Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
It's a river. In Egypt.
AirTran/SWA Seniority Integration Deal
- Thread starter SlumTodd_Millionaire
- Start date
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
De Nile... NOT just a river in Egypt.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
AirTran Pilots Ratify Seniority Integration Agreement
Guess that settles this...
Guess that settles this...
ALPA said:
HVYMETALDRVR
Well-Known Member
On a totally random point I think Delta's first furlough was actually in 83' after the PATCO strike and Reagon fired everyone...
WacoFan
Bigly
The 30,000 foot overview is that Air Tran's MEC decided not to pass along a proposed list, so SWA (Gary Kelly, Herb, Colleen) said "Fine...here's a REALLY crappy deal, and if you don't accept this, which is way more punitive than the previous one, we will operate separate airlines and bleed AT assets and such until we simply discontinue its operations." So, the AT guys voted for this. ALPA's probably happy because it salvages 2 or 3 years of partial dues from AT (I think) as some pilots remain there and others slowly bleed over to SWA and join SWAPA.
All in all, I think this was a huge win for SWA and SWAPA. I also think it puts to lie all this happy, go-lucky talk of "family" and "the golden rule" and "our team members" and such. I was on SWA a couple weeks ago and had huge smiles reading the article in the magazine that Gary Kelly writes (or at least signs) that spoke of their excitement at adding the AT people to the SWA family and how they will be a great cultural fit and then some BS about treating employee-associates with the golden rule, etc. Kelly, Herb and Colleen are no different that Crandal, Lorenzo, Icahn or even Orenstein: They are just aggressive executives trying to make money with airlines and they will do what they need to do in order to protect and grow the bottom-line. If being a "family" serves their interest...they will use it. The minute it doesn't, they will be brutal, as was the case here. Basically, they treated the employees like motor oil. Seems like a certain JC user explained this months ago, prior to this situation, to many other user's chagrin.
Waco you involved in the process? I am and I'm not happy like most of the SWA pilots, but it is what it is. I didn't get anything out of this deal maybe a little seniority which does nothing for my quality of life, there are guys junior to me making more and getting more vacation than me. I'm pretty sure that almost all the AirTran guys got a huge pay raise even with the loss of seniority. They are a much smaller airline but I know that for the most part things are a lot better at SW. So they will be pissed about loss of seniority, but I'm pretty sure they will be smiling every 5th and 20th. And I will treat each airtran employee no different than someone hired at SWA. It's up to the employees to keep this place what it has always been.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Wrong. My pay is exactly the same, and will stay that way for years to come. Only the FOs who go to the 737 (getting forced out of Atlanta in the process) get a pay raise anytime remotely soon. The rest of us have to hope and pray that those pay rates are still there in 2015, when we finally get the same pay that the 737 pilots are making flying an airplane with the same number of seats as us. Many of our captains who are getting forced out of their seats are being forced into a pay cut, in fact.
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
It will be interesting to see how much of a poison pill has just been planted in the midst of the big happy Southwest Family seniority list. I'm sure all AirTran pilots will continue to be professionals and what not, but I'm guessing the culture is going to take a huge hit, even if the original SWA pilots way outnumber the former Trannies.
Money doesn't buy happiness.
Money doesn't buy happiness.
Sorry I did forget about 717 guys, but once 2015 comes you are getting a pay raise. You are correct who knows if the pay rates will be here in 2015. Who knows if Airtran would have made it on their own if SWA never bought them, maybe you guys would have struck and been shut down, the relationship with management didn't seem that great. This is a career that changes by the minute the only way you know it works out is the day you retire. So you can come up with a million different what ifs. The only thing I know now is that I get paid very well and I enjoy my job, a lot of people in aviation can't say that. I would love to see what captains were making over there. As a 5 year fo I made over 160k in pay, not including perdiem, profit sharing or 401k match, and I don't work that much. So the captains dropping down to FO might take an hourly pay cut but I am betting most of them will be taking home more per year, especially since they will be keeping longevity pay. If people coming here don't like it they are welcome to leave. You can make it good or crappy that is up to you. That is why I didn't want SWA to buy any airline, everyone here that was hired wanted to be here and worked hard to be here and want SWA to succeed. When I was hired I was told a 6 year upgrade, not the case now, I don't come to work with a chip on my shoulder because 6 years has turned into 17 plus years. Nothing is written in stone, beside death.
BobDduck-
From what I have seen on the line, most guys didn't want this to happen, it did, it's done, lets be stronger airline for it. This isn't the SWA of the 70s but we have it better than most as of now and most guys want to keep it that way. Like I said its up to the individual to keep the culture alive. I still buy drinks if the captain doesn't, I go back help clean the cabin, I run and get food for FAs on turns when they need it, I push wheelchairs, I try to do at least one thing a day to make a fellow employees job easier or more enjoyable.
BobDduck-
From what I have seen on the line, most guys didn't want this to happen, it did, it's done, lets be stronger airline for it. This isn't the SWA of the 70s but we have it better than most as of now and most guys want to keep it that way. Like I said its up to the individual to keep the culture alive. I still buy drinks if the captain doesn't, I go back help clean the cabin, I run and get food for FAs on turns when they need it, I push wheelchairs, I try to do at least one thing a day to make a fellow employees job easier or more enjoyable.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
You would lose that bet.