1,221 Reasons Not to work for Southwest
01-24-2023, 10:50 AM
#41
Gets Weekend Reserve
Joined APC: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,756
it is leverage but not so much in the way you’re suggesting it is.
Imo, the company doesn’t care a whole lot who they’re hiring as long as they can fog a mirror and meet the faa’s requirements. In fact, the less qualified they are, the better, because those sorts of people feel a bit beholden to the company. A certain former swa-focused hiring consultant (rb) called it “desperation hiring” and said swa specialized in it. So, my perspective is that the company has zero problem scraping the bottom of the barrel. They’ll find enough people to fill the seats needed to sort of keep up with retirements and attrition - at least enough to be able to define it in their corporate-speakish, twisted way as “keeping up.”
but!
The real leverage comes from accentuating our ability to pose the credible threat of a legal strike. Historically, one of the most powerful counters to the threat of a strike that airline management has been able to wield is to menace pilots with the possibility of hiring scabs.
Given the dynamics right now of the pilot hiring market, i’d say the threat to us posed by scabs is at a nadir. It doesn’t exist. Imho, there is almost zero chance the company could hire and train enough scabs to be able to run enough of an operation to make a difference in the face of a swapa strike. The company is effectively neutered (though they’d never admit it). Neutralizing the hazard posed by scabs is leverage. Lots of leverage.
Imo, the company doesn’t care a whole lot who they’re hiring as long as they can fog a mirror and meet the faa’s requirements. In fact, the less qualified they are, the better, because those sorts of people feel a bit beholden to the company. A certain former swa-focused hiring consultant (rb) called it “desperation hiring” and said swa specialized in it. So, my perspective is that the company has zero problem scraping the bottom of the barrel. They’ll find enough people to fill the seats needed to sort of keep up with retirements and attrition - at least enough to be able to define it in their corporate-speakish, twisted way as “keeping up.”
but!
The real leverage comes from accentuating our ability to pose the credible threat of a legal strike. Historically, one of the most powerful counters to the threat of a strike that airline management has been able to wield is to menace pilots with the possibility of hiring scabs.
Given the dynamics right now of the pilot hiring market, i’d say the threat to us posed by scabs is at a nadir. It doesn’t exist. Imho, there is almost zero chance the company could hire and train enough scabs to be able to run enough of an operation to make a difference in the face of a swapa strike. The company is effectively neutered (though they’d never admit it). Neutralizing the hazard posed by scabs is leverage. Lots of leverage.
^^^ all of this!!!
01-24-2023, 11:03 AM
#42
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2019
Posts: 91
Not so sure. Domicile-specific choices aside… AA has something other than 737s, 2-3 year upgrade soon to be sub-2 years, widebody flying, better DC, and arguably better schedules (rare to have more than 3 legs/day, not beholden to AM/PM). AA is definitely not without its warts, but there’s a reason so many FOs left SW for AA in 2022.
Frontier, sure.
Frontier, sure.
01-26-2023, 04:35 PM
#43
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2021
Posts: 202
Watch this interview with SWA CEO Bob Jordan, another reason NOT to work for Southwest.
https://youtu.be/cRhAmpF7iwo
https://youtu.be/cRhAmpF7iwo
01-26-2023, 07:16 PM
#44
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2019
Posts: 340
Watch this interview with SWA CEO Bob Jordan, another reason NOT to work for Southwest.
https://youtu.be/cRhAmpF7iwo
https://youtu.be/cRhAmpF7iwo
and this one
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