$1M less retirement at SWA than UA/DL
02-21-2023, 12:46 PM
#82
At your mom's house
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Position: cpt 737
Posts: 2,798
02-21-2023, 01:50 PM
#83
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Position: 737 FO
Posts: 989
make sure they pick the cheapest surgeon when they need their heart or brain worked on. Wouldn’t want their dollars to support some greedy skilled individual.
02-21-2023, 02:15 PM
#84
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,264
The principal way the public fits into the picture is that they provide most of the revenue flow to the corporation. They don't need to be "on our side" to be smart enough to not buy tickets on us ("book away" from us) if there's a reasonable possibility that their flights on SWA may be cancelled or severely delayed in X weeks or Y months from now due to the credible threat of a legal pilot strike at SWA.
How many customers would have booked tickets on SWA over the holidays this past year if they had known ahead of time that the entire SWA system was going to melt down the way it did?
Whether they like us or not, if they're booking away from us due to the possibility of a legal pilot strike, they are, in that sense, on our side.
The company exists because of their revenue flow. If the customers cease providing much of that revenue flow to the corporation due to SWA pilots possibly engaging in a legal strike, then the company has to take that very seriously due to the existential threat it poses. That is leverage.
02-21-2023, 08:04 PM
#85
At your mom's house
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Position: cpt 737
Posts: 2,798
I can care less what the public thinks. It did surprise me how many were against unions.
they'd also be the first ones who wouldnt care what the pilot made if they saved their lives in an emergency. So quickly people forget what they pay us for.
they'd also be the first ones who wouldnt care what the pilot made if they saved their lives in an emergency. So quickly people forget what they pay us for.
02-21-2023, 08:15 PM
#86
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,920
But then they’ll give you the stink eye if you don’t tip them for putting a smoothie in a cup and handing it to you.
02-24-2023, 11:39 AM
#88
On Reserve
Joined APC: Feb 2023
Posts: 11
These charts are taken from the United Airlines Contract Comparison Guide published in the first quarter of 2017. The charts show the difference in retirement growth at various airlines on two different career trajectories (narrow body only as we are limited to at SWA versus a wide body career path as is available at the other "Big 4" airlines). The assumptions the charts are based on are explained in the notes at the top of the image.
The bottom line to me is that, after 30 years, the retirement savings of a pilot at UA or DL, based on company contributions to retirement funding, is approximately one million dollars greater than that of a pilot at SWA. A pilot at AA would have approximately $500K greater retirement savings than a pilot at SWA.
After 30 years, the retirement fund of a SWA pilot would be worth $3.759M.
On a wide body career path, after 30 years, the retirement fund of a UA pilot would be worth $4.709M, at DL $4.694M, and at AA $4.261M.
On a narrow body career path, after 30 years, the retirement fund of a UA pilot would be worth $4.159M, at DL $4.165M, and at AA $3.762M.
IMO, this illustrates one aspect of the giant disparity in career compensation between pilots at SWA and the rest of the Big 4. To me, it's just one more reason why we need GIANT improvements across the board to result from the current round of contract negotiations.
I suppose another way to look at it is that pilots at SWA value the "psychic wage" and the "luv culture" and all of the other "benefits" of working for the "quirky", "fun-loving" Texas airline so much that we think it's worth a million dollar hit to our retirement funds over the course of our careers. That says nothing of the hit we are all apparently willing to take in so many other areas of our lives for the privilege of working for the home of "The Southwest Shuffle."
Of course, since these charts were published in 2017, they do not include the improvements to retirement funding that have occurred since then at a couple of other places like Alaska and Delta (if they approve/ratify their AIP).
The bottom line to me is that, after 30 years, the retirement savings of a pilot at UA or DL, based on company contributions to retirement funding, is approximately one million dollars greater than that of a pilot at SWA. A pilot at AA would have approximately $500K greater retirement savings than a pilot at SWA.
After 30 years, the retirement fund of a SWA pilot would be worth $3.759M.
On a wide body career path, after 30 years, the retirement fund of a UA pilot would be worth $4.709M, at DL $4.694M, and at AA $4.261M.
On a narrow body career path, after 30 years, the retirement fund of a UA pilot would be worth $4.159M, at DL $4.165M, and at AA $3.762M.
IMO, this illustrates one aspect of the giant disparity in career compensation between pilots at SWA and the rest of the Big 4. To me, it's just one more reason why we need GIANT improvements across the board to result from the current round of contract negotiations.
I suppose another way to look at it is that pilots at SWA value the "psychic wage" and the "luv culture" and all of the other "benefits" of working for the "quirky", "fun-loving" Texas airline so much that we think it's worth a million dollar hit to our retirement funds over the course of our careers. That says nothing of the hit we are all apparently willing to take in so many other areas of our lives for the privilege of working for the home of "The Southwest Shuffle."
Of course, since these charts were published in 2017, they do not include the improvements to retirement funding that have occurred since then at a couple of other places like Alaska and Delta (if they approve/ratify their AIP).
Industry lagging
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