Angry passengers make nervous shareholders.

 

The problem is they are angry at the pilots not the company.

 

Yep I agree with the previous post. Sometimes we need to pull ourselves out of our little airline pilot world and realistically consider how the general public perceives us. There are not that many people out there (especially people that use their hands and backs to make a living) that are gonna feel sorry for a bunch of whining little arrogant pricks that fly airplanes for a living. I witnessed the seething hatred from some of our passengers back in 2010. You guys want to walk around in circles with the "I'm being treated unfairly posters" go ahead but don't be surprised if people try to kick you ass or tell you to go **** off. There are better ways to get your point across. I prefer to use my pen.

 

Holy crap. Is there anyone you guys aren't afraid of?
I think our predecessors, the guys who went on strike here and elsewhere, are shaking their heads.
And you're seriously deluded if you think the general population thinks NK pilots are over paid. They may think AA and DL pilots are, but they all assume we are nickel and dimed just like they are. And they are right!!! I haven't met anyone who assumes spirit pilots are well paid much less over paid. Without knowing any facts the population assumes we are paid peanuts.
And there hasn't been a time in the last 30'years when the public is more willing to hold corporations accountable. If we'd just highlight the last few quarters profits we'd have 75% public support.
Is there no one in leadership that will call for action? Legal, above board, sack filled action?

 

Look what the APA accomplished of late! Very effective things come from newspapers.


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It's not about swaying Joe Customer that you are underpaid. It's the optic that a certain airline is in labor disharmony with a group and the few Joe Customers who see that and decide to buy a ticket on SWA instead to visit their cousin in PHX.

Mgmt usually see's it as negative advertising that is preventable, with a contract of course.

 

My 2 cents on informational picketing..worth half of that.

I had a passenger come up to me last week and said "I had my flight canceled last week because Spirit couldn't find a pilot to fly it. Why don't you guys want to work?"

As incorrect as she is, that's the passengers opinion and one I'm sure many of our pax have. It wasn't "why won't the airline pay you guys more to attract more pilots and have improved staffing models to fly flights"

So I don't think informational picketing will do much, if anything, to sway a typical airline passenger, worse for our passengers who are price driven amongst anything else.

The only positive benefit I can see from picketing (positive is a loose term) is passengers may feel that unhappy pilots may make for a less safe flight. Clearly incorrect, but most passenger assumptions are incorrect many times over.

It's a new era and the union workforce is viewed differently than it was 30 years ago. So walking in circles might not be the best modern day approach, given the benefit we have with social media these days.

Picketing is good press for ALPA to show that they are there. Probably why ALPA still uses picketing outside of work releases

Stuart Morrison with a 2 minute news spot on local FLL news or a viral social media campaign will have a far greater impact

 

It's not an either/or. We should do all the above.
And to the passenger comment I say that's exactly the point! Information! Tell them we get paid 50-70% less than our peers.
This may blow your cover with the waitress on the overnight but it's the truth. We should wait until year 3 or 4 before we start to act.
Let's regain the initiative guys.

 

The strongest element to our strategy that I have read so far is managements pathetic staffing causing cancelled flights. If we could just step back and let them implode we will be on a fast track to get a contract.

 

But then you wouldn't get any more quid... what about the quid?