Gerry Schwartz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 10, 2019 10:33 pm
cloak & sarg,
If you actually want harmony and no 'strife' in WJ and you are not making you argument solely for you own self betterment, then, while I applaud you, you are missing the big picture. While your ideas of 100% flow to BOTL or somehow grandfathering Encore pilots while still voting NO are rational ones, they are made in a vacuum. Neither of you have provided any suggestion on what should happen with Swoop. You make the assumption that everything will remain status quo with a NO vote. This is NOT the case.
If we were setting up an airline agreement from scratch, sure! 100% flow from the regional to BOTL of mainline would be a great idea. But we're not coming at this with a blank sheet of paper. For better or for worse (because it is a marriage of sort!) we have 700 or so pilots whose lives will be affected by this vote. If that is truly how you want to set things up in the future, this can only be done via a YES vote. The fact is that the company is not in a position to flow 100% from Encore and only hire to Encore.
Outside of the ethical arguments which I've outlined and you've suggested are 'weak', the fact remains that alienating the Encore pilot group and voting to remove the seniority they have will have a significant negative impact on our prospects at WJ. Case in point, sarg used the examples of the company taking away ports. While it is not a direct comparison, ask any of our YWG or YHZ pilots how they feel about losing their ports and they are still F*%king pissed off at the company years later. And that's just for having to commute more often!
If you read the PTA, the key sections not only provide us WJ pilots with bump down and lay off protection, but also the ability to go to Encore and keep our YOS. It provides certainty on seniority provisions AND offers a means to amend the provisions. It does this in a way that grandfathers the Encore pilots. Therefore, every single change that needs to get made going forward does so with the two pilot groups working together against the company. Maybe there is an argument to change the way seniority is distributed to new hires at Encore as compared to WJ/Swoop. Maybe there is a way to better allocate pilot resources. Maybe the company decides that it wants to open a YHZ base for Encore and suddenly WJ FOs think: "actually, that'll save me a commute". These are all types of things that the pilot groups can, if everyone's seniority is reserved/grandfathered (whatever you want to call it) can work in unison on.
If not, take that anger and frustration that our guys feel towards the company for changing their ports. Personally, I think guys are overreacting about losing their ports, but it doesn't matter what I think, the reality is that guys are pissed years and years later. Now, think of how the Encore pilots will react if we take away their seniority when we have the opportunity to protect it. Whether you think their anger is warranted or not doesn't really matter, the fact is that they will be angry and they, rightly so, will negotiate with the company in a way that will benefit only them and have strong negative impacts on us. I personally wouldn't blame them, but having divided pilot groups negotiating against each other will be detrimental to all.
So, if you really want to decrease the 'strife' at WJ, the only way to do so is to vote YES. Having the two pilot groups negotiating in unison against the company by having the current Encore pilot's seniority protected is BY FAR the best way to improve conditions and career advancement for us, generally, at WJ. Just like a No vote, the status quo will not remain the same just because of a YES vote. There will be different factors that come up and that need to be addressed. When the WJPA agreement discussing flow was made, Swoop was nothing more than a Gregg and Camshaft's wet dream. Now it's the reality. For the most part, WJ and Encore pilots have been unified in avoiding Swoop's pathetic WAWCONS. Do you think that will remain? And if there are further changes and surprises in the future, would you want the pilot groups working together, or against each other to fight the company if they try to pull further BS ideas like Swoop?
If your sole purpose is in your own self interest because you want to jump the Encore pilots for your own personal seniority, shame on you for suggesting all these reasons why you don't think the PTA will work. However, if the true purpose of your posts is that you honestly want a seniority system that will facilitate a proper staffing and career advancement for all of us at WJ and the WestJet Group of Companies, then the only way to see that through is with a YES vote. If you truly want what you outline in your posts, you need to vote YES. A NO vote won't get us any closer to common employer. This isn't a blueprint for a new airline. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If we negatively effect the seniority of 450 Encore pilots, how do you think they will react at the negotiating table? Voting NO will bite us all in the ass.