Southwest Airlines pilots turn down new deal 2:15 PM CT
02:20 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 3, 2009

By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
Southwest Airlines Co. pilots have rejected a tentative agreement by a narrow margin, the union representing the pilots said on Wednesday.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association said just under 51 percent of pilots voting were against the contract.

“Our pilots have spoken, and the group has stated there is more work to be done,” union president Carl Kuwitzky said. “This contract, despite some financial gains, contained too many other negative aspects to ratify it.”

Back to negotiating table....

 

With 5649 votes cast, or 95.9% of eligible voters, it was rejected by 95 votes.

2869 or 50.84% voted No to 2774 or 49.16% who voted Yes.

Pretty frickin close

 

I'm Shocked!! And very happy. Very rare for the line pilots to turn anything down it seems lately. No matter how bad it is. Partly because your elected leaders endorse it. Alaska for example.


Congrats. My money is you'll have another TA within a month. With some gains. Since SWA mgmt. now knows they only have to convince 2% to change. Wish we here at UPS turned are down, lost by 4%. Our Schedules are terrible.

 

On Planebusiness Holly writes that the contract was turned down because it was too generous and the pilots know they should not make that much.
Kind of a dub post for her blog. Someone who is registered should correct her.

PlaneBuzz

My guess is that SWA pilots saw what codeshare and outsourcing has resulted in elsewhere and knew they wanted no part of it. Notice the plug got pulled on Westjet ....

 

Secrecy and mistrust got the whole ball rolling. Then the TA came out, which opened numerous wounds. Then the time the BOD actually had time to look at the TA before the vote. Followed by many medium sized mistakes that could not be explained away, that turned into giant items. It was many things that gained momentum, and turned into the rejection of the TA.

 

As an outsider (to SWA), I find this is a good move, but it will only have any significance at all if it results in significant modifications. If it goes back in for a little tweaking, just enough for 50%, and passes again, it may make you feel a little better for voting it down, but that's about it.

If on the other hand your negotiators see this as a major rebuke, or if your union changes negotiators altogether, with instructions NOT to come back with a "51%" T/A, then this will be a turning point you should be proud of, and we should all envy.

For now, congrats for putting a marginal T/A out of its' misery.

 

Sink,

This isn't one of the legacies and hardball tactics will create a relationship (i.e. "turning point) with management that we may not want. This is an old contract and needed to have many issues addressed and fixed. The idea that anyone can see the rejection of this TA as a "major rebuke" and that huge corrections are in order is a stretch. I would like to see a margin better thatn 51% so improvements are in order, but fixing most of supposed negative stuff to make everyone happy is probably not going to happen and is unrealistic.

Oscar

From an old Marine buddy of mine - "marginal" does not mean Unsat.

 

Thanks for the reply, Oscar.

It sounds as though you value maintaining the existing relationship with management, and are willing to live with relatively modest improvements. If you were at my airline, I would be critical of such a statement. Then again, I don't walk in your shoes, and I don't know about a) your contract, and b) the value of your relationship with management.

You probably are entirely correct, and improvements will yield some margin better than 51%. In that case, for those of us observing from a distance, this vote isn't exactly a watershed event. Interesting, but not earth-shattering.

With respect to the word "marginal"... I used that term, and maybe I was misinformed. But then again, 51% of your guys did find the T/A "unsat", correct?

One additional comment: you said you're not a legacy carrier. I wonder. You've been on your way to the top of the world for so long, that it may surprise you to find you've reached it, and didn't realize it. Your apex turns out to be just behind you, and legacy you become. Same problems as everyone else. Same senior workforce. Same saturated markets as everyone else. Same stagnant growth. Etc. One day you're the fresh Wall Street darling, the next day you're "legacy". We're all cool until we're not.

I'm not projecting your imminent decline. Southwest should remain a great airline for a long time. But as someone whose airline was on top of the world just a few years ago, let me welcome you to the legacy pool. The water's fine.

...and I'm still jealous of your payrates.

 

Wow quite the turn out!

Obviously as someone in the pool, I look forward to a TA being adopted and trust that in the end it will all work out.

Thank you to all the SWA pilots (on both sides in this issue) who have taken the time to help educate those of us watching from the water. I know we will all have a much better understanding of where the company has been and where it's going when we do finally end up on the line with you guys.

Here's hoping that folks get involved and help improve this thing to a point that is benificial and acceptable to both the company and the pilots. In the mean time, we'll keep floating, learning and waiting.

If I had one request of everyone it would be to please remember that we are on the same side even though we may see things differently at times. Work together and you (we, if you'll allow me to include those of us in the pool) will win in the long run. If we fight each other, we will lose in the end.

 

Anyone know what the big reason on why so many declined this TA? Was it because of the Code Share deal with Volaries or WestJet?? Just Curious.. Thanks