LostInPA

"Not Scabbing" is the lowest common denominator of solidarity in the profession.

Speaking as a total outsider to the situation, the strike vote wasn't taken because things are all so great at NK. Sometimes one must take a risk to get what they're not getting, and to you guys/girls at Spirit, good luck and hold the line if it comes to a strike.

iahflyr

What was the economy and pilot job market like during some of the big strikes in the past (1983, 1985, 1989)? Were there tens of thousands of pilots of furlough at those times?

How many pilots scabbed at Continental?
How many pilots scabbed at United?
How many pilots scabbed at Eastern?

Aren't there over 5,000 pilots on the master scab list? Spirit only has 400 active pilots, so Spirit management could probably get the job done with 200-300 replacement pilots. When you think about it, that's not that much.

With the way the economy is right now, I can see a higher amount (percentage wise) scabbing than in the past. Pilots who are up against defaulting on their mortgage, or the threat of loosing health insurance to those with at risk family members could be pressured to cross. And then if Spirit management is even able to get close to 200 pilots to scab, then you might see some more active pilots begin to cross the line because of fear of loosing their job permanently.

I'm not trying to be a total downer here. I certainly wish the Spirit group gets what is fair. Your FO's seem under compensated, and I'd like to see that fixed. But I just think with the economy, tens of thousands of furloughed pilots, and the small number of pilots Spirit would have to replace, I think the odds are against Spirit pilots should they go on strike.

SkyHigh

Union thuggery is a tradition. What is to stop every pilot from coming up with an excuse? "I have a pool payment to make this month." It seems to me that those who hold such a hard line in regards to strike violations must be single or have another source of income. If you have a family to think of you would think there would be more empathy.

Skyhigh

alvrb211

And what "situation" would that be?

Al

SkyHigh

It seems to me that pilots who have been at the same company for many years begin to develop blinders and become totally unaware of what is going on in the world around them. Downturn? What downturn?? Strike !! I want a new motorcycle this summer.

Management however has daily reminders that they are in competition with airlines that pay their pilots much less.

Skyhigh

ridinhigh

The joke of a comparison that there are airlines that pay less than Spirit is insulting skyhigh.
Don't you have an airline to run instead of putting propoganda on here?

Best of luck to the Spirit pilots and all pilots for that matter.

iPilot

Can Spirit even bring in replacement workers at this point? They still have to go through company initial training even if they are typed and current on A320s. There has been history of pilots getting union permission to start training as a replacement only to join the picket line when they're put through. To me, that would be outstanding as you just yanked the victory right from management's hands plus you automatically get a spot on the seniority list (assuming the union will allow it, history would say yes).

In any case, I doubt very much that Spirit will look for outsiders to cross the line due to the money and time involved with training. Who among the pilots will cross though, time will tell. I have a theory that not that many will, some, but not enough to make a difference.

fireman0174

Once again you display your lack of knowledge.

Literally thousands of UAL pilots back in 1985 put their careers in jeopardy. You think they were all “single” or had another source of income? Do you believe I didn't think of my wife and three children, ages 15, 12 and 6 when this came down?

We talked with our kids and shared with them my reasons for honoring the strike. But the wife and kids understood the importance of the event.

After the strike there was quite a bit of money donated by the pilots for those flight attendants who honored our picket lines. (Another story). My oldest daughter donated all of the money she had from her baby-sitting jobs. It was a few hundred dollars as best I recall. I told her that she should keep the money, but she insisted on doing it, and she kept her word.

Let me share a perspective with you. Fifteen years after the strike I agreed to an MEC committee position. Unknowing to me, a scab had already been asked to work on the committee - I didn't find out about this until after I agreed to be the committee chairman. (Still another story.) I wasn't really happy when I became aware of this development, but out of respect for the MEC Chairman, I didn't make an issue out of it.

Literally the day after the strike ended, this guy tried to earn his way back into the good graces of the union. He wrote articles about his mistake, stood up in front of the MEC and his own Council to confess the error of his ways. He gave back every penny he earned during the strike, but it really didn’t satisfy a significant number of the pilots who honored the strike.

Anyway, in 2000-2001 we had some “contract difficulties” with the company. This guy was the only pilot I knew who actually wanted a strike, and he made no bones about it. He wanted to honor our picket line to make up for what he did in 1985.

Some of the statements in this thread make me SO GLAD that I am no longer in the industry. But then, those reasons are not all that different from those who crossed in 1985.

Twenty-five years have passed and I still have that non-existent scab list.

My wife and three kids appear to have had more backbone in 1985 than some on this forum today, judging from some statements made.

HercDriver130

History says a few will... in this case probably 15-20.... Lord knows I am not a huge supporter of Unions... but having been a member of two... and with one been right where the Spirit Pilots are now.. ( i was with Nashville Eagle in 94 when we were set to strike AMR Eagle ) I can say that crossing a picket line is just not thinkable. Many that do deep down regret it. I can still remember a time when every time I got on a Jet to commute to work the CA whipped out his scab master list and check the persons name.....

Herkulesdrvr

Well I read about how this industry is not what it used to be? Unions have to take some of the blame. Unions don't serve their members well, but the minute the minions running the union want your support they are your best friend. Unions have destroyed the industry not scabs. Like I said, if I had a sick family member my union affiliation would be a distant second.