SWAPA Comments about 717

[shootr]

Right of Return (ROR) is what many SWAPA members were pushing for which would have prevented ANY senior pilots from poaching positions from ANY displaced pilots due to SWA's month to month vacancy flexing for seasonal flying. The same ROR that AT ALPA (and most pilot groups) has in their CBA. Company AND SWAPA said no. End of story (except for all the PO'd junior Southwest guys).

Hope that helps,
shootr

 

[Uppercrust]

One day SWAPA will ask us former AT pilots to stand with them in some sort of fight. I won't be there, ever.

I'm with you my brother!

 

[Diesel-9]

I've heard chatter that SWA will be paying DAL $150,000 month for every B-717 aircraft. $13.2 mil a month/$158 million a year. Are these aircraft leased from Boeing?

 

[tankerhead]

I doubt there are too many pissed off junior 717 FO's. They (we) were poised to have to ride that seat with zero movement until the leases expired. Our version of SWA's "CJ" was in for a very long uncomfortable ride until Tuesday's announcement. I was beaming ear to ear upon receiving the news.

 

[Scoot 11]

To all the first officers at Airtran (I'm addressing the entire pilot group here)
YOU SHOULD HAVE DUMPED ALPO!!!!!!!

Yes, because for the last 5 years an LCC 25 year 737 east captain has been getting what a 3rd year SW f/o has been getting...:laugh:

 

[SWA Bubba]

Why would you have a problem with the AirTran pilots keeping the flying THEY brought to the table no matter how long it was? Your perspective speaks volumes.

MY perspective? I was only giving an example of a management business decision that would have favored the other side of the partition, and then suggested that YOU wouldn't have had a problem with their union leadership describing it to its members in favorable terms, even if it was a material change to the agreed-upon SLI that harmed SWAPA pilots. I offered NO personal perspective whatsoever.

As I and others have pointed out numerous times (Candide most recently above), that while we agree that this changes the agreed-upon terms of the SLI in a way that harms Airtran expectations, THIS WAS NOT A SWAPA DECISION. Yet you act like SWAPA just sits around trying to find ways to screw over Airtran guys. Maybe it would be a little more constructive to address criticism of a business decision at the people who actually MADE the decision, not the people whose job it is to react to such decisions, for better or worse.

You know, I was gonna' ask you how exactly you thought Capt Chase SHOULD have phrased this, when communicating management's decision to his constituents, but I changed my mind. I think we've had enough of your "helpful" commentary on this subject. Thanks for all of that, by the way. You're a peach.

Bubba

 

[Daddy]

Anyone who believes that SWAPA had somehow strategically planned this does not know SWAPA. You guys will see this soon enough though. Don't be mad at your fellow pilots...airtran or SWA. We will all be further tested by this management team at some point and will need to stick together for our own good. I'm hopeful airtran will bring over a little backbone to the SWA group. SWAPA is a little lost in the woods right now and the natives are getting restless. Do not take any of this personally...constitutional votes included. Our membership basically just said no to everything and most didn't even read it...they are just unhappy with our company and our union. An unending series of gaffs on both has led to that. Especially the company....millions wasted on RNP, bungled wifi, crippling IT capability, and a new VP every week without a pilot in sight to stop the upper management buffoonery with even a little rudimentary aviation knowledge. If you really want to worry about something, worry about that. No one will get furloughed over this deal...you guys will be taken care of. Worry about the bean counters. The SLI is done...it passed both sides...the fallout will be what it will be. Crapping on your fellow pilots will not help no matter which side of the fence you're on. You guys will love our system here...you will probably have to stand with us and fight to keep it at some point.

 

[Tripower455]

Right of Return (ROR) is what many SWAPA members were pushing for which would have prevented ANY senior pilots from poaching positions from ANY displaced pilots due to SWA's month to month vacancy flexing for seasonal flying. The same ROR that AT ALPA (and most pilot groups) has in their CBA. Company AND SWAPA said no. End of story (except for all the PO'd junior Southwest guys).

Hope that helps,
shootr

Yup...

Lack of ROR coupled with our monthly, -3/+1 vacancy bid process has been a major issue for the junior guys ever since 9/11 slowed growth.

For those not familiar, we have monthly vacancy bids. The company micromanages the manning, reducing some bases and increasing others, often by only a few pilots either way. If no one wants to leave when there's a reduction (common in senior bases like MCO), bottom folks get displaced. A few months later, they'll add a few slots, and they are rebid in seniority order, so it's as if the displaced guy never even held that base and he's forced to commute (sometimes for years) while the senior guys come in and poach vacations etc.

The lack of ROR also stagnates the rest of the list in senior domiciles, particularly on the Capt side (MCO is a prime example), but now the FO side will be similarly affected as the AT guys come in on top of them.

Every few years, the ROR subject came up, and SWAPA ignored it, mainly because it would "harm" the senior vacation poachers and domicile carpetbaggers. This time around, SWAPA was able to deflect the blame to the company.

The senior carpetbaggers love the flexibility of being able to winter in MCO and summer in BWI etc, but the junior guys pay for it.

IMHO, getting ROR in the contract would HELP the former AT guys as much as it would the organic SW guys, especially once they can exercise their global seniority, but SWAPA won't fight for it.

 

[redflyer65]

SWAPA didn't back ROR what so ever. Once the AAI guys come over, they will see how the vacancies roll. Sometimes -/+ 5 or so...sometimes -/+ 15. It's painful to get to the base you want..finally to then be booted with no right of return.

Trip is right, those that are more senior love to bid around at will with no reprecussions. Need to bid MDW to MCO for a new girlfriend, no problem for the guys with seniority.

Like the weather better in MDW during the summer? You get the point. The guys at the bottom bare the brunt of the wild swings. Those higher up have no clue of the displacements, literally no clue.

 

[vixin]

SWAPA, in my own opinion and based on that fact, had no previous knowledge of the 717 going away.
__________________

This announcement is one SWAPA has planned for from the original announcement of the purchase of AirTran Airways.

Steve Chase

You need to go re read the letter then. Steve Chase stated in his very poor letter that they knew of the 717's fate the day the announcement was made. How do you feel about your union now?

Then any remaining after 2015 will come over as CA as they transition to their 737 CA job.

Only if their world senority can hold it, correct?

Time for both pilot groups to band together and send SWA a message. This divid and conquer will only hurt this pilot group more and give Mr Kelly a bigger smile. He does not give a crap about the pilots. Get that clear.