Spirit's Pilot Strike: Management Is Winning the PR Battle
The Spirit Airlines pilot strike, now entering its fourth day with no end in sight, is as much a PR battle as an actual labor struggle. And while there are plenty of reasons to feel sympathy for the pilots, you'd never know it, because they've stayed quiet about the strike -- handing Spirit management a public victory by default.
As I mentioned elsewhere, the battle is a fairly standard fight. The pilots are looking for raises and better work rules. Management is willing to meet those demands partway, but the pilots aren't satisfied with that.
As is always the case when it comes to labor negotiations in the airline industry, this has dragged on for several years. It finally got the point where an impasse was declared by the National Mediation Board and the pilots were allowed to strike on June 12. After a few hour extension due to last minute talks, the pilots walked at 5am on the 12th and Spirit has been shut down since.
At this point, it becomes a war of words. People naturally blame the airline first, but when they hear it's a pilot strike, they just get angry at everyone. In general, people hate strikes and blame employees, especially those so-called high-paid pilots. You often hear, "Well, if you don't like the job, just leave" or "you get paid six figures to just work a few days a month." But that's not really a fair representation of what's going on here. The pilots just aren't telling people about it.
So far, Spirit officials are doing a much better job. With each update canceling more flights, they've explained what they've offered the pilots and, of course, the fact that the union has rejected the offer. It seems absolutely insane for the pilots to turn down this offer, at least on the surface. Airline officials talk about a 29 percent pay increase, which turns into a 47 percent increase over 5 years. They will give the pilots an 8 (rising to 9) percent 401(k) match while the rest of the company gets only 3 percent. They're also offering a $3,000 signing bonus and retention of the provision giving four days off between each trip, something that other airline pilots don't get.
If you listen to Spirit's spin on this, you'd think it's the greatest contract ever produced. I mean, who wouldn't take that?
There are, of course, two sides to the story. So what is the side from the pilots? Beats me. Oh sure, they took out billboards warning travelers they might strike, but they failed to tell people why.
When they want on strike, they issued a bland statement saying that they need a "fair and equitable" contract. On the surface, that Spirit proposals looks fair and equitable and a lot of people flying will see it that way. They also said they would not comment any further.
Since then, they had been nearly silent until yesterday. Sure, they put out info about the picketing and how many people from other airlines are joining them, but so what? They needed to explain why they're on strike and why the offer from the company isn't what it seems.
I thought they had finally figured it out when they put a release out yesterday entitled "Spirit Management Distorts Contract Proposal," but I was wrong. This release fails to give anything tangible. It simply says that the pilots would have to work longer hours and pay more for their healthcare. Gee, sounds like... everyone else in any other job these days. It also complains that the increase is only worth $62.5 million over five years while the company made $83 million in 2009 alone. I'd love to see oil company employees try that one.
ExxonMobil Employees: You made $20 billion dollars last year, so we deserve a $20 billion dollar raise! ExxonMobil Management: [After five minutes of laughing uncontrollably] Suck it. [Followed by five more minutes of uncontrollable laughing.]
That's not going to get sympathy. They need to do better. Give us tangibles. How much is it going to cost you for healthcare? How awful are your work rules? If you can't give us that info, then the public won't know about it and you'll lose the battle.
Even the negotiation page on the pilot's website speaks in broad strokes and fails to really explain the problem. It also hasn't been updated since they went on strike, and it gives only a single email address for contact information -- and whoever's tending it isn't very responsive. (It's been a couple of days since I sent in a request, and I haven't heard the first word back.) The pilots seemingly just don't want to talk to the public, and that's a mistake. (Though they are lighting up the pilot message boards.)
I have no doubt that this contract offer from management is nowhere near as generous as they make it seem. That's the nature of the game. Spirit is going to make it look as good as possible, and they're going to get good coverage. The airline isn't discussing benefits or work rules, so we can't evaluate its offer fully. But the general public doesn't know about that.
As the strike drags on, it'll becomes a game of chicken. Spirit is undoubtedly looking for pilots to cross the picket lines and start flying its planes again. So far, I've only seen one flight flown by scabs (as the unions put it), but that will likely change. A constant barrage of angry public opinion has a way of eroding just about anyone's belief in what they're doing. The longer the pilot union stays on strike, the more concerned each individual pilot will get about surviving and keeping a job in the long run. People will start to cross the line at some point. If not, there are other pilots out there who will.
There's a lot of baggage that comes with being a scab. It effectively makes you the most hated person in aviation, but scabs always come out of the woodwork because there are always more pilots that want to work. They may stay away for awhile, but a time of trial has a way of putting people to the test.
Getting the public behind a strike can embolden the strikers. It can make them feel more confident and it helps bolster their resolve. Some will argue that public opinion doesn't matter, but it's an important form of psychological warfare. Right now, the Spirit pilots are losing that battle.