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
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