Speaking of Aussie Accents....

https://youtu.be/Xfzxesxk_Yo

Kap

According to the Swapa call yesterday, the company admits it needs all available crew to meet the January schedule with the new destinations and routes.

I don’t think the timing was arbitrary.

I suspect the timing on this has to do with the ultimatum having more impact if they waited until after UALs deal and the layoffs at the other majors, and rushing it through a vote before we realize the company can’t meet January’s schedule if they furlough.

This isn’t about survival, we have two year’s cash and are positioning ourselves to capitalize on the other carrier’s weaknesses. It’s about getting money from the employees and stacking up the various pools of money.

concession$ + furlough$ + potential bankruptcy$ + any other $ they can scheme = a lot of money. It’s the FH playbook.

Call me crazy, but if you went to Big 3, chances are narrow body for life anyway. Only very top of the seniority list will get to left seat wide body after Covid fleet restructuring (maybe UAL chance) or you could stay WB F/O, but lot’s of lost lifetime earnings in the 401K.

Unless your 25 years old going to Big 3, just don’t get the wide body argument of Big 3 vs WN or B6 anymore. Heck B6 you can fly to Europe now on 321LR/XLR. Probably not long before WN does longer international w/MAX. Just sayin...

AIRCRAFT MECHANICS FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION
AMFA–SWA Airline Representatives
Local 4: Dan Burgess • Local 11: Craig Hamlet • Local 18: Wayne Lampley • Local 32: Ken Patrick
October 15, 2020
To All AMFA Members at Southwest Airlines:
Today, October 15, 2020, your Air Line Representatives (ALR) and legal counsel attended an electronic meeting with the Company. This meeting was requested by the Company to hear AMFA’s response to the concessionary proposal delivered by Southwest last week. That response from your ALR’s was clear, concise and delivered at the outset of today’s meeting. The Company was informed that we, based on overwhelming feedback from AMFA members, are not interested in the Company’s concessionary proposal. In addition, we advised the Company’s team we are not interested in proposals that would open any of our contracts on property for concessionary purposes.
As discussed in our previous update, we reiterated our willingness to engage with the Company to consider cost saving measures that do not require concessions to our agreements. We again conveyed the need to bring outsourced maintenance in-house to keep our members employed and engaged. We will be working with AMFA’s economist in the coming days to formulate an information request to better allow us to understand the current state of Southwest’s outsourced maintenance footprint and associated costs. We hope the Company will respond promptly and in full to our information request as now is not the time to hide the ball. The Company may try to muddy the waters by pointing to our position during the first meeting that we would not sign non- disclosure agreements (NDA). That is like comparing apples to oranges. We remain unwilling to sign overly broad NDA’s that would limit our ability to communicate openly and remain transparent with you during these turbulent times. You deserve to know what is occurring. We will, however, consider a narrowly tailored NDA that would allow the AMFA economist to evaluate and analyze, among other things, outsourced maintenance costing data.
It is worth repeating that, based on your consistent feedback, we will defend and enforce all three AMFA contracts, which each contain language restricting any reduction in force of our members while Southwest continues to outsource your work. We ask that you continue to remain informed and be wary of furlough fear tactics that will undoubtedly increase as we stand our ground against concessions in the face of the Company’s self-imposed deadline. The solidarity of our members in response to the Company’s recent actions has been incredible. We, as your ALR’s, are grateful for the overwhelming support. Our unity, especially during these times, is our strength.
In Solidarity,
Your AMFA–SWA Airline Representatives
SAFETY IN THE AIR BEGINS WITH QUALITY MAINTENANCE

Beautiful response!

I’m just gonna repost this quote from Gary Kelly that has already been posted on APC. It bears repeating and reiterating:

The SWAPA virtual meeting yesterday said that the total amount of money the company would save from pilots taking a 10% pay cut is just over $200M. But $7.5 BILLION in government loans were available until a few weeks ago. The quote above explains why Gary Kelly turned the government loan down. If he had only taken $500M of the $7.5 BILLION that he turned down to protect bankers and his buddies, he would have more than covered a 10% pay cut for all employees.

But, INVESTMENT BANKERS AND EXECUTIVE PAYOUTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EMPLOYEES AT SWA. Yes, I shouted that because it can’t be forgotten.

Finally, I think most of us realize this, but Gary Kelly’s not taking a salary for all of 2021 is no sacrifice. SWAPA explained that last year Kelly earned just shy of $800K in salary as SWA CEO, but earned approximately $8M in stock-based income. He’ll still be earning his stock income in 2021. Also, SWAPA stated that his compensation package includes a pledge to make him whole for situations where he loses salary, like him “giving up” his salary next year. He’s gonna be made whole. He’s not losing that salary.

This is great informational picket material:

”We already took a REAL paycut. Gary Kelly kept his millions.”

Or:

”Shareholders over families. Where’s the LUV?”

I agree with the second part, these tactics has been a bit of a wake up call for me culture wise. If we take this cut this year and next year they are profitable there will be stock buybacks again and not even a nod to our paycuts.
(I’m deep in the furlough zone)

I heard GK said we need every pilot for January schedule....anyone got a source on that? Was said in the SWAPA meeting

i heard WN is going to start Miami to Accra, Ghana with the MAX

Todays email said we’re over-staffed 20%. That’s over 1800 pilots. I’m well into the furlough zone and after looking at the furlough section of the contract and doing the furlough pay math as well as the paid move on recall, I AM A DEFINITE NO! to concessions.

GK also said in that email that total savings are from adding up the gains from various efforts. I’m sure if we vote yes to concessions they’ll add the 20% furloughs to the ten percent concessions, that’s why they continue to spin the Force Majuere. The BoD has gone full-in on the FordHarrison playbook.

This is a true disappointment to those of us who came here for the perceived culture.