Support From Our Family
Thank you to SWAPA, Southwest’s Pilots
We are grateful for the support of Southwest’s pilots, in SWAPA’s statement today regarding, as they call it, the “state of managerial emergency” that all of us at Southwest Airlines are facing. They, better than perhaps anyone at the Company, can appreciate that this is about safety and safety alone, and not about contract negotiations.
To reiterate what SWAPA President Jon Weaks wrote, “On the one hand, management wants our mechanics to make the right call, but on the other hand, they are upset that our mechanics are trying to do the right thing while under the microscope by the FAA. The cognitive dissonance is deafening!”
As the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs), we are on the frontlines — and the last line — of safety at Southwest Airlines. And this frustrating back-and-forth with the Company hinges on safety, and the restoration of the safety culture at Southwest.
It is shameful that this is something we must fight for, that we are being questioned about, that we are being threatened with litigation over.
But fight we must, and that’s because this fight is not about us. The beneficiaries of Southwest’s passengers, and also its most frequent fliers — the pilots and flight attendants.
This sad moment in Southwest’s history is a manifestation of the Company’s post-Herb Kelleher strategy, and their transition from being a people-oriented company to being a financial-oriented one. This is a short-term vision that will only push Southwest from being a unique and distinctive airline towards mediocrity. Protecting our passengers, pilots and flight attendants, as well as Herb Kelleher’s legacy and the future of our airline, is something everyone at AMFA believes is worth fighting for.
Not only do we appreciate the support from our pilot family, the hard-working men and women that make up SWAPA, but our continued extended family of TWU556-SWA Flight Attendants, TWU555-SWA Ramp, and all support from U.S. AMTs, and AMTs from around the world. We know SWAPA appreciates the expert work we do. And we in turn will continue to do our jobs as vigilant defenders of safety, to ensure aircrafts are airworthy for all who step on a Southwest Airlines plane — no matter what gamesmanship and accusations coming from our management we’re faced with.
It is our hope that the Southwest management will join this commitment to restoring our safety culture and looking at this transition not as an “Operational Emergency,” but rather the beginning of a new normal.
