39 Points!! Looks like SWA Pilot Group set a new APC record. For many prior contract ratification votes, you could add ~ 20 points to the number of yes voters on APC polls and arrive at the ratification vote percentage.

The earlier thread hinted at TA2 being rejected (~45% yes, 55% no)**
The ~84% yes in TA2 ratification equals a 39 point bump up from APC polls. If this trend continues, Delta will have UPS like ratification numbers on their TA. Meanwhile, congratulations on your new TA, and best wishes going forward.

** I assumed that half the fence sitters would vote yes, and the remaining half vote no.

 

The forums, whether APC or a Union forum, are generally occupied by the most vocal of the minority viewpoints. This fact was evident on the SWAPA union forums where if you were to read all the posts on there you'd have come away with a feeling that TA2 was going to be voted down by 70% instead it was voted IN by 84%. . LOL.. the blowhards on the forums crack me up.

 

And yet, the vocal minority "blowhards" have been correct about every issue we've voted on in at least 2 decades.

The silent majority voted to ratify several concessionary contracts, and numerous side letters that garnered, at best, no benefit for the pilot group and worse, several that outright harmed the pilot group, in the same timeframe.

At least, this time, we got almost industry average pay and retirement, 6 years after the amendable date. Unfortunately, we're still living with our last concession ridden contract, albeit with a few minor gains, and a few minor concessions.

"Blowhards" indeed........

 

SWAPA today is not the SWAPA of 4 years ago. The pilots are a lot more engaged. I think most are aware of the warts in the new CBA but are willing to lock in the gains and go forward despite them. The unintended consequence of stonewalling us for 4 plus years is that the company has awakened the sleeping giant in this group of pilots.
It's easy to throw stones when you are a no voter and say "I told you so". It's a lot harder to actually do something about it like run for office.
I am personally glad the blowhards exist. We need the other side of the issue in order to balance this group out. I just hate the "I voted no, don't blame me" in your face nonsense. It gets old. We overwhelmingly approved the CBA. Time to move on.

 

I agree that there are a lot more engaged and educated pilots here than in years past, but still not nearly enough to turn that engagement and education into an industry average contract, as was proven by the vote yesterday.

Heck, all many folks had to see was the bullet points, retro calculator and pay rates and before they even read the actual contract, were shouting "VOTE YES! all over social media and the forums. Great way to maintain leverage.

With all due respect, what gets old is watching my peers shoot themselves in the foot, over and over, for decades.

I really hate that it's hard to find anyone that will admit to voting yes on the many concessions we've handed the company over the years, yet every one of them passed a membership vote, overwhelmingly.

As for running for office, BTDT. I've served in previous lives, and ran for domicile rep here, but, honestly, I am glad I lost by 9 votes, because, as a consistent no voter, I don't think I could "represent" the majority of SWAPA pilots.

Al kidding aside, SWAPA did a good, scratch that, an amazing job getting the pay and retirement almost to industry average.

Frankly, I am surprised that they got what they did given the gaping hole that SWApA placed us in, giving away leverage by the shovelful via years of concessions, topped off by a 38% vote on TA1, not to mention federal mediation.

The bad part is that the rest of our contract is virtually unchanged with the new one, and, IMHO, has needed a major overhaul for years. Lots of little (and not so little) QOL gotchas and gray areas that cost us QOL and pay have needed fixing for a long time.

This TA was our chance to do it, or at least some of it and it fell way short.

At least most of it (I am still uneasy about Sec1) isn't appreciably worse than what we have now, so there's that. We even got our first, ever, "me too" into it! The reserve improvements were a step in the right direction, but, talking to folks that actually have to sit it, they could've done better.

I believe that any more changes are very unlikely to happen for a long time, now that we've given the company most of what they wanted from us. As usual, I'd love to be wrong.

Maybe SWAPA can leverage the "forgotten" MOU into something tangible for the group? I wouldn't be against a side letter or 2, provided unlike in the past, that the pilots got something out of them.

Anyway, I am not gonna lose sleep over the results of this vote.

I get a decent raise, better retirement, a nice retro check and, like the current one, I'm senior enough to still not have to sweat most of the not so great things in our contract.

I hope.

 

Slip,

The weight of the NC and JW swayed this vote, imo. I don't know if it was the mediator, polling or what, but once that recommendation was out, it was over. I think a good chunk of the yes vote isn't happy with this, but is hoping for more via sideletters. SWAPA is only as strong as we make them.

 

100% agreed. It's funny how they were talking big until a week or so after they saw the polling results.

Zero surprise there.

 

Yeah right

 

No. No, they really haven't.

 

Really? Name one issue they've been wrong on.