SWAPA looking to capture more Capt seats

[humveedriver]

The capturing of upgrades business. Both the first AIP and the second AIP would have transferred Captain seats to SWA pilots as a result of system wide downgrades. We were born to lose with this deal. I naively thought SWA being the internal customer company that they told us they were, would fly the 717s to at least 2015 in the interest of global harmony with the pilot groups. And as if it's not bad enough that we the AT pilots got outmanauvered on this deal, Steve Chase releases his now monthly victory dance about it. Which is a crock anyway. He's just trying to save face during an election period, by trying to appear militant for the SWAPA cause. To me he obviously lacks the full spectrum of understanding and appreciation for the NEW job at hand which is to integrate AirTran pilots and negotiate a new contract that will effect future SWAPA pilots with no vote or input. I find him to be a one trick pony.

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

I understand why the AAI pilots are upset with the COMPANY's decision to dispose of the 717. I also understand that having a B scale labor group on property is not good for anyone in the long run. That being said neither of these decisions have involved SWAPA or any SWAPA pilot. At no point in this whole process has SWAPA had any leverage. The AAI pilots say they voted with a gun to their heads. Well speaking for myself as a SWA pilot so did I. My choices were vote for this or not. SWAPA didn't write this SLI agreement SWA did. Voting yes meant accepting a b scale labor group, accepting a probable displacement out of my domicile for several years, and accepting seniority regression during the transition. Voting yes meant a permanent displacement and never upgrading.

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

Thinking that the SWAPA pilots will gain extra captain seats as a result of the departure of the 717 assumes that the 717 airframes will be replaced by 737s. I would be willing to bet that few if any will. Gary thinks in terms of ASMs not airframes. Given that 2 717s could be replaced by one -800 with minimal ASM loss, I think in the face of a weak economy and high fuel prices that MGT will use the opportunity to shrink ASMs and airframes. Look at the AAI station closures and the combination of capacity on routes. All this before IT can even get their act together to codeshare. Gents we are missing the forest for the trees. In the short term their is pain on both sides. SWA F/Os being displaced and loss of AAI Captain seats. In the long run we are all in this together and it may be a really bumpy ride.

 

[scoreboardII]

SWA management has all the leverage. They are the ones who have and will inflict the necessary pain until all AirTran pilots capitulate. The can write any agreement or side letter without having to worry about actually following through with content of these agreements. They just change the rules to fit their needs. SWAPA represents SWA pilots. Even though the SLI is over SWAPA will continue to take whatever they can from the AirTran pilots. That's sad to me, but it's what Steve Chase and the rest of you want apparently. All things considered this has to be one of the worst integrations of pilots in terms of time and changes to expectations post SLI.

except for that no furlough part in the worst economy since the telegraph, pay parity for everyone 2015, etc, but don't let the facts get in the way that this will go down as the best merger ever. Until it's proven otherwise.

Not to worry about Steve C, he has no chance to be re-elected.

 

[RLAblows]

I understand why the AAI pilots are upset with the COMPANY's decision to dispose of the 717. I also understand that having a B scale labor group on property is not good for anyone in the long run. That being said neither of these decisions have involved SWAPA or any SWAPA pilot. At no point in this whole process has SWAPA had any leverage. The AAI pilots say they voted with a gun to their heads. Well speaking for myself as a SWA pilot so did I. My choices were vote for this or not. SWAPA didn't write this SLI agreement SWA did. Voting yes meant accepting a b scale labor group, accepting a probable displacement out of my domicile for several years, and accepting seniority regression during the transition. Voting yes meant a permanent displacement and never upgrading.

What would voting "no" have done? Where was the "proverbial" gun to the SWA pilots head?

 

[scoreboardII]

Arbitration with the "fear the unknown" sale job from the union that we would take heavy losses in seniority.

I think arby would have given us better years of service across the board with some seat locks on your side.

 

[Ty Webb]

. . . . . Steve Chase . . . . . obviously lacks the full spectrum of understanding and appreciation for the NEW job at hand which is to integrate AirTran pilots and negotiate a new contract that will effect future SWAPA pilots with no vote or input. I find him to be a one trick pony.

Bingo.

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

What would voting "no" have done? Where was the "proverbial" gun to the SWA pilots head?

Our other choice was arbitration. If that arbitrated result would have fallen anywhere within the range of precident I would have been so far down the list I would have never upgraded and would have been commuting to the West Coast forever. Given the demographic differances between the groups most SWA pilots would have faced greatly delayed upgrades or severly degraded seniority for the rest of their careers. Granted that is not as big a threat as unemployment but it is a HUGE negative consequence. At the end of the day as a result of this deal a some SWA pilots got accelerated upgrades but will be sitting on the bottom of the captain list for a very long time, some, myself included, are moving backwards in the transition, and most are unaffected.

 

[SWA717]

Thinking that the SWAPA pilots will gain extra captain seats as a result of the departure of the 717 assumes that the 717 airframes will be replaced by 737s. I would be willing to bet that few if any will. Gary thinks in terms of ASMs not airframes. Given that 2 717s could be replaced by one -800 with minimal ASM loss, I think in the face of a weak economy and high fuel prices that MGT will use the opportunity to shrink ASMs and airframes. Look at the AAI station closures and the combination of capacity on routes. All this before IT can even get their act together to codeshare. Gents we are missing the forest for the trees. In the short term their is pain on both sides. SWA F/Os being displaced and loss of AAI Captain seats. In the long run we are all in this together and it may be a really bumpy ride.

+1 and well said!

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

I am unclear about what the AAI pilots expect from Steve C. He has a duty to enforce the contract he and the SLI agreement he has today which is what he is doing. The most important thing he can do for ALL SWA pilots on both sides of the partition is pressure the company to comply with the Jan 1 2015 date which he is doing. Even if the worst is true and as Lear states he is passively working against the AAI pilots it really would have no effect. The company does what it wants regardless of how SWAPA or Steve C. feel. They don't respect/fear SWAPA that much and never have. If in theory the company wanted to give the AAI pilots something extra he of coure would attempt to use that as leverage to gain something in the SWAPA contract. Who wouldn't? Whatever in theory that gain might be will be shared by all pilots as they cross the partition. In the end win or lose Steve C. will be out of office in Jan 2015. Any gains by the AAI group now are limited to a subset of pilots and cost leverage in the long term goal of getting us all a better contract beyond 2015.