Southwest Airlines pilots’ union calls for ‘historic’ strike vote to ramp up pressure @swapapilots @swapapilots https://t.co/FAYii9tvxN

— Kyle Arnold (@kylelarnold) January 18, 2023

Way to read the room guys.

Record low approval for the airline? A strike should fix that!

To hell with unions

Actually they're pretty ****ing smart

They told the brass to shove the hoax virus potion mandate up their ass & got it shut it down quick

I'm guessing whatever they want now they get without resistance as well

Which route you fly?

I'm not a pilot

Just a guy w an iq above 75 that realizes the pilots aren't the problem

Franklin Comes Alive! said:

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Actually they're pretty ****ing smart

They told the brass to shove the hoax virus potion mandate up their ass & got it shut it down quick

I'm guessing whatever they want know they get without resistance as well

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They make 40% more than the average commercial pilot when you include benefits. My neighbor was a pilot for SWA and had to take some medication that the FAA restricted. Dude's been retired since the age of 45 on the company's long term coverage for that sort of thing. Hasn't flown in 10 years.

Also, there's a reason SWA has not suffered from a pilot shortage. EVERYONE wants to work for them.

Unions ARE the problem. Must be just over. At 76.

SWA pilots make less than several others in the US. Delta, Alaska, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Spirit all have new contracts about to be voted on. They all surpass SWA in pay.

SWA will come up with what they need to hire pilots. Their union is smart to get this out now prior to spring break and summer travel. OP is a huge swing and a miss.

Oh and SWA doesn't have long term disability coverage although almost every other major airline does. They do have loss of license which lags the others. Pilots can and do self insure.

yall stick to spirit more room for me on SWA

Not a pilot or a union guy either, but when you've been negotiating for years and the company won't agree to a deal, you have to do something to force the issue.

Management keeps putting it off hoping they'll end up with better negotiating leverage at some point and then force a deal on their terms. Looks like the pilots are calling their hand.

Hopefully they end up with something reasonable for both sides, fix their scheduling issues, and climb back to the top of airline rankings.

Yep. SWA's contract expired in 2020. Alaska and Delta voted to authorize strikes and had contracts within months.

Amen comrade! Power to the people! Stand up to the bosses! Pro-union, Pro-America, Pro-gressive!

C@LAg said:

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even more of a reason to never fly them.

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You live in Seattle? Do you fly Alaska or Delta? They both voted to authorize strikes within the last six months and both got tentative agreements quickly.

Or I guess you just fly your private jet around.

They used to really move their tail for you.

Im Gipper said:

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Amen comrade! Power to the people! Stand up to the bosses! Pro-union, Pro-America, Pro-gressive!

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Lol, I'm a union guy... yeah, right.

But my son's also a Southwest pilot, so I get their perspective also.

Keep the government out of this and support a balanced playing field between management and labor... they'll figure it out. If either side gains a lasting upper hand, it doesn't end well.

So if unions are the problem - in this case pilot unions - what's your solution? I'm curious.

I'm a pilot for one of the major airlines. Contracts are long overdue. Having worked my up from the regionals, where I earned between $23k-$40k my first 8 years, I for one have no issues finally getting a well earned raise.

What pilots earn, in respect to ticket prices, is minuscule. I'll present an example. I fly the 737. Let's say I'm the captain. Would you be happy if I was paid 1 cent per passenger per mile flown? So on a 1,000 mile 3 hour flight, you paid me $10. Cause Id take that in a heartbeat assuming an 80% load factor - which is avg nowadays.

We are paid for those 2-4 flights a year when all our training / experience and knowledge comes into play. And Id like to think paid for all the holidays, family parties, dinners at home that I miss due to being on the road 1/2 the year. And what we put our bodies thru - ever changing sleep schedule for one.

I can't speak to an individual out on medical, but unfortunately that's common in our industry due to stringent requirements from the FAA. Most pilots who go out on medical only receive a fraction of their guaranteed pay - which is lower than most credit in a normal month. So although I'm glad the safety net exists, you miss out on a much larger earning potential being on medical leave.

Bottom line - there is a huge shortage of pilots. Supply / demand.

GAC06 said:

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Oh and SWA doesn't have long term disability coverage although almost every other major airline does. They do have loss of license which lags the others. Pilots can and do self insure.

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Yes they do.

Bird Poo said:

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Franklin Comes Alive! said:

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Actually they're pretty ****ing smart

They told the brass to shove the hoax virus potion mandate up their ass & got it shut it down quick

I'm guessing whatever they want know they get without resistance as well

---

They make 40% more than the average commercial pilot when you include benefits. My neighbor was a pilot for SWA and had to take some medication that the FAA restricted. Dude's been retired since the age of 45 on the company's long term coverage for that sort of thing. Hasn't flown in 10 years.

Also, there's a reason SWA has not suffered from a pilot shortage. EVERYONE wants to work for them.

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They make $70k a month?

GAC06 said:

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Yep. SWA's contract expired in 2020. Alaska and Delta voted to authorize strikes and had contracts within months.

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Good luck. Hope you don't destroy your company.

MookieBlaylock said:

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Bird Poo said:

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Franklin Comes Alive! said:

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Actually they're pretty ****ing smart

They told the brass to shove the hoax virus potion mandate up their ass & got it shut it down quick

I'm guessing whatever they want know they get without resistance as well

---

They make 40% more than the average commercial pilot when you include benefits. My neighbor was a pilot for SWA and had to take some medication that the FAA restricted. Dude's been retired since the age of 45 on the company's long term coverage for that sort of thing. Hasn't flown in 10 years.

Also, there's a reason SWA has not suffered from a pilot shortage. EVERYONE wants to work for them.

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They make $70k a month?

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Ask all the pilots flocking to SWA. They've hired thousands and turned down thousands. They know what's up.

Bird Poo said:

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Franklin Comes Alive! said:

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Actually they're pretty ****ing smart

They told the brass to shove the hoax virus potion mandate up their ass & got it shut it down quick

I'm guessing whatever they want know they get without resistance as well

---

They make 40% more than the average commercial pilot when you include benefits. My neighbor was a pilot for SWA and had to take some medication that the FAA restricted. Dude's been retired since the age of 45 on the company's long term coverage for that sort of thing. Hasn't flown in 10 years.

Also, there's a reason SWA has not suffered from a pilot shortage. EVERYONE wants to work for them.

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Everyone? It's probably more along the lines of there's a massive pilot shortage and people will take whichever of the majors takes them first (AA, UN, DL, WN, etc). Once there, they really don't want to leave to have to start over in seniority, but leaving a major for FedEx or UPS is pretty common due to their pay and less (but a lot more night) flying.

The husband of one of my wife's good friends is a pilot for United. He would have taken the WN job if offered first, but hated their flying, which he said was several segments a day vs 1-3 with United.

Yes. LITERALLY EVERYONE.




Figure of speech, man.

Bird Poo said:

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Yes. LITERALLY EVERYONE.




Figure of speech, man.

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Everyone because they're one of the majors. Most pilots probably couldn't care less which one they end up at as long as they're out of a regional.

All unions are ****ing trash

Bird Poo said:

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GAC06 said:

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Oh and SWA doesn't have long term disability coverage although almost every other major airline does. They do have loss of license which lags the others. Pilots can and do self insure.

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Yes they do.

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I just told you what they offer.

Okay.

Why? And how then should the pilot group operate. Individual contracts? How about rest rules? Duty limitations? Hundreds of other factors that have all been pushed by unions. So if there are no unions, what's your solution?

MemphisAg1 said:

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Not a pilot or a union guy either, but when you've been negotiating for years and the company won't agree to a deal, you have to do something to force the issue.

Management keeps putting it off hoping they'll end up with better negotiating leverage at some point and then force a deal on their terms. Looks like the pilots are calling their hand.

Hopefully they end up with something reasonable for both sides, fix their scheduling issues, and climb back to the top of airline rankings.

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Why are broad deals needed? If I feel that a company isn't paying me fairly for the market rate, then I'll go interview elsewhere and switch jobs.

It's a free market system. The only thing that would impede that is broad collusion to cap wages.

I think they should be free to unionize how they wish. But no protections under the law at all. Any company should be free to fire anyone for even whispering the word Union.

PA24 said:

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I am a hangar rat, spent most my day in my hangar shooting shiet with other pilots. Couple of these guys are SWA pilots, long careers, fat bank accounts, own nice airplanes and hangars, and work when they want too.

Not to stupid.

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