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An Aggressive Lack of Planning

An Aggressive Lack of Planning

August 12, 2021

I’ve said this before — a goal without a plan is just a wish. Southwest had a wish to aggressively chase revenue this summer that was destined to fail from the start and the execution speaks for itself. We are routinely seeing 40% to almost 60% of original pairings being rerouted. Pilots are being JAed … from JAs. You read that right — double JAs!

SWAPA has repeatedly conveyed to Flight Ops and upper management that the continued failure of the operation needs to be addressed today. Not tomorrow, nor three, six, or nine months from now. And yet the failures resulting from their aggressive lack of planning continue. The troubling fall and holiday outlook is indicative of just that. It’s worth repeating yesterday’s message from our SRC to put an exclamation point on the above:

November and December have already been cut once, but high ticket sales are leaving little room to reduce the schedule and still accommodate the routes that have already been sold. Factor in only 200 Pilots returning from ExTO and 50 projected retirements, and the staffing situation actually looks worse than July and August in terms of the number of Pilots versus the number of (full) flights in the schedule.

Given these anticipated challenges, your SRC is, once again, concerned that the current network schedule isn't manageable. If Flight Ops fails to invest significantly in the day-of operational recovery resources before we reach the holiday travel season, Pilots and customers alike are likely to continue having to endure days of delays, cancellations, misconnects, and "weather disruptions.”

Please stay focused from distractions, build margin, and break the error chain before it becomes unmanageable. Our Pilots are the best, and sometimes last line of defense and we need more support in these difficult times. That’s SWAPA’s message to management and the media, but my real concern is you.

Our operational problems have been worsened by the Company’s policies regarding COVID. Speaking of which, I know there are strong opinions about vaccines, masks, and anything to do with the pandemic. As an organization, we focus our efforts on the legal and contractual ramifications of COVID and Southwest’s response to it.

Vice President Mike Santoro wrote last week about CC pulls and SWAPA’s position on mandatory vaccinations. I’ll repeat it again: SWAPA will vigorously defend your choice to vaccinate yourself or not. Unlike other workgroups, including fellow frontline employees, Pilots are required to maintain a medical and that needs to be sacrosanct. How you choose to maintain your health and well-being and, by extension, your medical is YOUR decision alone. Gary Kelly stated recently that SWA has not changed course and will not be requiring vaccinations in the near term, but the fact remains that the Company continues to make decisions that affect you and your CBA. Regardless, SWAPA will continue to fight to protect you and your contractual rights. That is our job as a labor union.

The Company’s decision to force you to use your sick time or take unpaid leave for mandatory COVID exposure pulls when you meet the IMSAFE standard is a status quo violation under the RLA. We are not at-will employees. The Company cannot make changes to our working conditions or pay without negotiating an agreement with SWAPA. And it’s worth adding that when we talk about incentives for vaccinations, it’s easy to focus on pay, but equally important questions surrounding our medical certificates and Loss of License must be answered for our Pilots.

Even though our peers have met with their respective airlines and signed agreements to incentivize vaccinations and establish exposure and quarantine rules, SWAPA has continued to be held at arm’s length. As those agreements were reached (some more than 18 months ago), we forwarded them to Labor Relations and kept pushing management to partner with us for the good of our members and our airline’s operation. Time and again, they refused. As such, today I sent a demand letter to the VP of Flight Operations which stated, in part:

… the current Collective Bargaining Agreement has continued in effect after September 30, 2020, even as we have carried on negotiations to reach a new CBA pursuant to the Railway Labor Act’s Section 6 dispute resolution process. Detroit & T.S.L.R.R. v. UTU, 396 U.S. 142, 149-53 (1969). Among other things, Section 6 of the RLA requires the parties to maintain status quo until a new agreement is reached, which means that rates of pay, rules and working conditions shall not be altered by the carrier until a new agreement is reached.

As I said, SWAPA maintains that unilateral decisions to add mandatory quarantines, upending our working conditions and pay, are specific status quo violations. To take it a step further, by requiring Pilots to use their earned sick bank for COVID pulls while at the same time using Payroll Support Program monies for payroll, SWA is paying down sick bank liabilities using taxpayer (our) money. SWAPA is actively fighting this and other status quo violations in the arenas afforded to us, both within and outside of the RLA. The Company cannot be allowed to change the CBA nor take rights previously bargained for. That is the definition of bad faith.

I want to be perfectly clear, partnering with the Company is always SWAPA’s first choice. We have continued to push for meetings to discuss options and provide input to assist the Company. I’ve always been most proud of SWAPA’s willingness to align and work with the Company, and I sincerely hope that they will partner with us to address the unique concerns our Pilots face.

Once again, I fully recognize that you’re being subjected to a continued onslaught of distractions brought on by conscious decisions made by the Company, and the Company counts on you to manage those. Continue to be the best Pilots in the industry and do what you do every day. Rest assured SWAPA will keep pushing on our end for solutions; but unless a firm commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, not plans.