Southwest disruptions (ATC walkout)

[skygeek]

There has been quite a disruption to Southeast operations recently. Officially the reason was attributed to bad weather and "ATC issues" without much specifics.

After some digging on social media it seems as the alleged cause of disruptions was a massive walkout of ATC staff in Jacksonville to protest against mandatory vaccine mandate.]

Any confirmations/denials or general updates from sources closer to the situation?

[Check Airman]

https://www.swapa.org/news/2021/press-release/

SWAPA represents the pilots of SWA.

Also worth noting that ATC are not allowed to take these sorts of job actions. Even when government shutdowns mean they don’t get paid.

[justnightstopping]

Any reliable sources that there was an ATC walkout due to the vaccine mandate (newsflash, social media and Ted Cruz are not reliable sources), or is it just the usual antivaxer bs?

[skygeek]

The whole purpose of the thread is to establish that. So far it all has been a speculation, but the facts do speak for themselves. You don't have a 30% of your flights cancelled due to "bad weather" with only a single airline disproportionally affected. There must have been some other reason. So far sketchy social media reports say it was due to an unofficial "sickout" by the staff. SWAPA denies any official action has taken place. I hope somebody with more inside knowledge can shed more light onto this.

[Denti]

The FAA posted that yesterday.

Personally i would doubt that ATCOs stage a walkout over the vaccination mandate of a private company, especially considering that, as far as i know, all federal employees had a vaccination mandate for quite some time now. In my opinion it is much more likely that Southwest employees decided they did not like that mandate and showed the company what will happen if they do not get a jab.

[DaveReidUK]

Newsweek:

"Southwest Airlines Pilots Association has rejected "false claims" from conservative figures that the recent mass flight cancellations were due to a vaccine mandate walkout protest."

[Banana Joe]

Then it's time for Southwest and other US airlines to start sponsoring a few guys for the Green Card

[Check Airman]

That may not have as many interested applicants as one may imagine- once they find out that they’ll be hired as FO’s despite years of experience as PIC.

[Banana Joe]

I'd be willing. T&C's are superior.

[Chiefttp]

Dave,
SWAPA can’t publicly admit that the walkout was due to Covid concerns, they would be fined and prosecuted for an illegal job action. The pilots did walkout because of the vaccine mandate, the Union can never admit that…weren’t you in a union?

[Chiefttp]

Also, For my colleagues in Europe, the US media like to paint Anti-vaxers as Trump loving, right wingers. The reality of the situation is a large majority of minorities are hesitant to get the vaccine due to mistrust of the government and historical precedence (google, Tuskegee Syphilis study) and women are not getting the vaccine because they are concerned with any side effects that can affect a future pregnancy. BTW, CNN won’t tell you, but Minorities and Women are overwhelmingly Democrat voters, hardly crazy right wingers.

[tdracer]

What Chieftp wrote. The vaccination rates in the black community is far lower than the population as a whole. There are large numbers of people who are unhappy with the vaccine mandates - many of them far from Trump loving right wingers - and Washington state is about to pay a big price for it. Washington has mandated all state employees must be full vaccinated by the 18th of October or lose their jobs (which means they needed to have gotten the final dose no later than the 4th since it takes two weeks to be fully effective) and many (some estimates put it as high as 30%) are preparing to quit or be fired, and are simply using up all their sick and vacation leave before they go.
As a result the state ferry service is horribly short staffed and had to cancel hundreds of trips, and law enforcement - already short staffed in areas like Seattle - is taking it in the chin. Things are about to get ugly around here.

[airfido]

Not so much about the vaccine itself. Much more about the mandate. A forced chemical injection is a line in the sand for many. Maybe this will stem the tidal wave of government control over people. Someday a mandate might cross your line too…if you have one.

[HLYtaste]

My applause to the Southwest guys and atc in Jacksonville, telegram has been awesome the last few days.

[Sailvi767]

Chiefttp

In the US the union does not need to admit anything. Southwest would only need show that statistically there was a increase in sick calls. That’s not the case so they can’t claim anything. What has caused them a small reduction in pilots is unvaccinated pilots getting the shot to keep their jobs. In the US you are prohibited from flying 48 hours after getting the shot.

[AceMT]

As a SWA pilot, I can tell you that is NOT what is happening Sailvi. Why do people come on here and make assumptions they know nothing about? That's all I will say.

[Sailvi767]

I have several friends at SWA. They tell me that is what’s happening not to mention both the union and company are saying there is no sickout. Are you saying both are lying and there is a sickout?

[mikehallam]

FWIW,

I, my wife and another village friend (all UK) have now happily benefitted from three (yes 3) Pfizer - good old USA - anti Covid jabs.

I suspect the 'antis' are hoist on their own petard and careless of their possibly hosting the virus and able to infect innocent contacts.

[skidbuggy]

Southwest 737

[AceMT]

Sailvi767

Maybe not lying, just naive. Obviously the Union isn't going to admit anything as it is NOT an organized sick out, plus that would be against the RLA.