with you.

 

[maxblast72]

Everyone is watching as this is just the beginning. The NMB has a whole handfull of cases that should be coming to the endgame in the near future due to NMB leadership changes made last year.

 

[hockeypilot44]

Everyone is watching as this is just the beginning. The NMB has a whole handfull of cases that should be coming to the endgame in the near future due to NMB leadership changes made last year.

Yep. This strike is precedent-setting. That is why it is so important for us all to honor it and support the Spirit pilots. We've lost our credibility over the last 10 years. This one strike can bring credibility back to all of us and make management respect us a little more even if they don't like us.

 

[Lynxman]

Obviously I am on the side of the pilots since I'm one myself, but I'm afraid of the public view on this. The media imo is almost painting a negative light on the pilots. They seem to be pointing the passengers problems on the pilots. If you look at comments being made by consumers they are saying the pilots are greedy for wanting more money in times like these, or be happy to have a job. It's not that they're ignorant they just don't understand the plight at hand. I don't know about anyone else, but it makes me worry how this may affect the long term goals. I hope I'm wrong on my current beliefs. Stay strong guys.

 

[Baronman]

Obviously I am on the side of the pilots since I'm one myself, but I'm afraid of the public view on this. The media imo is almost painting a negative light on the pilots. They seem to be pointing the passengers problems on the pilots. If you look at comments being made by consumers they are saying the pilots are greedy for wanting more money in times like these, or be happy to have a job. It's not that they're ignorant they just don't understand the plight at hand. I don't know about anyone else, but it makes me worry how this may affect the long term goals. I hope I'm wrong on my current beliefs. Stay strong guys.

Sure there are those that know a tidbit and will say those things, but they already probably have the misconception that we're all flying 4 trips a month making 150K.

Many know that Spirit is an Ultra-Low Cost Carrier, and they'll put 2 + 2 together. An airline that gloats about $9 fares, has their FAs as walking advertisements and charges fees for just about anything can't work out a decent contract with their pilots? Is it because the pilots are unreasonable or is this part of their Ultra Low Cost game plan? I think the latter will be the conclusion most arrive at.

 

[Lynxman]

Don't give society that much credit lol. I guess only time will tell.

 

[Beetle007]

Go Spirit Pilots.....

Point... for .... United, CAL, AMR, etc....

We wouldn't accept the United contract! Spirit captains already make more than United and we have better workrules (4 days off between trips, 150% open time, 200% junior assignment, and we don't have pref bidding).

The hourly rates at CAL and AMR are good but our pilots aren't willing to give up the 4 days off between trips. So if management offered us the CAL or AMR contract we probably wouldn't accept it either.

 

[Flyinhi]

401k

Hey guys check your 401k accounts looks like the company withdraw money on the 9th. Now thats bargaining in good faith.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

We wouldn't accept the United contract! Spirit captains already make more than United and we have better workrules (4 days off between trips, 150% open time, 200% junior assignment, and we don't have pref bidding).

The hourly rates at CAL and AMR are good but our pilots aren't willing to give up the 4 days off between trips. So if management offered us the CAL or AMR contract we probably wouldn't accept it either.

Negative... the outcome of the Spirit strike, the actions of the nmb, and the WH will set a precedence for these other carriers...

The Spirit Pilots are the pathfinders..... their success means more to so many.... more than we probably realize....