Spirit of NKS
02-19-2010, 04:54 AM
#1291
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: in front of a computer screen
Posts: 712
02-19-2010, 10:48 AM
#1292
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: A320 FO
Posts: 115
Anyone know how picketing went today?
02-19-2010, 11:25 AM
#1293
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2007
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 944
I thought it went really well. We had 80+ pilots show up, and I saw pilots from United, Polar, Continental Connection, and Air Tran there to show support. The local news media was there as well. Hopefully we can have the same turnout on Monday!
02-19-2010, 02:45 PM
#1294
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: 320 Left soon middle
Posts: 488
I thought it was more like 100. Considering the folks commuting, and the ones flying it was a good turnout for sure.
02-19-2010, 05:54 PM
#1295
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,857
Thanks to all that were able to show support today in FLL.
Does anyone know how the negotiations finished today?
Does anyone know how the negotiations finished today?
02-19-2010, 06:47 PM
#1296
Banned
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 501
Well, there were no negotiations today. They broke down last night with no progress. No more sessions are scheduled. Check your e-mail for updates....
From the ALPA front page:
Spirit Contract Talks End: Pilots Picket as Strike Looms
Spirit Contract Talks End: Pilots Picket as Strike Looms
February 19, 2010 - The last scheduled day of mediated negotiations between Spirit and ALPA concluded on February 18 without any progress toward a settlement. Spirit Airlines has been profitable for four consecutive quarters, enjoys the lowest cost per block hour in the industry, and claims that it is growing. However, after three and a half years of negotiations, management is demanding a five-year contract with $31 million in concessions, including work-rule changes that would allow the company to furlough more than 54 pilots.
“Even in harsh dictatorships, they give you a blindfold and a cigarette before the hanging,” said Capt. Sean Creed, Spirit MEC chair. “In this operation, they want you to put the noose around your own neck and pull the trap door open yourself—which is exactly what we would be doing if we were to agree to these demands.”
Spirit management has also requested changes to the contract that directly jeopardize the quality of life, health, and safety of its pilots. For example, the company proposes that longevity be based on hours flown per year rather than years of service. Pilots who try to meet their family obligations and live reasonable lives would stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a career. Additionally, pilots may feel pressured to fly even when sick or fatigued in order to build hours and increase their income. Taken together, this proposal would be considered aggressive even if the company was in bankruptcy, but it is preposterous for a profitable and expanding company to insist on these sorts of sacrifices and an insult to every pilot—not just those at Spirit.
“The picture is painfully clear,” said ALPA president Capt. John Prater. “After everything our Association has done to try to recover from a lost decade in this industry, Spirit management is trying to restart the race to the bottom. I am proud of our Spirit MEC leadership and membership for standing up to absurd and grossly unfair demands and for insisting that they receive compensation appropriate to pilots flying Airbus aircraft at a major carrier. Every ALPA member and every professional pilot needs to understand that management’s approach represents a threat to all of our careers and that our Spirit pilots are standing up for our entire profession.”
Spirit pilots marked the end of scheduled negotiations by conducting informational picketing today outside Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport—the main hub of Spirit Airlines. Joined by pilots from United and AirTran, more than 60 pilots marched to show unity in the face of the company’s continued reluctance to propose a fair and equitable contract and to demonstrate their readiness to call a lawful strike should the NMB release the group to self-help.
On Monday, February 22, the pilots will be protesting outside Spirit’s company headquarters in Miramar, Fla. To find out times, staging location, or transportation options, contact Spirit SPC chair F/O Paul Hopkins at [email protected].
From the ALPA front page:
Spirit Contract Talks End: Pilots Picket as Strike Looms
Spirit Contract Talks End: Pilots Picket as Strike Looms
February 19, 2010 - The last scheduled day of mediated negotiations between Spirit and ALPA concluded on February 18 without any progress toward a settlement. Spirit Airlines has been profitable for four consecutive quarters, enjoys the lowest cost per block hour in the industry, and claims that it is growing. However, after three and a half years of negotiations, management is demanding a five-year contract with $31 million in concessions, including work-rule changes that would allow the company to furlough more than 54 pilots.
“Even in harsh dictatorships, they give you a blindfold and a cigarette before the hanging,” said Capt. Sean Creed, Spirit MEC chair. “In this operation, they want you to put the noose around your own neck and pull the trap door open yourself—which is exactly what we would be doing if we were to agree to these demands.”
Spirit management has also requested changes to the contract that directly jeopardize the quality of life, health, and safety of its pilots. For example, the company proposes that longevity be based on hours flown per year rather than years of service. Pilots who try to meet their family obligations and live reasonable lives would stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a career. Additionally, pilots may feel pressured to fly even when sick or fatigued in order to build hours and increase their income. Taken together, this proposal would be considered aggressive even if the company was in bankruptcy, but it is preposterous for a profitable and expanding company to insist on these sorts of sacrifices and an insult to every pilot—not just those at Spirit.
“The picture is painfully clear,” said ALPA president Capt. John Prater. “After everything our Association has done to try to recover from a lost decade in this industry, Spirit management is trying to restart the race to the bottom. I am proud of our Spirit MEC leadership and membership for standing up to absurd and grossly unfair demands and for insisting that they receive compensation appropriate to pilots flying Airbus aircraft at a major carrier. Every ALPA member and every professional pilot needs to understand that management’s approach represents a threat to all of our careers and that our Spirit pilots are standing up for our entire profession.”
Spirit pilots marked the end of scheduled negotiations by conducting informational picketing today outside Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport—the main hub of Spirit Airlines. Joined by pilots from United and AirTran, more than 60 pilots marched to show unity in the face of the company’s continued reluctance to propose a fair and equitable contract and to demonstrate their readiness to call a lawful strike should the NMB release the group to self-help.
On Monday, February 22, the pilots will be protesting outside Spirit’s company headquarters in Miramar, Fla. To find out times, staging location, or transportation options, contact Spirit SPC chair F/O Paul Hopkins at [email protected].
02-20-2010, 02:12 AM
#1297
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2006
Position: in front of a computer screen
Posts: 712
We are rolling in hot on IPO 9000
02-20-2010, 01:46 PM
#1298
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,857
I guess the BEST thing to do now is to stay as UNITED as possible. We know what we want, we know what we need to do. Cant settle for LESS.
02-23-2010, 09:03 AM
#1299
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Posts: 647
deleted...
Last edited by bubi352; 02-23-2010 at 09:24 AM.
02-23-2010, 09:54 AM
#1300
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2010
Posts: 54
Has anyone heard what the MEC is doing next? Are they requesting a proffer for arbitration?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
