DC8DRIVER

The bottom line is that the language in our contract prevents any sort of section six negotiations in the event of a merger, hence our insistence on completing the section six negotiations prior to supplying them with the SLI. If they get the list, they prevent us from meaningful negotiations or the ability to vote.

iPilot, Globemaster, and others have been extremely patient and long winded trying to explain the details to you, yet you still seem to think that our pilot group, our EXCO, and our negotiating team haven't thought of a strategy that you came up with after a few days of online posts.

Globemaster2827

Yall have been brilliant with your strategy. The alternative was to merge your contract with Southern's 3 years ago and that would've meant MASSIVE concessions in the best market for pilots... Ever.

Could you imagine being a year and a half into a 5 year contract that keeps you on the road 19 days a month, pays a 12 year 747 Captain $140k a year, and gives a 2.5% match on a 401k?.... And it'd open up 3.5 years from now? That's what Amalgamation meant. A slightly higher rate and everything else Merged.

You'll at least get current book and a higher rate now that you fought. That's the current doomsday scenario.

CaptDave

Everyone could just stop flying and show up at the corporate offices and demand better. All at once. The last time I checked, this is a free country and no contract or lawyer or arbitration team or judge owns anyone if you.

Not one of any number of pilots on the seniority list owe anything to management. Nothing at all. Pilots fly the planes that make their profits. Let’s not forget that. If we all stop flying, and I mean everyone on the list, for however long it takes, the company either bleeds out until the pilots get the contract they want/deserve or the company files BK and disappears.

Mgmt may be puffing their cigars and laughing to the bank but the easiest way to make that stop is for revenue to stop being generated. Stop the cash flow. Stop the mgmt bullying.

What are they gonna do? Take your jobs away?

Boris Badenov

That's called a wildcat strike. Google it and see if that's what you'd like to see happen.

CaptDave

Agreed, and it depends on the outcome. Google reading yielded about 50/50 on the results as far as good/bad outcomes. Some were very favorable while others were not. However, it’s really no different than someone saying “vote with your feet”.

I’m not sure where this will end up in the next few years but I am hoping it will work out for the better for all the pilots at AtSouth.

Diesel8

Things are a mess here at Southern. Take this from a line captain, not some vaunted check airman who's life is mired completely in the Miami Mafia.

Line captains are taking their rest in the center jumpseat because all those brilliant new hires that miraculously make it through training and OE when they get out on the line, on their own show none of the skills that they did with the check airmen. Those new hires have been around the world twice, demonstrate extreme complacency and are already b*tching that they are not going through upgrade. Excuse my generalities that might not fit a minority of specific individuals.

Southern is a sh*t show that the line captains are having to hold together. The new Atlas procedures and corporate culture make it all that much more difficult.

Flights are being cancelled or delayed for lack of crews. Aircraft are parked, or being parked. "Instructors", which are brand new FO's that show a small modicum of competence, with less than 3 to 500 hours on the airplane are being put back out on the line since there are not enough crews available to fly the schedule.

As one poster said it appears that Atlas management does not care if the airline shuts down due to gross mismanagement. They certainly will not suffer as they will all be given golden parachutes.

I do not see this company surviving with the way things are right now. We might all be out of a job, suffering with nothing, while management is enjoying themselves on their yachts out on the Caribbean.

I have seen this all before.

scrupulous

My father was a guy under the similar RLA copied language in Texas law like us except driving a bus. They did a wildcat strike back in the 80's and everyone who participated got fired (LINK). Mostly senior guys and in my father's case who had over 20 years in seniority. They eventually got rehired and the union fined but those participating in the strike lost all their seniority and longevity pay. Started as day one guys after the rehiring.

So sure, lets fight hard vs smart. The ExCo will deny involvement and still collect their flight pay loss and everyone with balls to strike will probably get fired while the junior guys get new found seniority.

History has a tendency to repeat itself. Having said this, it would be smarter to vote with your feet going to another carrier if you have the opportunity.

JackStraw

Do you have any good ideas? Smart vs hard.. what’s your smart solution? I haven’t heard a single one from you; just a bunch of potshots from the sidelines.

dwight3

How could anyone prove that a person took part in a wildcat strike? If a person calls in sick or fatigued more often than usual during the same time that other people are doing the same means you're guilty of taking part in a wildcat strike? BS

Cujo665

Thank you to the folks who you named and others that took the time to answer an honest question that I’ve heard others ask as well. It was informative and helps outsiders understand the current status post ruling.

Your veiled insults aren’t needed. Posing questions regarding potential solutions is just that; a means to educate by exploring why certain things do or do not work. That is not an insult to any union volunteer, or their work. It’s called learning and sharing knowledge.

Best of luck. The rest of us are here when you guys need us.