SWA to speed up Airtran integration.....article

[Daddy]

Can't we all just get along?

 

[maxblast72]

You know, if depositions were actually going to happen anyway, which is highly unlikely.

The District of North Georgia judge has order all discovery depositions be complete by this July and any motion for Summary Judgement be in by August. I have seen ALPA's list of people they would like to depose. It consists of the MC Chairman, MC Vice-Chairman, the only ATN MEC voting rep that voted for SIA #1, and you. Amazing ALPA doesn't want to depose any of the recalled ATN MEC reps like AC or CJ.

Total ATN pilot payroll.

I thought the total pilot payroll was about $250 million in 2010 when we were negotiating our new contract before you brought us back $40 million in gains with our new contract. That would seem to me to put our pilot payroll closer to $300 million. I know you would be including the $100 million in gains including in SIA #1

 

[maxblast72]

Can't we all just get along?

This is FlightInfo. It would be boring if everyone agreed all the time

I think the dialog going forward between the ATN MEC and SWAPA will be much more productive. It looks like the new SWAPA president is a more constructive guy and wants to set a tone that helps all 8,000 pilots pull in the same direction (which is beneficial for all our careers).

 

[PanPan]

I'm confused. How is SWA to speed up Airtran integration? I probably haven't looked back far enough in this thread to see it.

 

[PCL_128]

I have seen ALPA's list of people they would like to depose. It consists of the MC Chairman, MC Vice-Chairman, the only ATN MEC voting rep that voted for SIA #1, and you.

Me? I doubt anyone is interested in deposing an anonymous screen name.

I thought the total pilot payroll was about $250 million in 2010 when we were negotiating our new contract before you brought us back $40 million in gains with our new contract. That would seem to me to put our pilot payroll closer to $300 million. I know you would be including the $100 million in gains including in SIA #1

Honestly, I can't remember what the exact number was. Haven't thought about it in a while. But whether $300 million, or $400 million, the point is the same: the company has a whole hell of a lot of reason to care about our pay jumping up, but not much reason to care that the mechanics' pay has jumped up. If you actually believe that SWA was going to pay us $100 million extra per year, then you're smoking some even weirder stuff than I already suspected you were.

 

[maxblast72]

I'm confused. How is SWA to speed up Airtran integration? I probably haven't looked back far enough in this thread to see it.

Sorry for the thread creep

I believe over the last few months, SWAPA has been pressuring management to complete the integration by 12/31/2014. That way SWAPA captures the maximum number of Captain seats for their pilots. There is a chance that on January 1, 2015, there will be no former AirTran pilots that are in the left seat. Of course, the January 2015 Captain vacancy bid (and probably the next 2-3 years worth of Captain vacancy bids after that) will be primarily filled by former AirTran pilots.

SWA management has come out recently and told Wall Street and the Southwest/AirTran employees that they intend to complete the AirTran integration by 1/1/2015.

 

[maxblast72]

Me? I doubt anyone is interested in deposing an anonymous screen name.

My bad, I had you confused with someone else. You writing style is very similar to our former MEC Vice Chair

 

[PCL_128]

My bad, I had you confused with someone else. You writing style is very similar to our former MEC Vice Chair

Sounds like a hell of a great guy.

 

[maxblast72]

Sounds like a hell of a great guy.

He isn't a bad guy. He did a great job securing $40 million/yr and a greatly improved reserve system for the AirTran pilots in 2010. Then, in 2011, he let his dislike of SWA and requirement to fly 900 hrs per year cloud his judgement of the merits and risks involved with SIA #1 and the benefits of a negotiated or arbitrated SLI package

 

[Dash Power]

He isn't a bad guy. He did a great job securing $40 million/yr and a greatly improved reserve system for the AirTran pilots in 2010. Then, in 2011, he let his dislike of SWA and requirement to fly 900 hrs per year cloud his judgement of the merits and risks involved with SIA #1 and the benefits of a negotiated or arbitrated SLI package

Just for complete, truthful disclosure, there may be a requirement to fly 700 hrs a year. Which in our system is much easier to do than one may think.

With vacations and couple sick calls I flew about 600 hours. No pickup and no giveaway. Alot of trading though which was only for certain days off.

 

[canyonblue]

the point is the same: the company has a whole hell of a lot of reason to care about our pay jumping up, but not much reason to care that the mechanics' pay has jumped up.

Remind me again, how did their SLI go down?

 

[Kenney G]

Exactly was is the lawsuit about? Fraud? Negligence? I thought ALPA was set up as a representative body like congress. Was it not their proragative to vote anyway the wanted? I am referring to the Mec.

 

[maxblast72]

http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/georgia/gandce/1:2012cv00544/181455/1/

Here is a link to the original complaint. It was amended in June to add 115 plaintiffs and clean up some of the main body but most of the key arguments are in there.

 

[Kenney G]

Is there a readers digest version ?

 

[canyonblue]

Is there a readers digest version ?

Among the economic gains recognized by the Merger Committee members were enormous pay increases, averaging about $72,000 per year for captains and about $48,000 per year for first officers, with such pay increases to begin by April 2012. For some pilots, their pay would be nearly doubled.

Other advantageous features of the seniority integration agreement and transition agreement were:

Substantial furlough protection, such that one Southwest pilot would be furloughed for each AirTran pilot furloughed, despite the fact that there were a large number of AirTran first officers at the bottom of the proposed merged seniority list;

The Atlanta base would be protected for another nine years, permitting AirTran pilots the stability of remaining at their base and, thus, not disrupting their families' lives;

AirTran captains would be afforded priority as to all captain vacancies at the Atlanta base until September 2020;

The Atlanta base would be staffed in larger numbers than more typical Southwest domiciles;

A large number (851) of AirTran capatain seats would be protected;

AirTran pilots would be protected against being displaced for positions by more senior Southwest pilots.

 

[PCL_128]

Is there a readers digest version ?

Yes, the reader's digest version is that a small group of pilots (including one member of the Merger Committee) apparently don't have the mental capacity to understand how representative government works.

 

[Kenney G]

I get all of Canyonblues points but that is Not here nor there. I have been an Alpa member for a decade. The pilots vote for their reps and give them the authority to make desisions for them. Just like congress. My congressman rarely votes the way I would, but that's the way it works. I agree with PCL 128 on this one. The case does not seem to have Merit.

Disclaimer: I did Not stay at a holiday inn last night.

 

[canyonblue]

I get all of Canyonblues points ........

They're not MY points, just lifted from the manifesto.

 

[SWA Bubba]

I get all of Canyonblues points but that is Not here nor there. I have been an Alpa member for a decade. The pilots vote for their reps and give them the authority to make desisions for them. Just like congress. My congressman rarely votes the way I would, but that's the way it works. I agree with PCL 128 on this one. The case does not seem to have Merit.

Disclaimer: I did Not stay at a holiday inn last night.

It's obviously up to a court to determine merit, if it gets that far. And you're right about representational systems of governance: you vote for representatives, and they vote what they believe will best serve the group rather than how individuals might vote.

However, in this DFR case, the plaintiffs are alleging that the Airtran MEC did not do that. They are alleging that the MEC intentionally deceived the constituency for their own apparent ends. They listed in their suit alleged lies, half-truths, and intentional omissions to sway the constituency's favor. The plaintiffs also allege that the MEC disregarded appropriate legal advice (and then "hid" the advice from their constituency), again in favor of their own ends. Here's where this differs from representational governance. Elected bodies cannot just do anything they want; in this case, the union has an affirmative duty to represent all constituents "fairly" to the best of their ability. The suit alleges that they did not. Is this subjective? Of course. Hence the lawsuit to determine culpability.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a party to any of this, and I was not present at any of the meetings where the alleged offenses took place. I don't know if any of the actions rise to DFR failure or not. I'm only telling you what the suit alleges. It could have merit, or it could be all crap, for all I know.

Bubba

 

[maxblast72]

Yes, the reader's digest version is that a small group of pilots (including one member of the Merger Committee) apparently don't have the mental capacity to understand how representative government works.

I heard you say many times the TWA pilots were going to lose their DFR lawsuit. Have you predicted the outcome of any other DFR lawsuits?

It appears you are 0 for 1 in predicting outcomes so why should we put much weight on your opinion of the validity of this lawsuit.