SWA Dispatchers Mediation Ruling

swamt

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Oct 23, 2010
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Have you all heard about this? I don't have exact numbers but here is the just of it. Dispatchers voted down companies first offer, company made worse second offer, they filed and went to mediation. In mediation Dispatchers were comparing themselves to UPS (I think) as far as pay. SWA never likes to allow the groups to compare to UPS as they always state that they are different, they are a package hauler not people, and packages are not afraid to fly. Well, the mediater agreed with the Dispatchers. Again, these are not exact numbers, but who cares as you will easily get the point. Dispatchers will go from 85K up to 140K ish with everything that they got increased. Also heard of some signing bonuses reaching well over 50K for some long tenured employees. WOW!! Way to go Dispatchers.
Now SWA can "NEVER" say that we cannot use UPS as a comparisome.
I also didn't know how long the new contract is for either. Their last contract was for 12 years, and they were without a contract for 3 years. This is all I have for now. Anyone else have more, and/or can confirm please?? One more question, now, how big of a raise will the dispatchers at AT get when they transfer over to SWA????
 
Swamt, you ask how big the raise will be for AT dispatchers??

Well I think we can just assume HUGE, just like for every AT employee so seems Par for the course.. but the great thing is that I am wondering if SWA will be paying AT dispatchers to take off several months while they rid them selves of the 717s as they are doing with the Pilots and FA/s,,,

I hope no one at SWA even mentions this Paid NOT Furloghed Program(Upgrade Adjusment period is what swa may call it) of (Paid time off to Acclimate)

So while you Original SWA employees are working under your contract the one that you fought years to get and the same one AT simply walked into, dont tell me that those poor AT people who will be sitting around at their homes or on vactation while getting Paid,, dont deserve it,, they do deserve to get paid for doing nothing,,

So please dont use words or phrases that include but are not limited too,,, FAirness, entitlement, raise, arrogance or questionable attitudes... These will not be tolerated and I for one think that all AT should get at least 3 months OFF paid while they take time to get adjusted to all the Upgrades.....Cmon as Avtech said, this is a huge change for them and we at SWA just get to keep on with our same lives,, or some may call it going to Work to get Paid
 
Swamt, you ask how big the raise will be for AT dispatchers??

Well I think we can just assume HUGE, just like for every AT employee so seems Par for the course.. but the great thing is that I am wondering if SWA will be paying AT dispatchers to take off several months while they rid them selves of the 717s as they are doing with the Pilots and FA/s,,,

I hope no one at SWA even mentions this Paid NOT Furloghed Program(Upgrade Adjusment period is what swa may call it) of (Paid time off to Acclimate)

So while you Original SWA employees are working under your contract the one that you fought years to get and the same one AT simply walked into, dont tell me that those poor AT people who will be sitting around at their homes or on vactation while getting Paid,, dont deserve it,, they do deserve to get paid for doing nothing,,

So please dont use words or phrases that include but are not limited too,,, FAirness, entitlement, raise, arrogance or questionable attitudes... These will not be tolerated and I for one think that all AT should get at least 3 months OFF paid while they take time to get adjusted to all the Upgrades.....Cmon as Avtech said, this is a huge change for them and we at SWA just get to keep on with our same lives,, or some may call it going to Work to get Paid
Bitter, party of one, your table is ready... :lol:
 
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buscador,

You wrote this last fall.

"...I will close by urging you to continue to uphold the high personal and professional standards that made AirTran such an attractive partner for Southwest; to continue to remain informed, engaged, and considerate of our coworkers; and to join me in ensuring our future at Southwest Airlines, by supporting and voting for the Seniority Integration Agreemen."

If you are asking someone to uphold such high standards, why are you dropping to such low ones?
 
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I apologize, cause I should be over the moon that many AT people are getting paid to do absolutely nothing, sitting at home an collecting a pay check while others have to work for a paycheck,,,what was I thinking,, so tell me in the AT world is that what you would consider Fair?? No dont answer, I have seen enough to know the answer to that...
 
Have you all heard about this? I don't have exact numbers but here is the just of it. Dispatchers voted down companies first offer, company made worse second offer, they filed and went to mediation. In mediation Dispatchers were comparing themselves to UPS (I think) as far as pay. SWA never likes to allow the groups to compare to UPS as they always state that they are different, they are a package hauler not people, and packages are not afraid to fly. Well, the mediater agreed with the Dispatchers. Again, these are not exact numbers, but who cares as you will easily get the point. Dispatchers will go from 85K up to 140K ish with everything that they got increased. Also heard of some signing bonuses reaching well over 50K for some long tenured employees. WOW!! Way to go Dispatchers.
Now SWA can "NEVER" say that we cannot use UPS as a comparisome.
I also didn't know how long the new contract is for either. Their last contract was for 12 years, and they were without a contract for 3 years. This is all I have for now. Anyone else have more, and/or can confirm please?? One more question, now, how big of a raise will the dispatchers at AT get when they transfer over to SWA????

That's pretty good money for a job that could pretty much be done with a cell phone app.
 
That's pretty good money for a job that could pretty much be done with a cell phone app.

If that is true, one will not be surprised to see SWA making do with a lot fewer dispatchers in the future. a 65% increase in pay for a group of workers is hard for any company to deal with--unless it is a really tiny group of workers.
 
If that is true, one will not be surprised to see SWA making do with a lot fewer dispatchers in the future. a 65% increase in pay for a group of workers is hard for any company to deal with--unless it is a really tiny group of workers.

Which is precisely what dispatchers are a tiny group..Why do you think they command such a high salary and CASS jumpseat priviledges on all airlines that participate in CASS for essentially a 6 week 200 hr course? When mechanics have a far more and longer trek to get our tickets? We are a large group and we as mechanics are not as "protected" in the eyes of the FAA as the pilots and dispatchers meaning that un-licensed personnel can also work on a/c. But we as mechanics who have A@P's are the most vulnerable to losing our tickets in that when a pilot or dispatcher is done with a flight they are done. When we work on an aircraft it has the potential to always come back to bite us if we did not do our jobs correctly. I have never bought into the mantra of strength in numbers the industrial unions like to preach. A skillset that you ABSOLUTELY have to have a license for or special skill that is hard to attain in a smaller group has the best chance of negotiating good wages and benefits.
 
If that is true, one will not be surprised to see SWA making do with a lot fewer dispatchers in the future. a 65% increase in pay for a group of workers is hard for any company to deal with--unless it is a really tiny group of workers.

This is a group that flies under the radar. In other words most people do not pay attention when these groups negotiate pay and benefits. At AA, a good amount of them are baggage handler upgrades.
Although I do not begrudge them, as Lineguy 43 so eloquently pointed out - the skillset required (training) etc for a dispatcher is minimal. So now what are these chosen few pulling down - $60.00 an hour now? Well, I do know that some companies use contract dispatchers.
 
If you don't begrudge them, then why make that post?

Nothing like disparaging another workgroup for doing good for themselves. Isn't that exactly what you down the TWU about? (And I am as anti-TWU as they come)

Good for the Dispatchers!

Because they are able to negotiate themselves a nice piece of the pie, you come on here advocating the outsourcing of those jobs?
 
If you don't begrudge them, then why make that post?

Nothing like disparaging another workgroup for doing good for themselves. Isn't that exactly what you down the TWU about? (And I am as anti-TWU as they come)

Good for the Dispatchers!

Because they are able to negotiate themselves a nice piece of the pie, you come on here advocating the outsourcing of those jobs?

I didn't take Vortilon's post that way..I think he was just making a statement that some companies use contract dispatchers although I don't know which ones. Most large airlines and large cargo carriers do not want to farm out "operational control" of their SOC. Like I said they are such a small group most airlines do not have too many issues with paying them more unlike maintenance and related groups which share a large portion of the pie.
 
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I didn't take Vortilon's post that way..I think he was just making a statement that some companies use contract dispatchers although I don't know which ones. Most large airlines and large cargo carriers do not want to farm out "operational control" of their SOC. Like I said they are such a small group most airlines do not have too many issues with paying them more unlike maintenance and related groups which share a large portion of the pie.
Maybe I misunderstood. If so, apologies are in order.

OTOH, I have no problem with any work group getting the best deal possible for themselves.

I agree that operational positions like Maint Control, Dispatch, and Engineering, are best kept in house for a host of reasons. Hence, the pay.
 
All of you who think dovetail is bad are not trade unionists.

Are you all that selfish that you want to screw the FL workers?