I'm at SWA.

If you live in FL, I'd take F9 and run. Isn't MCO a junior base for you guys? To upgrade at WN in MCO is a lifetime in and of itself, and then when you do upgrade, you'll be stuck on reserve forever as MCO is where SWA dinosaurs go to fossilize. Many people at WN from MCO commute to HOU or BWI to upgrade. If you're gonna commute and you're starting on the bottom, any legacy. Southwest is not what it used to be, and while we have a great pilot group, our management has gone out of its way to destroy anything resembling what made Southwest successful to begin with.

 

I’m guessing your management will be replaced if they can’t get their act together. Same with f9 although I’m not sure f9 will become labor friendly? They need to in this environment.

 

Is there a single company in America, large or small, that gives a **** about its workers? Only one I can think of is maybe Costco? Certainly not airlines.

 

Corporations are not parents, or caretakers. They are/were created to produce a product or service for the public that hires labor to make a profit to share with their shareholders.

Prior to corporations, capitalism relied on private business owners to grow, hire labor and produce products/services and profits. It was determined that instead of relying on one person (family) to own businesses, that a corporation could be formed by selling stock and raising funds through investors who would share in the success of the corporation.

Some corporate mgmts decide that a partnership with labor will produce the best results (especially if in a service industry) but some choose to look at labor as only a significant cost item.

In my time with Delta, I feel that I've been treated as would be expected ( and I've been furloughed) because at the end of the day, the corporations prime objective is to
1. Stay in existence then
2. Make a profit to share with shareholders

Everything else that mgmt decides to do has to be linked back to those objectives.

As an employee, that often seems harsh that we are at the end of the whip. Not in control of our destiny other than to vote with our feet. In this industry, where seniority is everything, it can feel even more like golden handcuffs. Couple that with the fact that as a society we have linked our health care to our employment and it creates the illusion that the "corporation" cares or doesn't care about employees.

 

Swa corporate culture for years was one of if you treat and pay your employees well they in turn will reward the company with efficiencies. It worked great for a few decades and there’s investment funds that invest in companies with that specific philosophy. Going forward it remains to be seen if that’s the eventual plan again. Right now we’re in a negotiating cycle and it generally always looks like this.

If you want to see other companies with this philosophy check out some of those funds. They generally beat the S&P. That tells me it’s an effective strategy.

 

I second this. I had an interview at WN, DL, UA, and AA, but I choose F9 so I could be home. I live in Orlando and I’ve never worked a holiday and I do mostly day turns. I would like to have more money but I make enough where I do t have to live paycheck to paycheck. But, that’s me. Being home with my family is my priority. Having day turns is not what everyone wants so you really have to decide what’s best for you

 

I agree. Even down to the maligned fast food jobs, seems in n out and chipotle tend to pay better and have happier employees (as happy as you can get, at that level). Ironically (or perhaps not), several days ago I saw both of those names in an article criticizing them for donating heaps of money to oppose legislation bolstering minimum wage.

What’s the saying, trip over dollars to pick up pennies? I know southwest used to be the “work your tail off but they treat us well.” History tells me a lot of jobs were like that in post-war America boom. Not anymore.

anyway this is why I won’t chase money to try hopping to another company that pays a a little (or a lot) more. Especially if it brings a lifelong commute. We all know it: remove the badge (and the hat, where applicable), most crews at every airlines will complain about the same things. And now finally at WN they have realized it’s not the ol howdy friendly little airline. So I’ll keep my head down, do my job, take my check, and try to work collectively toward a better contract each cycle.

Things can and should improve. the one thing I will never expect is a friendly accepting management. “This is not Costco, we don’t love you!”

 

It's also a very different dynamic when your a small "upstart" airline, taking on the larger legacy airlines. You can convince employees that everyone is against you, we're all in this together type of dynamic.

Now you're the largest domestic carrier. Your benefits of growth (even if large) doesn't reach down to the employees as quickly when your 13,000 pilots big vs 5000 pilots. It's harder to sell the victim/survivor relationship to employees.

Policies feel more displaced and from above as employees are increasingly removed from decision makers.

 

Alright let’s take this question one step further. Frontier captain who commutes vs. starting over and living in base at SWA?

What says the brain trust?

 

Southwest has finally fallen from grace. Turned against their own employees and operationally fallen to sh|t and now you guys want jobs there?!

If you're senior to me, you should definitely go