SWAPA has already settled this grievance with management. Basically the guys that would have gotten those captain seats will get bypass pay. What management decides to do beyond Dec 31st is up to them. From SWAPA:
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From your SWAPA President, Mark Richardson
Fellow Pilots,
As you know, last year I instructed our Contract Administration Committee to pursue a grievance over the transition deadline for the AirTran B737 aircraft. SWAPA and Southwest had previously agreed to transition all B737s to Southwest's side of the operational partition no later than September 1, 2014. This transition schedule ensured that the B737 Captain seats would be transferred directly to Southwest pilots as agreed-to in the seniority integration agreement.
I am pleased to inform you that SWAPA and SWA have resolved the grievance enforcing the intent of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The Company has agreed that the intent of that aircraft transition schedule was to provide negotiated Captain seats for Southwest pilots. The grievance remedy includes the establishment of a ratio of Captains-to-B737 aircraft (all B737 aircraft) of 5.75:1 at the end of 2014. This ratio ensures that Captain seats created by the transition of AirTran aircraft occurs as envisioned in Side Letter 10. Furthermore, the Company agrees to pay Captain rates to any First Officer wrongfully denied an upgrade if they fail to achieve this ratio by December 31, 2014.
The Company has posted their training schedule through mid-year. As you have seen in a memo yesterday, this aggressive timeline has upgrade classes of 48 pilots per month scheduled through August. Upgrades and training will continue beyond August to meet the 5.75:1 ratio.
SWAPA will continue to closely monitor the transition schedule and will quickly react if we perceive any further shortcomings in the implementation schedule of final transition.
Mark