Thought I'd start a thread relating specifically to negotiations. Sounds like some movement at the table this week. Here's today's update from the NC:

This week was a remarkable week. It was highlighted by the celebration of unity and incredible demonstration of resolve that more than 1,000 of our Pilots showed in Dallas on Wednesday. My team and I were sincerely disappointed that we were unable to attend an IP for the first time. We wanted more than anything to be standing with our brothers and sisters on the line, but couldn't this go-round. But believe me when I say that we were there in spirit. And as we watched the coverage in social and traditional media, we couldn't help but be inspired by you, the very Pilots we represent.

Our absence wasn't for nothing. This week in Valencia marked the second week in a row that the Company made moves in our direction. We have made measurable progress toward the goal of achieving a market rate contract for our Pilots. We do not yet have "The Deal," but I am optimistic we will be able to reach it in the near term. While we have agreed to many, but not all concepts, we still have a great deal of work remaining to write and vet sizable sections of language. We must take our time and do it right. Your NC recognizes the importance of strong contract language, especially in Section 1. As we have been reminded frequently, the devil is in the details.

The progress we have achieved so far has been made possible by the unity and resolve you and the rest of our SWAPA Pilots have demonstrated since the beginning of the year. We have been strengthened at our Informational Pickets by the support of fellow employee groups, peers at other airlines, and our families. It is an important lesson for us all. As professional Pilots, we have a shared responsibility to improve our careers and our profession for those who follow us. My team and I are humbled by the trust you have given us. I ask that you continue to have faith as we continue fighting for a worthy contract and give us time to reach a final agreement.

 

Whackmaster,
I agree that Casey's update had the most positive tone we have seen in years. To recap where we were as of late Jul - San Antonio negotiations. Info from the JJ video. Company proposal from a month ago:
Pay: 12.55% snap-up followed by 3% per year thereafter. I assume 1Oct each year, so only 3 years of 3% raises in '17,18,19 with the contract expiring Oct '20. Correct me on the # of years please if I have it wrong.
Reserve: pay per day guarantee at 6.0 per day
Retirement: 10% 401K, 5% B-fund, BUT...subtract 5% from Profit Sharing. So, in a nutshell they basically just guaranteed us the equivalent of 5% PS.
Retro: 355 Million $ which SWAPA says was only 71% of true retro.

So, if last week during the negotiations in CA. the company made moves in our direction I would hope that means somewhere around the following -- obviously just guesses on my part.

Pay: 15% snap up and then 3% per year for the duration
Reserve: pay per day guarantee and meet in the middle at 6.25 TFP per day
Retirement: Get rid of the punitive 5% reduction in PS in order to get the 5% B-fund. Remove ALL caps on retirement dollars.
Retro: 100% Retro pay is a must. Show stopper without 100% retro.

If those are the kinds of moves in our direction the company is making then we can probably have a TA to vote on by 1 Dec. Another meeting in September and the company can move even more towards the platform in order to get the deal done.

I can wait, can Gary? Tick tock, MAX, tick tock, AMADEUS, tick tock, near and far international codeshare agreements, tick tock........

 

I'd like to see the codeshare language. That's a big one for me. IF they want to do all the S.A. Flying by using someone else it pretty much stops all the growth.
There is much more important stuff than financials.

 

Couldn't agree more. Pay, retirement, and better reserve rules are not going to be an offset to stagnation.

 

I need to see United 737-800 rates or better (not 700 rates), a 16% b-fund, no retirement and profit sharing cap, better reserve rules, closer to full retro, and solid scope language or it's a big fat NO from me.

 

It's simple for me. Platform or no.
I understand we are giving in section 1. Do I like it? No, but it is a reality and those out there who think they can keep the lid on it are going to be disappointed. The key there is getting language that protects our jobs and doesn't allow the company to outsource flying that we can do.
The retirement piece is, for me, the single biggest part of this contract. I would be willing to look the other way on a few things as long as the 16 percent B fund is there and all company imposed caps are removed. I flew with a captain yesterday who doesn't think the company will ever give us a retirement that differs from the current structure. I hope he is wrong.

 

Absolute No if we don't get a 16% B-Fund. You can't look at that slide comparing retirement between Airlines and then accept something else than a 16% B-Fund.
I think the company gets it, but is afraid they will have to give it to every other workgroup.
So we will either have to wait until the other contracts are taken care of or the company needs to get past the ridiculous me too crap.

 

It's my understanding that this is the very thing they are revolting against the most.....a B Fund. That's okay. Time is on our side as the retro check grows, Delta gets their new contract, UPS ratifies their TA, they need to start training for the MAX soon, loss of codeshare $, etc.

Keep dragging it on Gary.

 

Right there with you, brother, believe me.
There is this pervasive attitude at SWA that all employee groups are somehow on equal footing when it comes to benefits and retirement compensation. It fits well with the old egalitarian model where we were a startup airline led by a maverick CEO that everyone loved and admired. There was no tribalism, no ground ops vs flight ops vs HQ, they were all a team getting the flights pushed off the gate and customers to their destinations.
Now, for some reason, this has led to every employee group feeling entitled to each other's contract benefits and genuine resent from other employee groups (mostly non front line employees) that the pilots are ALREADY getting paid so much and now they have the audacity to ask for more. The company takes advantage of this by blatantly promoting tribalism and saying that they can't give us something because then they have to give it to other employee groups.
Our union leadership has done an excellent job of putting an end to this among our own membership (hard to believe they had to do that, but there are a good number of pilots who STILL think we don't deserve what our competitors get).
The industry standard is a 16 percent B fund PLUS profit sharing. Period. To accept less is to devalue our contribution to this company's success. I would never ask our CEO to accept less than what he is worth, why is he asking me to?
My standard response to any other employee who makes remarks about pilot pay and benefits is that we are hiring pilots right now and the application window is open.

 

Platform or a big NO here. Simple fact is they don't want to pay. They will continue to try and play us till fatigue sets in. Time for a strike vote!!!!