... it means supporting the whole group. Not 12 (or in this case 7) people dictating from on high.
Our futures are being put in jeopardy by a handful of people. This decision is too important, the risks too great for this to be a unilateral decision. We have been offered industry leading pay and the most favorable integration in the history of Southwest Airlines.
The pay is already gone. Next the integration will evaporate. We need to stop this disaster before it goes any further. Instead we are antagonizing Gary Kelly and Southwest airlines.
If we are already having trouble with Southwest management, maybe the problem isn't management. Maybe the problem is a union that has no idea how a cooperative, healthy relationship works.
Time to look in the mirror and take responsibility for our future. Our voices need to be heard.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
We don't want hugs Frank ...
We want JOBS!
So I went and listened to Moak, Linden, Frank and Todd.
It was surreal: ALPA is committing us to go to war with Southwest Airlines. They claim the membership got their say, but this sure as hell isn't what I wanted!
At least Frank serves it up straight. But asking us to relax when our ship is so clearly rudderless ... I predict the AIP is going to look really appealing really soon. Think about it. Southwest is delaying SOC for a reason.
The AIP represented a list that would be implemented. A guarantee. Now it is gone and the MC "won't accept a negotiated settlement unless it provides significant improvements in pure seniority." Common Frank! The only way we are going to get that is in arbitration.
That means a list between relative seniority and date of hire: you guys have been saying that for almost a year. No way SWAPA/GK swallow that. There isn't enough money in the coffers to save the culture with a list like that. Arbitration = nonintegration. How can you not see that?
By the time the red flag of a retired SOC request shows up it is too late. We need to be reasonable NOW and get on property. Trying to get everything in our favor is childish and very risky.
As to Linden's comments: of course SWAPA is united! They have a union that actually leads, communicated the truth and listens to their membership. You don't get unity by asking for it, you get unity by deserving it.
Frank: Keep you offer of a hug, or give mine to the penguin. How about you make sure I have a job instead ...
So I went and listened to Moak, Linden, Frank and Todd.
It was surreal: ALPA is committing us to go to war with Southwest Airlines. They claim the membership got their say, but this sure as hell isn't what I wanted!
At least Frank serves it up straight. But asking us to relax when our ship is so clearly rudderless ... I predict the AIP is going to look really appealing really soon. Think about it. Southwest is delaying SOC for a reason.
The AIP represented a list that would be implemented. A guarantee. Now it is gone and the MC "won't accept a negotiated settlement unless it provides significant improvements in pure seniority." Common Frank! The only way we are going to get that is in arbitration.
That means a list between relative seniority and date of hire: you guys have been saying that for almost a year. No way SWAPA/GK swallow that. There isn't enough money in the coffers to save the culture with a list like that. Arbitration = nonintegration. How can you not see that?
By the time the red flag of a retired SOC request shows up it is too late. We need to be reasonable NOW and get on property. Trying to get everything in our favor is childish and very risky.
As to Linden's comments: of course SWAPA is united! They have a union that actually leads, communicated the truth and listens to their membership. You don't get unity by asking for it, you get unity by deserving it.
Frank: Keep you offer of a hug, or give mine to the penguin. How about you make sure I have a job instead ...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Predicatably ... Put the Penguin in charge of comm ...
And we get caught telling a lie. What an amateur! BRING BACK JIM! We deserve the TRUTH!
ALPA's version:
So let me get this straight. The mediator (who is the Head Arbitrator!) wanted more time for negotiations and AirTran/ALPA said "no"? WTF do we think we are going to achieve by being obstinate and then lying about it?
Arbitration hasn't even started and we look like uncooperative thugs. Thanks to the Ortscheid spin machine we also look like lying dirtbags. This is NOT a good development. If the arbitrators get pissed at us we'll get a worse award than the SIA. If Gary Kelly gets pissed (more pissed?) we might not get integrated at all.
Who can save us from ourselves?
ALPA's version:
Gary Kelly's version (OK it came from some other guy, but it is Southwest management):
In addition, Dan Katz, SWAPA counsel Jeff Freund, mediator Dana Eischen, and Southwest Airlines Senior Labor Counsel Joe Harris conferred multiple times via teleconference during the week to discuss various mediation and arbitration schedules. During the exchanges, SWAPA pushed for a delay in the arbitration proceedings, which we opposed. Southwest management offered to extend by up to three months their previously stated desire to conclude the arbitration process by December 31. In the end, the arbitration board accepted our position that the following twelve hearing dates should remain in place:
This week, counsel for the Company, SWAPA and AirTran/ALPA participated in several conference calls with the Mediator to discuss the mediation schedule and our options moving forward. During the discussions, the Company offered to delay the mediation and arbitration process to give the parties more time for thoughtful discussions in hopes that the parties could find a mutually beneficial solution. The Mediator and counsel for SWAPA indicated interest in the suggestion, but counsel for AirTran/ALPA said his client would not agree.
So let me get this straight. The mediator (who is the Head Arbitrator!) wanted more time for negotiations and AirTran/ALPA said "no"? WTF do we think we are going to achieve by being obstinate and then lying about it?
Arbitration hasn't even started and we look like uncooperative thugs. Thanks to the Ortscheid spin machine we also look like lying dirtbags. This is NOT a good development. If the arbitrators get pissed at us we'll get a worse award than the SIA. If Gary Kelly gets pissed (more pissed?) we might not get integrated at all.
Who can save us from ourselves?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Latest update from Linden ...er Ortscheid
In other words - the inmates are truly running the asylum.
For those unfamiliar with AirTran ALPA internal politics, a brief history of Todd Ortscheid is in order:
Todd got his start in aviation at Gulfstream Academy. Instead of building time working as an instructor, he took a short cut. Not everyone that takes this route is a bad person, but it is generally considered a dubious way to start one's career. The aviation experience gained instructing and the mental toughness and dedication required to pass that gantlet are something many of us wear as a badge of honor. Only someone truly dedicated to his or her profession can weather that storm. You have to truly love to fly to work at the wages and working conditions of a CFI.
Essentially, Todd bought his first job.
He got involved in union politics early on, serving as a local council officer in Detroit. He moved his way up through the Scheduling and Communications Committees, finally reaching the Chairman position of the Strike Preparedness Committee.
At AirTran he became involved in the union almost immediately. He was instrumental in ousting our in house union (NPA) and bringing in ALPA. He worked his way up through First Officer Representative, AirTran Master Executive Council (MEC) Contract Compliance Committee, finally reaching the pinnacle as Vice Chairman for the MEC.
At some point you have to wonder, does Todd value his career as an ALPA official over his career as a pilot?
As Vice Chairman Todd made it his business to get deeply involved with the Seniority List integration. Attending meetings that were supposed to only include the respective merger committees. His meddling got so bad he was finally recalled (fired) as MEC Vice Chairman.
In 2008 he posted the following of flight info: "I don't "hate" WN". Whenever someone makes a statement like this, the truth is usually the opposite. Someone who truly didn't hate Southwest wouldn't need to say such a thing, it would be obvious. He goes on to make the following prediction:
"it's just not a place I've ever wanted to work, and I don't think we'd do well in an acquisition situation."
In April of 2010 he posted this tidbit. In many ways it is uncharacteristically intelligent and prophetic:
So WHY has my union put THIS guy back into the mix? They JUST fired him! Here is his first product as Communications Chairman (Baghdad Bob):
Fellow Pilots,
Last week, your MEC made the difficult decision to turn down the Seniority Integration Agreements (SIA) that the Merger Committee reached with SWAPA and SWA management. While the MEC sincerely appreciated SWA management's efforts on the economic aspects of the agreement(why didn't you tell us that these economic aspects would be gone?), MEC members, based on pilot input received(what you heard from the 12 Angry Men? GMAFB!), believe firmly that the seniority list itself could not be considered “fair and equitable” to our members. That seniority list resulted in an average loss of relative seniority of 22% for AirTran pilots and over a 30% loss of relative seniority for some of our pilots. (what about the economic aspects? We were gonna get Delta Wide Body pay for Boeing's RJ) The MEC appreciates the hard work by all parties that lead to the development of conditions and restrictions (C&Rs) that lessened the effects of the seniority loss for some AirTran pilots, but the MEC ultimately concluded that the agreement could not and would not be ratified by our pilots.(You didn't give us ALL of the information! What did Gary Kelly tell the MEC?)
I have been in contact today with Bob Jordan to explain the MEC’s decision and express the above concerns. Although Southwest management is disappointed that the agreement was not ratified, they have also agreed that the Seniority Integration Process Agreement (SIPA) details the additional mediation and arbitration steps required. The Merger Committee continues their work this week in Washington, D.C. to prepare for mediation, which is scheduled to begin at the end of this month and continue through September. More information will be coming out shortly from the Merger Committee to describe the mediation process.(What is the point? The same committee already reached a negotiated deal. How will mediation change anything? Except now we have none of the economics!)
Many of you have reviewed Gary Kelly’s letter and/or listened to his phone message this afternoon. His plainly stated disappointment with the failure of the agreement is obvious, and some of his comments related to reviewing the status of the integration process (think about what that means! We are at risk of not being integrated!) are concerning. However, there were also many positive aspects of Mr. Kelly's message. First, he stated that "the integration process will continue, but at a much slower pace." He goes on to say that the company is "still on track for a single operating certificate,"(that doesn't mean we get integrated) early next year, which is an important hurdle to clear for any airline merger. And I believe most importantly, he was clear to say that "our jobs are secure."(Which jobs? AirTran jobs? GMAFB)
I want to stress that AirTran pilot leadership and all members of the MEC and its committees are still fully committed to a respectful and constructive integration process (why start now?) -- and one that provides the basis for continuing Southwest’s long record of success and positive culture.
Conversations with SWA management have included discussion of a meeting with them in the coming days. We hope to continue efforts to identify and work on any possible ideas that could eliminate the current logjam(we already had that, it was called the SIA). We hope that those discussions will continue to highlight the many positives to an efficient and fair integration rather than focus on steps that are not likely to promote our shared goals. Mr. Kelly importantly reminded everyone to “take a deep breath” and keep working hard. That is exactly what we intend to do.
We also urge you to please follow Gary's advice about not listening to rumor and innuendo. (that would be easier if ALPA could stick to the facts) You have my personal assurance that your union will communicate with you throughout this process and make sure that you have the most up-to-date, and more importantly, the most accurate information available. If you hear a rumor that doesn't match what you've heard from your union, please contact the MEC Office or a P2P member to get the real scoop.
In service,
Linden Hillman, Chairman
AirTran Master Executive Council
For those unfamiliar with AirTran ALPA internal politics, a brief history of Todd Ortscheid is in order:
Todd got his start in aviation at Gulfstream Academy. Instead of building time working as an instructor, he took a short cut. Not everyone that takes this route is a bad person, but it is generally considered a dubious way to start one's career. The aviation experience gained instructing and the mental toughness and dedication required to pass that gantlet are something many of us wear as a badge of honor. Only someone truly dedicated to his or her profession can weather that storm. You have to truly love to fly to work at the wages and working conditions of a CFI.
Essentially, Todd bought his first job.
He got involved in union politics early on, serving as a local council officer in Detroit. He moved his way up through the Scheduling and Communications Committees, finally reaching the Chairman position of the Strike Preparedness Committee.
At AirTran he became involved in the union almost immediately. He was instrumental in ousting our in house union (NPA) and bringing in ALPA. He worked his way up through First Officer Representative, AirTran Master Executive Council (MEC) Contract Compliance Committee, finally reaching the pinnacle as Vice Chairman for the MEC.
At some point you have to wonder, does Todd value his career as an ALPA official over his career as a pilot?
As Vice Chairman Todd made it his business to get deeply involved with the Seniority List integration. Attending meetings that were supposed to only include the respective merger committees. His meddling got so bad he was finally recalled (fired) as MEC Vice Chairman.
In 2008 he posted the following of flight info: "I don't "hate" WN". Whenever someone makes a statement like this, the truth is usually the opposite. Someone who truly didn't hate Southwest wouldn't need to say such a thing, it would be obvious. He goes on to make the following prediction:
"it's just not a place I've ever wanted to work, and I don't think we'd do well in an acquisition situation."
In April of 2010 he posted this tidbit. In many ways it is uncharacteristically intelligent and prophetic:
Just imagine what it would be like if a merger was actually announced. Which is exactly why I don't think GK would ever be interested in it. Trying to combine two airlines of this size with such different seniority demographics always turns out poorly and harms the culture.Of course it is easy to make an accurate prophesy when you help make it come true: there is no question at this point that Todd doesn't value Southwest Airlines they way many of us do. To someone who values their career as a pilot this merger is a fantastic opportunity regardless of the seniority list. It seems he relishes taking a role in its demise.
So WHY has my union put THIS guy back into the mix? They JUST fired him! Here is his first product as Communications Chairman (Baghdad Bob):
Fellow Pilots,
Last week, your MEC made the difficult decision to turn down the Seniority Integration Agreements (SIA) that the Merger Committee reached with SWAPA and SWA management. While the MEC sincerely appreciated SWA management's efforts on the economic aspects of the agreement(why didn't you tell us that these economic aspects would be gone?), MEC members, based on pilot input received(what you heard from the 12 Angry Men? GMAFB!), believe firmly that the seniority list itself could not be considered “fair and equitable” to our members. That seniority list resulted in an average loss of relative seniority of 22% for AirTran pilots and over a 30% loss of relative seniority for some of our pilots. (what about the economic aspects? We were gonna get Delta Wide Body pay for Boeing's RJ) The MEC appreciates the hard work by all parties that lead to the development of conditions and restrictions (C&Rs) that lessened the effects of the seniority loss for some AirTran pilots, but the MEC ultimately concluded that the agreement could not and would not be ratified by our pilots.(You didn't give us ALL of the information! What did Gary Kelly tell the MEC?)
I have been in contact today with Bob Jordan to explain the MEC’s decision and express the above concerns. Although Southwest management is disappointed that the agreement was not ratified, they have also agreed that the Seniority Integration Process Agreement (SIPA) details the additional mediation and arbitration steps required. The Merger Committee continues their work this week in Washington, D.C. to prepare for mediation, which is scheduled to begin at the end of this month and continue through September. More information will be coming out shortly from the Merger Committee to describe the mediation process.(What is the point? The same committee already reached a negotiated deal. How will mediation change anything? Except now we have none of the economics!)
Many of you have reviewed Gary Kelly’s letter and/or listened to his phone message this afternoon. His plainly stated disappointment with the failure of the agreement is obvious, and some of his comments related to reviewing the status of the integration process (think about what that means! We are at risk of not being integrated!) are concerning. However, there were also many positive aspects of Mr. Kelly's message. First, he stated that "the integration process will continue, but at a much slower pace." He goes on to say that the company is "still on track for a single operating certificate,"(that doesn't mean we get integrated) early next year, which is an important hurdle to clear for any airline merger. And I believe most importantly, he was clear to say that "our jobs are secure."(Which jobs? AirTran jobs? GMAFB)
I want to stress that AirTran pilot leadership and all members of the MEC and its committees are still fully committed to a respectful and constructive integration process (why start now?) -- and one that provides the basis for continuing Southwest’s long record of success and positive culture.
Conversations with SWA management have included discussion of a meeting with them in the coming days. We hope to continue efforts to identify and work on any possible ideas that could eliminate the current logjam(we already had that, it was called the SIA). We hope that those discussions will continue to highlight the many positives to an efficient and fair integration rather than focus on steps that are not likely to promote our shared goals. Mr. Kelly importantly reminded everyone to “take a deep breath” and keep working hard. That is exactly what we intend to do.
We also urge you to please follow Gary's advice about not listening to rumor and innuendo. (that would be easier if ALPA could stick to the facts) You have my personal assurance that your union will communicate with you throughout this process and make sure that you have the most up-to-date, and more importantly, the most accurate information available. If you hear a rumor that doesn't match what you've heard from your union, please contact the MEC Office or a P2P member to get the real scoop.
In service,
Linden Hillman, Chairman
AirTran Master Executive Council
Monday, August 22, 2011
I knew it ...
The chronology of our demise:
August 19th
No. All you heard was the 12 angry men. The reasonable voices were drowned out by all of the shouting and the ridiculous lawyers saying "what risk?" Jack saw the risk. Why have we never been told the truth about what Gary Kelly told the MEC?
Instantly comes the first shot:
August 19th
August 22nd
Way to go TAM (12 angry men), AirTran is about to become a verb:
"You see that guy in the unemployment line?"
"Yeah, looks dejected, what happened?"
"He just got 'AirTranned'."
"Stupid F%$ker"
August 19th
As most of you know by now, yesterday, in a special MEC meeting in Atlanta, the ATN Master Executive Council voted against sending the integration agreements to the pilot group for ratification. The MEC heard the voices of our pilots and in the end made their decision.
No. All you heard was the 12 angry men. The reasonable voices were drowned out by all of the shouting and the ridiculous lawyers saying "what risk?" Jack saw the risk. Why have we never been told the truth about what Gary Kelly told the MEC?
Instantly comes the first shot:
August 19th
As we are entering the fall season you will notice a significant reduction of flying starting in September,particularly on the B737.Klaus claims it is just a seasonal downgrade, but the truth is someone else is going to do that flying:
August 22nd
The Dallas-based carrier will offer 15 daily flights to five destinations: Austin, Houston Hobby, Baltimore, Denver and Chicago's Midway airport.
Way to go TAM (12 angry men), AirTran is about to become a verb:
"You see that guy in the unemployment line?"
"Yeah, looks dejected, what happened?"
"He just got 'AirTranned'."
"Stupid F%$ker"
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