Lewbronski

I've barely been on here for the last year or so. I don't intend to make it a habit. This place is a siloed echo chamber of self-referential and mutually masturbatory thinking that's as bad as anything you point the finger at the GO at for engaging in.

I don't know where you get the idea that I've been "[dodging] the question." I haven't been around enough recently to get bogged down in the cess here.

Having said that, I voted no. I'd vote no again if the vote was today. I don't buy most pilots' idea that because the economy is arguably not as strong today as it was a year ago, that we would have been doomed or that our leverage would have been drastically diminished.

The primary threat to our ability to pose the credible threat of a legal strike is the credible threat of scabs being utilized en masse by the company to break a strike. I don't think we're anywhere near that right now.

Regardless, had SWAPA played the RLA game more adeptly, or even halfway competently, we would have approached a point in mediation where a release was a true threat to management well over a year before we ratified our contract and before the economy had (arguably) softened at all. We should have been able to legally pose an existential threat to the company by no later than 4Q22/1Q23. All this fretting about, "What should SWAPA have done if we had rejected the contract earlier this year?", shouldn't even be the question.

I'm sorry if that annoys or triggers you.

Lewbronski

There's MUCH more we could have done better and MUCH earlier in the process. The massive delay in the mediation filing was the single biggest mistake but the other errors also cumulatively amounted to a massive, and equally negligent, series of shortcomings. I've written pretty extensively in the past about those errors.

REF 5

He'll never admit that. Nor should he. He stands by his opinion. That's fine. Their are 27 sections in this contract. All are important. At some point, with 10000 pilots, priorities have to be made. I have said before, we cramed 2-3 bargaining cycles this time around. We were WAY behind our peers. So we had much more to improve than the others. We got a lot of stuff. Some stuff was more important than others. The polling showed that. The rewrite was paramount. Some of the provisions of the CBA were written before cell phones and the internet. Come on. No question this is a good contract. The rewrite alone is minting millions and QOL improvements for the pilot group(and the FA's. Your welcome). SWA is heading into a new chapter for better or for worse. I'm glad we have what we have. More improvements I hope next bargaining cycle.

at6d

I very much appreciate Lew’s insight and knowledge on the RLA, and I also respect and appreciate the NO voters. I was personally surprised at the high turnout for yes votes, but every NO voter brings out valuable information that needs to be considered. Many times more value is brought forth by the dissenting voter—the devil is in the details after all.

I am glad we have a contract, but furious about the mechanisms for accountability towards implementation.

KPer

Agreed. We have the best 737 contract in the industry. It could certainly be better, but we gave up essentially nothing to get it.

KPer

You're a smart dude and I know you are glad we locked in the gains we have and that you also know we have the best 737 contract in the industry. Not perfect, but the best of what's out there and we gave up nothing for it. Prolly could have done a smidge better if we filed for mediation sooner.

You'd vote no today only so you can proudly crow DBMIVN from the mountaintop. You'd do so knowing 9000+ of your brothers and sisters are smart enough to vote yes in today's negotiating environment protecting you from yourself. You can't have it both ways... meaning recognizing we had the best negotiating environment for the last contract cycle and not admitting that now is not a good time to be in negotiations. You think a mediator is gonna side with labor given what the company is offering in today's economy?

Lewbronski

Oy vey.

I've gone over this and over this and over this. Read up on RLA case law instead of listening to myths and folklore passed down to you from one uneducated pilot to the next.

In short, the power of the mediator is not unlimited. The mediator will apply more pressure on whichever side appears to be more susceptible to succumbing to that pressure, which is typically the less educated side (IOW, in our case, SWAPA). Regardless, the mediator ultimately does not have the power to strip labor of it's right, acknowledged by the SCOTUS, to strike. A mediator cannot "put us on ice" forever, though they are entirely free to threaten to do so as a tactic to spur on negotiations.

And, the government via the courts have made clear that it does not seek to regulate wages, hours, or working conditions. It has said repeatedly it will not transgress the "strong" governmental policy against interfering in the substantive terms of collective bargaining agreements. Look into the case law on reasonability and good faith bargaining under the RLA. From your post, it sounds like you are not familiar with it.

journeybird

A Note from Lee | Our Commitment to Safety and Each Other

Yikes, the company seems to have not liked the Union email.

Smooth at FL450

At least we know they read it!

5tools

First rule of SWAPA forum, is don't let them know you are Trump supporter, and 2nd Rule don't ever question SWAPA intergrity, because they don't have time to come on the forum to defend themselves because they are staying up late night stealing trip from it's memebers.