SWA took one step closer to being a regional carrier

[GuppyWN]

7s3w7a, You Do Realize That You Are Talking About February, Which Is A 28 Day Month? If This Were A 31 Day Month The Min Days Off Would Be 16.

gup

 

[DH2WN]

..................We'll wait until March to pass judgement then. For now I feel duped by our union.

 

[chase]

7S3W7A & dh2wn ,

I won't defend or attack the folks who worked to put it together....it is what it is....less than 40% of the folks voted...are the non-voters culparable also? Yes but again it gets to finger pointing & that doesn't do any good in my view.

Feb is a bit of anomally but my phone too has been ringing off the hook..I've just ignored it since I was sick the last few days. Can the union do better? You bet & the NC will look very closely at how this goes down & to listen to the membership....it will be "hard data" for the first time on what works & what doesn't (again a very short test period). It ain't perfect (nor permanent) & it won't ever be but an effort is being made to get to the right solution....one step back & two forward still means one step back....lets see if the two steps forward occurs & things improve....if they don't then let your voice be heard to your domicile rep & go from there. It takes no skill to destroy a house, it takes a lot of skill to build one (properly).....the union & the Company wants your thoughts/ideas on how to build a better house.

I hope I haven't come across as negative toward you voicing your complaints...they are indeed valid & shared by many (I agree with some also)...lets hope over the test period of 8-9 months we find a solution that benefits as many as possible....back to my cold medicine....cheers,

 

[Jim Smyth]

Southwest has always prided itself on being productive and rewarding those who want to fly more. The rules have been changed temporally to see if we can be more productive as a whole since flight times are historically down from where they used to be. Thats the way it is and always will be. Southwest is always looking for better ways to run our business profitably. February is a real short month with only 28 days. If you are that upset I suggest you look elsewhere for employment that will make you happier! There are plenty of guys that would Love to have your seat.

 

[DH2WN]

7S3W7A & dh2wn ,

I won't defend or attack the folks who worked to put it together....it is what it is....less than 40% of the folks voted...are the non-voters culparable also? Yes but again it gets to finger pointing & that doesn't do any good in my view.

Feb is a bit of anomally but my phone too has been ringing off the hook..I've just ignored it since I was sick the last few days. Can the union do better? You bet & the NC will look very closely at how this goes down & to listen to the membership....it will be "hard data" for the first time on what works & what doesn't (again a very short test period). It ain't perfect (nor permanent) & it won't ever be but an effort is being made to get to the right solution....one step back & two forward still means one step back....lets see if the two steps forward occurs & things improve....if they don't then let your voice be heard to your domicile rep & go from there. It takes no skill to destroy a house, it takes a lot of skill to build one (properly).....the union & the Company wants your thoughts/ideas on how to build a better house.

I hope I haven't come across as negative toward you voicing your complaints...they are indeed valid & shared by many (I agree with some also)...lets hope over the test period of 8-9 months we find a solution that benefits as many as possible....back to my cold medicine....cheers,

Chase,

First, I hope you aren't lumping me in with that 7s3w7a guy. I'm not angry and I still love this place. I'm in the group who attempted to understand the language of 31 and was told certain things by my dom. rep. He said 1 in 10 would lose a day off. I don't know about the Feb. thing because I haven't been here long enough but right now I've lost 2 days and over 500 a month in pay. I read the thing over and over and determined I need a law degree to understand it. For the hundred of thousands of dollars we pay our union guys each year you think they would put out a easy to read pamphlet about the side letter.

What should have been done is the union put out a mock schedule so we can see exactly what was going to happen. I feel like they were hiding things from us so it would pass as a test. Maybe I've been tainted by all the captains I fly with because I haven't met anyone yet who trusts our union leadership. Yet for all their complaints only 30% voted! That's terrible...

I'm willing to give it the benefit of doubt but if March shows 13 days off I'm not going to be happy because I will have lost money and time off.

What happened to fixing daily productivity instead of monthly? Why am I sitting around in some airport for 2 hours when everyone screams productivity? Why are there trips built with less than 7 hours of flying each day when we are worried about productivity?

 

[pilotyip]

DH2WN, if you have the answers to SWA productivity, you should go into manamgment and restore the status quo. BTW management gets about 8-9 days a month off.

 

[DH2WN]

DH2WN, if you have the answers to SWA productivity, you should go into manamgment and restore the status quo. BTW management gets about 8-9 days a month off.

I didn't know management spends the rest of their month away from home 24 hours a day like we do. Wow....8 days off and being away for 24 hours a day. Sucks for them, eh?

 

[airlinepilot]

PBS is a NON STARTER

PBS is NOT what we want at SWA. It will take away all the freedom we have to change our schedule, make more money and will change the vacation system as we know it. I have used PBS at another carrier and I can tell you that all the trips are given out and there is no room for change. We have lived with overlap problems and still get the job done each month. I think everyone will agree that at SWA you have the ability to expand your vacation, or change your schedule thru ELITT, giveaway or trade and you also have the option of making lots more money.....PBS makes sure all the trips are assigned, not overlap problems and it will make sure you get off the day before your vacation starts. PBS would turn our current system upside down.......the only ones that would be happy with PBS are the top 20 percent. PSB is not what we need in any shape or form.

 

[DH2WN]

If they want PBS then they should have it useable in mock up form so we can use it before implementing it. I won't vote for any changes unless we can see it first hand before it affects us.

 

[pilotyip]

You chose the life style, are you envious?

DH2WN you chose the airline pilot life style, anyone can fly an airplane, although SWA is tuff to get in with and there is an element of luck and timing which often is greater than skill and desire, you are lucky to be at SWA. If you envy management you need to go into management. I miss being a line pilot; I really do not have anywhere near the free time I did when I flew the line at other airlines. I have not restored a car in 8 years, I am lucky to keep one student in my airplane, and my flying on the weekends for the museum really straps my free time. I had much more quality time at home when I was a line pilot.

 

[DH2WN]

DH2WN you chose the airline pilot life style, anyone can fly an airplane, although SWA is tuff to get in with and there is an element of luck and timing which often is greater than skill and desire, you are lucky to be at SWA. If you envy management you need to go into management. I miss being a line pilot; I really do not have anywhere near the free time I did when I flew the line at other airlines. I have not restored a car in 8 years, I am lucky to keep one student in my airplane, and my flying on the weekends for the museum really straps my free time. I had much more quality time at home when I was a line pilot.

you missed the point of the posts...

 

[Tripower455]

I'm glad I read this thread BTW...... You guys reminded me to bid!

I took a quick look at the lines for Feb, and they don't look too bad for a non vacation month. Lots of 3 days in MCO. They look better than Jans lines, but I haven't dug all the way through to the bottom feeder stuff....yet....

Unfortunately, I am trying to maximize vacation time, and I need 4 days for that! Oh well......

 

[Widow's Son]

Yo 7S3W7A, any real pilot worth his stripes understands that Feb is a bad month to compare. PHX has 98 lines with 17 days off in only a 28 day month. The idea behind the test was variety. If you don't want one of the higher paying lines then don't bid it or if you get one give away a few days. Good luck at FedEx, you should get there right in time for the strike, and you'd look good on the panel.

 

[N1kawotg]

Haven't looked thru other bases, but there are a few 14 day off lines, reserve has the 13. You have to be super junior or DAL based to see these. We'll see in Mar.



For those wanring to punch and go to FEDeX, goodluck, especially since they won't hire a guy currently with a major unless they recently changed that rule again. Hey look interview info actually showed up on a thread-whether it is correct or old info.

 

[Jim Smyth]

PBS is NOT what we want at SWA. It will take away all the freedom we have to change our schedule, make more money and will change the vacation system as we know it. I have used PBS at another carrier and I can tell you that all the trips are given out and there is no room for change. We have lived with overlap problems and still get the job done each month. I think everyone will agree that at SWA you have the ability to expand your vacation, or change your schedule thru ELITT, giveaway or trade and you also have the option of making lots more money.....PBS makes sure all the trips are assigned, not overlap problems and it will make sure you get off the day before your vacation starts. PBS would turn our current system upside down.......the only ones that would be happy with PBS are the top 20 percent. PSB is not what we need in any shape or form.

I am in the top 20 percent and I "DONT" want PBS! I havent heard anything good about it either. You can bet you bottom dollar that this is going to be a very hot topic in this next section 6.

I met a United pilot a few months back down in the workout room in the hotel. He was in the top 5 percent in his base and he hates PBS! He said he would go back to there old system in a heart beat. With PBS there would be no overlap issues! No extended vactions/ VJA opportunaties etc if thats what you want. Not for me! YMMV