Go to the road show. Ask questions. Make an educated decision. There's a lot of misinformation flowing from the interwebs these days. Then, after you have all of the info, vote however you wish. Don't be a lemming though. Do your homework.

This is airline #8 for me (some regionals, some majors, etc) and one thing is for sure. No "know it all Captain" and no keyboard hero is going to tell me how to vote on a TA that may well impact what remains of my battered career. Only my wife gets to tell me what to do.

 

You seem to be missing the obvious option that every other union uses, but SWAPA seems to be too wimpy to use: generate your own leverage.

And again, you can't be forced into arbitration. Period.

 

Biggest problem I see with that is organizing such a campaign (generating own leverage) without it SEEMING like an organized campaign and resulting in a big lawsuit against the association.

Kind of like the old joke around here. Captain says, "I'm SO mad that we don't have a contract yet!"
FO "No you're not."
Captain, (now looking at FO) "yes I am! I deserve more!"
FO "you're not mad yet"
Captain "What do you mean?"
FO "you released the brakes early to 'give them an on time', you taxied single engine, you did a reduced thrust takeoff. We climbed to the most efficient cruise altitude and you just asked for a shortcut. We flew 8 hours to Aruba and back without food and you weren't willing to go get us any food in Aruba. We are carrying a broken tray table and a coffee pot that is intermittent. -- You are clearly not mad yet."

 

Bingo Zap. Bingo......

 

This, as you mention might lead to
Unfortunately most labor risk seems like it's off the table when the NMB & Mediators always favor business.

 

I'll go you one better!

If we as individuals decided to stop picking up open time the operational disruption would cripple SWA. I haven't picked up anything in over a year and I won't until we have a ratified deal.

The schedule Southwest runs simply cannot be operated without voluntary pick ups. It is up to us to take a stand as individuals.

 

Although I agree with you, it seems like every Captain I fly with needs at least 140 trips per month to make the payment on the turbine Bonanza they use to get to their Alpaca ranch in Montana. (tongue in cheek) Seems like a whole lot of people whose monthly budget relies on their ability to pick up additional flying. They are extremely unprepared for any disruption to the income stream.

 

It just isn't going to happen here. Our entire airline is based on the open time market economy. What Zap said above plus lots and lots of people line dump and pick up as a way of flying their 90-110 trips per month.
Nothing would result in a company lawsuit smack down faster than not picking up open time. It is just too engrained in our culture and the company's minimum manning system depends on it.
Try to do it as individuals and in the great whack a mole game another head is going to pop up in your place and fly the trip. I applaud you for not picking up, but do it for your own reasons, not as a dig on the company because I promise you they won't even notice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Tacamo,
It's like that at every company until it's not.

If the day comes when almost EVERYONE feels dissed and even a modicum percentage of them discontinue picking up open time, the company would notice.
I think SWA has noticed a few times when all of a sudden their rampers in MDW stopped picking up extra shifts.

One person on a personal beef/crusade is not going to make the difference, but if enough people spontaneously feel less compliant, then there will be a difference.
JMHO

 

Perhaps, but so is SWA......not that they'd ever let it get to that point.