luv2fly
SWA FO
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2002
- Posts
- 204
Yeah, thanks for the "education." :laugh:
Now, here's some real education:
"Craft and class" is a term in labor law that deals with bargaining units for labor groups. For example, an NMB certification of a union at a particular airline might say something to the effect of "the craft and class of cockpit crew members of XYZ airline," meaning that the union has been certified by the NMB to represent anyone who is a cockpit crew member at that airline (captains, FOs, flight engineers, checkairmen). But, the RLA does not allow two unions to represent the same craft and class, which is different than the law under the NLRA.
So, taking it to the next step. When the NMB certifies a union to represent a craft and class, it is a legal certification that gives that one union the sole rights to negotiate anything at all for that craft and class. You can't go in and negotiate your own separate contract, and likewise, another union can't negotiate something for you. Only the union that is certified by the NMB may negotiate anything for that craft and class.
Therefore, in order for SWAPA to negotiate anything for the AirTran pilots, including longevity, SWAPA has to be certified as our bargaining representative first. And after SWAPA is certified as our bargaining representative, SWAPA has a duty of fair representation (DFR) under the law to us. That DFR obligation prohibits SWAPA from taking any action that would be considered "arbitrary, discriminatory, or in bad faith." So, anything that would serve to single out the AirTran portion of the pilot group for disparate treatment from the rest of the SWAPA membership would be a violation of SWAPA's DFR obligation.
SWAPA has good legal representation, so I'm sure they know better.
You are almost funny! Your lack of imagination in regards to what can happen to you via the latitude afforded SWAPA in the PA is sad. I hope your replacement is better informed!