Southwest mechanics vote down integration agreement

By Aaron Karp | February 23, 2012

Southwest Airlines' (SWA) smooth path to integrating with AirTran Airways, which it acquired last year, hit some turbulence with Tuesday's rejection by the carrier's 1,600 mechanics of a seniority integration agreement.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assn. (AMFA) Local 11 had reached an accord with SWA and AirTran's 400 mechanics, but the members have voted to reject it, taking a different track from flight attendants and pilots who have approved integration pacts (ATW Daily News, Nov. 9, 2011).

"Our goal continues to be the speedy resolution of seniority integration," SWA VP-maintenance operations Jim Sokol said in a statement. The airline said the next step was to file for arbitration, but added that it remained open to working toward a negotiated solution.

SWA and AirTran expect to receive a single operating certificate from FAA next month.

Discuss this news 9

22 Feb20:38

Sounds like the SWA mechanics

By Anonymous

Sounds like the SWA mechanics want the Air Train mechanics to be at the bottom of the seniority list rather than a fair and reasonable merger of both lists. Maybe they want to bump the Air Tran mechanics from those nice year round sunny locations.

23 Feb09:36

"AMFA"? Are they still

By Anonymous

"AMFA"? Are they still around?

After the 2005 NWA strike (that ultimately led to AMFA's complete demise at NWA), I assumed AMFA quietly went off in the woods and "died". It appears the SWA mechanics follow their leadership like the poor lemmings at NWA.

23 Feb09:59

Amfa has never been fair. to

By Anonymous

Amfa has never been fair. to integration.the fair way is day of hire.The leadership of amfa does not think ex; strike at NWA. and now most of the strikers are gone from DL. and Amfa is gone.

23 Feb11:25

Obviously you don't have a

By Anonymous

Obviously you don't have a clue about AMFA, or how it came about at SW. 9 years ago they gave the boot to IBT. Still today, the members decide. Not a "business rep". An agreement will be reached.

23 Feb15:09

Nothing about this

By Anonymous

Nothing about this integration has been fair. The mechanics have just been the only ones to take a stand.

23 Feb20:42

You are saying that nothing

By Jesper

You are saying that nothing in this integration has been fair to the employees of SWA and that Airtran employees has gotten more than they deserve??? Unless you misspoke, you anonymous, are a self fulfilled douchbag.

23 Feb21:35

That is why it is called

By Anonymous

That is why it is called "Collective" Bargaining.
Everyone equal, except for me.

27 Feb23:02

Let's see here. Southwest

By M

Let's see here. Southwest airlines purchased AirTran for some where around 1.6 billion dollars. At first AT employees are asking if they got to interview and now you want to get put on the seniority list like you been there from day 1?

There are a lot of employees at swa that quit jobs at other major airlines with 20 yrs seniority to start at the bottom at swa? why? Because the pay, benefits, and quality of life. There were also thousands of current AT workers that interviewed with swa and some made it/ some didn't.

So now you get a free pass to work for SW, with 35% pay raise on average,more than twice as many paid holidays and medical package pericles cut in half.

So you are getting all this and you want to cut in line (seniority) and think the 1700 swa mx are going to be ok with it?

That's asking for too much AT....sorry but the people at SWA went through a very competitive hiring process...hence the 35% pay raise.....

27 Feb23:22

Yes fair and equitable. It's

By M

Yes fair and equitable. It's not a merger, its an acquisition hence the 1.6 b SWA payed for AT.

Ok. Let's look what benefits and pay you have before AT was AQUIRED and look what you will be getting now.

here is what each work group gets

SWA
-All pay /benefits same (neutral)
-lose seniority with addition of AT (negative)
AT
-35% pay raise (positive)
-Superior medical benefits 50% cut in rates(positive)
-more then double your paid holidays (positive)
-improved job security(positive)
-increase seniority(positive)

Just to name a few

So when you break it down the only benefits SWA employees are getting are negative.

AT employees on the other hand are getting huge benefits by coming over to SWA.

Now maybe you see why SWA MX voted no and AT voted yes.