wow have i been naive. i was under the initial impression when sw bought us, that swapa and airtran pilots would have some ligitimate differences in seniority integration, try to work them out, and if not , have an arbitrator decide it for us. we would go through this process with respect for our fellow aviators flying the other color airplanes. instead, and very sadly so, It seems that swapa leadership has been acting as if we are an enemy. I hope they realize we will all be one pilot group at some point. wouldn't it be nice if they could keep this in mind before rallying the troops against us. Also, GK seems to be standing behind them as if whatever they offer should be welcomed without question. One Luv hah
The only reason our intigration team voted yes, was because swapa has decided not to look at precedent of other airline mergers by stuffing this rediculous list down our throat (i would lose 4years 3months, and 30% relative seniority)and the big dog in the room made (option b threats). the yes vote was a fear vote. our mec did the right thing. hopefully it is the smart thing. bottom line is we all have familly's and want security for them. putting fear into your future fellow crewmembers is not the right thing to do. They say they dont want their culture ruined. well as far as i can tell SW pilots were not always SW pilots. they did a pretty good job conforming. i'm sure we can too. unless ofcourse we are treated like second class citizens before given the privelege.
sorry for rant. would just like to be treated with respect while the agreed upon integration process follows its intended path. I'm sure it will all work out in the end. weather SWAPA leadership wants to admit it or not, we do bring alot to the table, and as GK has stated, this merger/aquisition will bring much needed growth to SW.