Originally Posted by
The Juice
Unfortunately I think the theory is not accurate in reality. Flights will not get canceled enough to cause a significant ripple.
Even with all the upset pilots out there, Spirit still met their goal of "not finishing last" in March with A14. Will April be different? Probably not. When the objective of the airline is as low as "not finishing last," do you think they really care about a flight here and there that gets canceled for understaffing?
Short of a strike, pilots will ultimately do what is best for them and their family. I don't like the idea of guys picking up straight time OT or the SA List, but it's allowed by the CBA. So like it or not, it's happening and will continue to happen.
I'm at the point where I've accepted this is a marathon and not a sprint and I won't get worked up on a daily basis over it. Come to work, do my job, go home. If the phone rings, I might name an obscenely high demand, they may take it, they may not.
It's cliche but if some are so unhappy, it may be time to spend a little less time on the forums and a little more time networking for a job at a fancy Legacy. We all know that Legacy wages are locked in forever and will/won't/hasn't ever gone down.
The argument hasn't been about weather a handful of pilots refusing extra work would be enough to bring management to the table.
It has always been clear this will take leadership from the union in order to succeed.
We need a robust and effective leadership that truest stands up for its membership. Instead we seem to have a club that is hopeful they can magically improve QOL and pay.
Of course we all know how well hoping for change has worked in the history between labor and management.
I believe if we had an effective group of leaders we could have moved management to the table in a matter of months. How?
By doing a few symbolic things, like billboards and full page newspaper ads in the south Florida papers, it would have sent management a clear message we are serious and not afraid. Secondly it would have fostered a feeling of camaraderie and esprit de corps. Third, this feeling of Union and common cause would have kept the leaches from picking up open time.
They would have know people are copying the availability list, and seen who picked up over time. And no one would have to do a thing because every would know their brothers were watching.
As it is, there was no official leadership and we found ourselves improvising and hoping everyone got the message. We had people running for the hills because arm chair lawyers on the internet told them they might get a letter from someone someday.
Anyway, in the end it fizzled out and we didn't harm anything despite what some would want you to believe.
Next time we will be better lead, I hope.