From your SWAPA President, Mark Richardson

Fellow Pilots,

As you know, last year I instructed our Contract Administration Committee to pursue a grievance over the transition deadline for the AirTran B737 aircraft. SWAPA and Southwest had previously agreed to transition all B737s to Southwest's side of the operational partition no later than September 1, 2014. This transition schedule ensured that the B737 Captain seats would be transferred directly to Southwest pilots as agreed-to in the seniority integration agreement.

I am pleased to inform you that SWAPA and SWA have resolved the grievance enforcing the intent of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The Company has agreed that the intent of that aircraft transition schedule was to provide negotiated Captain seats for Southwest pilots. The grievance remedy includes the establishment of a ratio of Captains-to-B737 aircraft (all B737 aircraft) of 5.75:1 at the end of 2014. This ratio ensures that Captain seats created by the transition of AirTran aircraft occurs as envisioned in Side Letter 10. Furthermore, the Company agrees to pay Captain rates to any First Officer wrongfully denied an upgrade if they fail to achieve this ratio by December 31, 2014.

The Company has posted their training schedule through mid-year. As you have seen in a memo yesterday, this aggressive timeline has upgrade classes of 48 pilots per month scheduled through August. Upgrades and training will continue beyond August to meet the 5.75:1 ratio.

SWAPA will continue to closely monitor the transition schedule and will quickly react if we perceive any further shortcomings in the implementation schedule of final transition.

Mark

 

The big question is does this agreement provide for the bypass pay to the senior RSW FO *AND* the (eventual) captain seat or just the cash? The letter from SWAPA says: "This ratio ensures that Captain seats created by the transition of AirTran aircraft occurs as envisioned in Side Letter 10. " I'm lead to believe from the letter language that it's both.

We now know the senior RSWFO's get the cash "if they fail to achieve this ratio by December 31, 2014." Do they get priority access to the seat too? How will this occur? It sounds to me by increasing the RSW upgrade numbers in Dallas this year at the continued expense of AirTran Pilots - taking a school house training / transition slot and turning it into a RSW upgrade slot.

I'm sorry but how can SW continue to screw the AT pilots and want me to smile, chat and be your buddy on the hotel van. It doesn't work that way and unlike what the RSW pilots say, they have a controlling hand in what is happening. I don't buy the statement that GK created this.

Anyone have the grievance settlement language?

 

After all that's happened why in the world would you feel compelled to fake it? Feel free to express your feelings. What's the point in trying to bottle it up? Do you think you owe this company or its "real" pilots anything?

As for the last part, of course they've had a hand in it. Do you think any of them called SWAPA while everything was going down to ask that we get a more fair shake? One of their favorite sayings is "Well, neither of us had any control over this, so we just need to get along and move on". Yeah, bull$7it. That's a coping mechanism when someone's feeling uncomfortable with the situation that they're in.

 

So there are about 340 737 captains and FO's on the AT side.
I have heard there are no or little plans to train till the end of summer.
This is backed up by the fact that SWA will not even start flying international till mid summer and that assumes all goes smoothly with training ( pilots, ground ops, agents, FA's), plus a whole new international reservation system. No big deal to fly it. Flying it and catching all the nuisances is a different matter.

SWA is lucky it can throw money at its problems. Much of it came from treating the AT side as 2nd class rather than equals.

They can't train 48 per month from the AT 737 side and keep the international up through mid summer. If they train 48 a month most will probably come from the 717 side.

SWAPA was not that successful. If the intent was to get the seats by Sept 2014 then SWAPA pilots are getting hosed out of 3 months of capt pay.
Either way someone will be getting paid and it won't be me. I am hoping for quality of life

 

We do?

Not even close.

We found out the same way and time you did.

 

Okay, last time...

Fake it? No. Never.

Owe them anything?! You're kidding, right?

...just a complete realization of what total selfish, greedy bullies they've proven to be throughout this entire acquisition. Does anybody remember the video SWAPA put out a few years ago when our jobs were at stake? The one with the real ominous music and the assets being sucked from Guadalupe Holdings and a crude animation of our jobs disappearing? That's a great way to start a good working relationship. No, we haven't forgotten.

Yeah, this has all been real fun for us and our families. So the next time some F.AG declines your coffee offer in line at Starbucks some morning, you'll know why.

In the end, they'll have to live with what they've created. We're going to be a joy to fly with.

But hey, remember the Golden Rule, right? Give me a break.

Why don't you take a minute and think about what you (SWAPA) have stolen from us. Posts like the one above are good examples of blaming others for what you, yourselves have collectively done. Actions have consequences.

Capture this.

 

I would encourage every AT pilot to join SWAPA. That way you have grounds to sue them in the future when they F you over again.

 

They never will.

 

You should've voted yes on the first offer. Many of your gripes would've been negated by doing so.

84% of both pilot groups voted yes for the second offer. You had the exact same "hand" in the outcome as we had.

Roughly 16% of us on both sides wanted you to get a "more fair shake" via arbitration, but the majority of both groups outvoted us.


If it were up to me, SW would never have acquired AT, and we'd all be happy. I'd be most "comfortable" had this entire nightmare NEVER happened, but I had no say, other than my no vote, in the matter.

The ONLY RSW guys who've made out on this deal are the senior FO's, and IMHO, that will be a short lived victory as the FAT guys start displacing them.

For everyone else on the SW side, this entire debacle was, at best, a net zero, and for anyone south of the 50% point in either seat, a major kick in the nuts.

 

Exactly Slip.

But trust me, most of what you will read on this forum is how we (line pilots) fu(ked the Trannies and how "miserable" they're going to make it for "us" on line.

Nice huh?


BIG TIME. Are you guys digesting that statement? We didn't want this either.


But I have flown with several Trannies and had a great time with all of them. I refuse to make this personal.

But the first time I see this;

I will make my feelings known. Some guy who quite possibly got hosed on this deal as well is holding out an olive branch and you shove it up his ass?

Nice.

There's plenty of pain on both sides, and absolutely no reason to automatically be a dick to fellow line-swine.