Originally Posted by
REF 5
Haven't heard that at all from SWAPA's NC. As a matter of fact they have told the company many times that they are in no position to ask anything. Look at disability. The company has agreed to pick up disability but want's to change sick pay provisions. The NC has told them to pound sand. That was in front of the mediator. Need less to say those two sections are still open and probably will be until the company puts the pay package on the table.
Thanks for reading.
I don’t know what the NC’s overall posture is on the necessity to give something up in order to get something or to move toward the position of the company. I hope the NC fully understands that we don’t need to buy into the squozen balloon idea. Though they told the company to “pound sand” on the disability issue gives that you pointed out, it could be that there are other contractual areas where they feel the need to give since they aren’t giving on sick time tied to disability. I hope not, but I’m not sure.
But like you said, this information is more about informing the pilot group on what the RLA and RLA case law really have to say about the issues of reasonability and good faith bargaining. There is absolutely wild misunderstanding out there in our pilot group swirling around these issues. That wild misunderstanding and seeming unwillingness to realize that we don’t need to limit ourselves to a narrow body-style contract are the main thing, IMO, that holds us back from achieving much better than we currently have.
Originally Posted by
REF 5
Southwest Airlines Pilots can demand anything they want. Mediator does not care. SWAPA can ask to be paid in rocks and if SWA mangement agrees the mediator has done his/her job. The question is NOT the RLA but the pilot group in general. You have to convince the pilot group. Plain and simple. If you think we should be paid 150% more than any wide body captain in the world go for it. I personally think you are selling the pilot group short. I would tie our compensation to Bob's. If he gets grants, we get grants. If he gets a bonus we get the same. I would argue though their has never been any contractual leading industry gains without mediation. Every time the bar has been raised it has been through mediation. Why? Because the ultimate slap down is to walk. The only way you get walk is go through the process. Not a single carrier, especially the big three have had big gain's without a threat of a walk out. I don't like the RLA but its the system we have. Almost all those gains the pilot group was convinced to walk for it. And was ready for it. Just ask Spirit a few years ago. The were just trying to get what they deserved. Their management team actually ignored the mediators requests to agree and the NMB let them go. Not too many cases that I heard of where the NMB sided with labor. In the end they got what they wanted because they walked.
RLA is a frame work to get a deal. It can be asset that can help us get a contract we deserve, it's mechanism's to get their are not. Leverage has been historically on the side of mangement because of the RLA. Real leverage is to walk. When the company and the union agree to a deal they will have to make the case in front 10,000 pilot's. I appreciate you taking the time to put up this info for all to see. Sometimes getting very detailed about something as dry as RLA can be as daunting as reading the FOM but I do appreciate it. In the end channel those wants to every guy you fly with. A whole paradigm shift on how we should get paid is different. Usually that starts the day after a contract is ratified because it takes a long time to convince other guys. Especially pilots.
Yep. Agree in principle with most of what you’re saying.
The one thing I’d push back on a little is the idea that the RLA is slanted against labor. I’d say it’s more like the RLA appears to be slanted against labor because, if the RLA can be said to favor one side or the other, IMO, it favors the side that understands it better.
In almost all cases I’m aware of, I’d say the side that understands the RLA better has been management. Therefore, they have typically been better able to leverage the RLA to work for them. Since they achieve more “RLA” wins as a result of their better understanding of the RLA, the RLA appears to favor management.
I anticipate many pilots will look at what I wrote in the original post(s) and their eyes will glaze over because it’s pretty long and, hey, there’s a football game on TV or they’ve got to wash their car or whatever.
I’ve been trying to explain to a SWA friend of mine why we don’t need to limit ourselves to narrow body demands. I asked them if they were going to read what I wrote about it. They said no and explained it doesn’t matter what I wrote because none of our pilots would support going for wide body-style rates and contractual features. Kinda sad. It says a lot about where we are and why we are where we are.