I would bet my low tier paycheck he brings his ukulele to the awards and plays it.

"Bendo, how did you get a pilot to play for us like a dancing monkey?"

"I gave him a ridiculous award, that has no value, and we got him a must ride ticket on Spirit to fly out"

Give the guy a break. If he is truly getting the award for breaking out his ukulele during a delay, then I'm not going to hate the guy. He didn't do it for recognition from the company. Perhaps in hindsight it was bad timing and he didn't think about the blowback it would cause. He was just trying to do something nice for people... not for our company. Am I a company man because I helped an old lady get her bag in/out of the overhead on a deadhead last week? At what point do you draw the line? I proudly wear my green lanyard and I will do whatever it takes to get a new contract but I will not stop being decent and kind to people. Hopefully he accepts the award in his green lanyard.

Edit: I don't think it would be smart to play your ukulele for those clowns either. Just accept your award, say thank you, and go home.

BS award or not it's something you can put in a resume and probably a story that would get you a job at an airline with a real contract. Yes wear the lanyard.

It's nice he did a decent thing for the pax but he admitted he was expelled from ALPA for non payment issues. That doesn't happen by mistake and I don't think we should cut him slack for that or going to this joke of a company event to accept an award from a management group that despises us.

Infighting
 

Event was before green lanyards existed to put this in perspective, everyone was still talking summer quid...it was also referenced on a CEO Friday update. No one had a problem with it then.

Now you are attacking a fellow pilot you've likely never met for accepting a award.

Reminds me why I left spirit...and in case your wondering, a legacy is better, yes QOL too.

Management is likely getting a great laugh reading your highly emotional rants out loud to each other while buying drinks at the Bimini Bay Bar with your money!

I feel these awards are nothing more than damage control. Attrition is high, morale is low. It's nothing more than smoke and mirrors and a failed attempt to try and recognize their employees that they despise. Here's an idea MGT., how about coming to negotiations with the intent of a contract that rewards everyone for their hard work and not a select few?! I stand by my NC, I wear my lanyard and they get out of me what they pay me. It's time to start carrying the torches and force their hand a bit! Enough is enough.

The time was two years ago like many of us have been doing. I'm not saying you haven't, for those that are still calling for fuel and paperwork. Shut your pie holes while the rest of us fight for a contract for you.

I don't have a problem with him accepting the award as long as he represents our union by wearing the lanyard. He needs to get paid up though. nobody should get cut slack for that.

Yeah you may be right. But you and I both know we have an overall great group of professional pilots here. This forum, while entertaining, is not a good representation of who we really are collectively.

Exactly. This forum is a sounding board for frustrations that for most of us only consume a fraction of our day. A blow off valve if you will. It's mostly BS but it's entertaining.

i play the skin flute during delays....where's my award?

The $10 you got WAS your reward. You didn't do well enough to get an award.

Give the guy a break; I personally would not break out an instrument during a ground delay but if he likes to play his Ukulele for the passengers it doesn't bother me. He didn't get the award for doing anything that could be viewed as unfavorable during contract negotiations and it will probably help him move on to whatever company he has his apps in at. Its a good "tell me about a time story" and he will have documentation to back it up, good for him. I don't know him personally and I am not not going to judge him or his actions as a person based on this award or what is rumored to be for. I will judge him as a person if I have the chance to meet or fly with him.

On the other hand I feel we have had some pilots make excellent flight related decisions in difficult situations that are more deserving of a pilot of the year award.

If you are going to accept this award in person at the banquet wear the green lanyard!

Baseless accusations..FAKE..., back in 09-10 we had a pretty split on how we felt for and some against our union, but nobody CROSSED. You don't know what you are talking about. Opinions, Like yours, lead to rumors and that doesn't end well. Save it.

Just my opinion.

Fair enough and it's all probably a mute point since a strike is hopefully not in the cards. And now that I think about it, I highly doubt anyone that lacks the backbone to wear a lanyard would have the balls to cross a picket line so that negates my original opinion anyway. Thanks for setting me straight

Moot point, not mute.

And I was most definitely prepare for a strike.

So...if its ok for him to play the ukulele because it turns out it will make a great TMAAT story for another interview, along with the award, should every pilot here be doing things (during contract negotiations) to aim for rewards and TMAT stories? "Well Delta, I got 99% of my flights out on time and never called in sick for 3 years"

Just playing devils advocate, but I dont think pilots accepting awards for a TMAAT during this stage in negotiations in a good thing.

I really dont care he busted out his ukulele. If I were there, I would have honestly felt embarrassed and walked to another terminal, but im sure the passengers loved it. But why cant we show an inch of resolve and not take the easy way of going to accept an award from a company who truly hates this pilot group right now? How can ANY pilot of Spirit attend a function and shake the hand of Jyri or Bendo, while they continue to delay delay delay?

The same with volunteering for job fairs. Why cant we as pilots, say "No thanks" to these company events until we have a contract? Selfish needs for a TMAAT or "I volunteer for job fairs?"

This has nothing to do with the ukulele, or even for me, his ALPA issues at the other carrier. It has completely to do with pilots, him and ET, attending a company circle jerk while they continue to give us the circle jerk on a new contract.

30 years ago, with unionized labor, what would have unionized pilots thought about pilots accepting awards from management during contentious contract negotiations? Now we say "Oh, lay off the guy...he is just doing it for an interview story." Im sorry but that doesnt work for me. He owes nothing to me personally, but as long as he is a pilot on this list, he owes it to everyone on the list, as we all owe it to one another to hold our end up.

You make some good points

I want to support ET in this forum. He's been through a horrible fume event as have I on a deadhead. It's serious business and he's worked tirelessly for the pilot group and their families. He's been able to get an otherwise apathetic and hostile management team to take the issue very seriously.

We would have had a higher chance of a smoking hole somewhere if not for him. Inadequate maintenance and poor pilot training regarding smoke/fumes in the past could have put the whole Spirit pilot group on the unemployment line. I'd buy him a beer next time you see him instead of busting his balls to help out this group.

Would not was...:rolleyes:

Good intentions, but misguided...did you cause the delay? Did we underpaid pilots cause the delay? Was it our labor group responsible for inconveniencing our PAYING customers who stipend management's poor performance? They will receive a better product, better service, and greater reliability, routes, on time performance, and attention to detail when the people RESPONSIBLE for the delay are held accountable by every party involved in this product. If you are a dues paying member, then act like a member of OUR group, who is being beaten by the opponent and need exemplary efforts like yours, towards OUR cause. Maybe play at SPA sponsored event, or translate that effort towards benefiting yourself by participating in negotiating an appropriate collective bargained agreement.

Lol, I didn't even see that. Multitasking while drinking probably isn't a good idea.

Don't drink and APC

the self exerted happy ending wasn't enough, now you want a trophy?:D

Guys, I have a question or two. With how slow the company is dragging out negotiations, why is the union not exercising more options with our pilot group on how to put pressure on the company from different directions. Including using the pilot to pilot call system and "suggest" only to fly your line, NOBODY on the "standing availability list", don't answer your phone or better, answer your phone and "Just Say NO". Ask for RETRO pay in this contract, etc. only if we affect their bottom line will the company take us seriously I believe. Just a thought.

Did you listen to the all pilot call? Or try and ask during one of them?

I think those questions will be more accurately answered by a member of the NC rather than an APC forum.

1) If pilots dont know this needs to be done, being told so by the union isnt going to change them.

2) The company would sue the union in a second if language like that was used.

If you were on the call you may remember a pilot simply saying something like "pilots need to do more individually" which brought on the ALPA lawyers reminding everyone that in no way does that suggest any action to disrupt the operations of the company.

I think the company would love nothing more than to catch the MEC slipping by offering something up that may be taken as tampering, as then sue the union to further drag out talks and use it against us towards the mediator.

But like Iflyhi said, call the NC. I spoke to them when I had questions and they are much more likely to give you the info you want.

I agree. With the current state of negotiations, this group needs to wake up. I don't know this guy so I can't speak to his character, but if was me, there's no way that I would attend the event. If the company valued us, then they should show they value ALL of us.

Absolutely! Participation trophies for everyone!

Wouldn't there be more value in attending while wearing the Green Lanyard and an ALPA tie vs. not attending at all? 99.9% of FO's have their apps in at other carriers and it would be worth it for him to show up and collect the award for airlineapps.com's sake.

1) I don't think anyone is wearing a lanyard to this thing

2) He doesn't wear the lanyard on the line, doubt he will at his function.

3) If your position is 99% of FOs have apps in at other carriers, and doing this is good for the resume, you're taking the position that it's ok to be self serving and selfish as long as it benefits your resume, and not the group of pilots you stand with now.

So why even try for higher FO wages when you claim that every one is trying to get out?

Most of the FOs I fly with say they are here and want to get the contract and will do what it takes to get it. Those are the guys I hope we get the big bucks for, not the self serving ones who are working on their "TMAAT stories"

You mean people do this sober?!?!?!?!?

You know what you are? You're a lanyard bully.

https://youtu.be/3iV8X8ubGCc

You guys are funny. Let the MEC do the dirty work. You pay them darn near 2% to do so. Quit eating your own young.

LOL!!!!!! That is funny.

No, I was referring to a contract.

ET is a good guy, I was on his jumpseat back in October. I wouldn't give him crap, he's done a lot for betterment of pilots.