Boogie Nights

Pilots give Southwest/AirTran deal easy landing

Pilots give Southwest/AirTran deal easy landing


Is this speculation? Is an SLI near at hand?



"The in-house union covering 6,000 Southwest pilots and the affiliation representing roughly 1,700 AirTran pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are nearing an agreement on a process for determining seniority."

"Although there is no requirement for what Mann calls a "prenuptial agreement," labor cooperation ahead of a merger is a carefully watched indicator of whether merged carriers can deliver on promised efficiencies related to labor costs."

SteelHorseFlyer

Oh good God no. The SLI hasn't even STARTED yet. This is just the PROCESS agreement that says the two unions WILL combine and lays out how they'll accomplish doing that. Not to mention that the article is largely inaccurate in several different places, especially the end. There won't be a vote to determine what union will represent each labor group. With Southwest outnumbering AirTran employees in each labor division by an easy 3:1 or more, the unions on property at Southwest remain the Collective Bargaining Agent by default.

For the SLI, my money is that we'll be here this time next year discussing the arbitration of said seniority lists and waiting for the results.

WHACKMASTER

Apparently Brian, once again you haven't been paying attention to the communications coming from our MEC and MC (big surprise). If you had been, you'd realize that SWAPA and ALPA are coming to an agreement on the Process Agreement, not the SLI.

Just as the case of SLI expectations, you are out of touch and don't represent the thoughts and expectations of our pilot group.

GizmoNC

How long do you think Airtran will operate FENCED in GHC as a subsidary of SWA?

SteelHorseFlyer

Until the SLI is done. If it takes as long as the damn process agreement, probably close to 2 years.

Boogie Nights

Whack man just say the article is a load, I just wanted to see if there was some thing going on I had not heard about. Lots of rumors about. Chide remarks like "Big Surprise" and views of the pilot group are way over the top. I am not going there. Just want to know if the article had any truth to it.

WHACKMASTER

Sure the article had some truth to it, but are you really expecting to find out something "hidden and grand" from the general media before you find out from your own union? Read the following quote from the article:

"The in-house union covering 6,000 Southwest pilots and the affiliation representing roughly 1,700 AirTran pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are nearing an agreement on a process for determining seniority."

It states that we are reaching an agreement on a PROCESS FOR DETERMINING SENIORITY. I'm not quite sure how you can misconstrue that in any way.

Keep informed by reading the email blasts from the MEC and Merger Committee. That's the best way to stay informed. Better yet, call your reps or anyone on the MC if you need clarification on anything. They very much want to hear from the pilot group inorder to kill any false rumors that are floating around.

Boogie Nights

Check your messages. Please clear some space and I will send you the complete message, if you did not get it. I fat fingered at least one incomplete messages to you.

B-

GizmoNC

So from what I am hearing. Once SWA gets DOJ approval Airtran immediately goes into GHC with a fence around it. As long as the FL pilots are in there flying for FL they dont get any raise to the SWA flight pay.

MatthewAMEL

Not quite.

DOCC follows about 30 days after DOJ.

After DOCC, AirTran Airways is owned by GHC (which is wholly owned by SWA). They continue to operate as independent companies. There is no 'fence', because they aren't the same company.

SWA will then slowly merge aspects of the AirTran operation into SWA. I imagine that GHC will continue to exist and continue to hold the AirTran cert until after the merger is complete.

One payrate will be part of the JCBA which will be different for each union group.