Spirit Pilots Receive ALPA Battle Star Pins
October 11, 2010 - Spirit
pilots were awarded their ALPA Battle Star pins in a special
presentation during the first day of the Board of Directors
meeting. During the afternoon plenary session, president
Capt. John Prater called the Spirit MEC to the stage to be
recognized for their resolve and determination during the
five-day strike this past June.
“Typically at the Board of
Directors and other meetings, the Association presents
awards to individuals or small crews,” said Prater. “Only on
very rare occasions does ALPA have the ability to honor an
entire pilot group for their contributions to the
profession. This is one of those times, and I have the
distinct pleasure of recognizing the nearly 500 pilots of
Spirit Airlines.”
In his presentation, Prater
recounted the details of the Spirit pilot endgame efforts,
which led to the improved contract. “Not a plane moved. Not
a wheel turned. And not one of the nearly 500 pilots of
Spirit Airlines crossed the picket line. Every airline but
one rebuffed Spirit’s offers to pick up their flying — and
that lone airline flew only a single flight with a single
scab crew before it too wilted in the face of the pilot
profession’s wrath. For five days, Spirit Airlines’ gates
were silent.”
“It is with great pride and
the utmost respect that I present Capt. Sean Creed, and
every pilot of Spirit Airlines, with the ALPA Battle Star
pin. You join eight decades of pilots who when given no
other choice, bravely took the final step to get a fair
contract and the respect this profession so richly
deserves,” Prater added.
Spirit MEC chairman Capt.
Sean Creed graciously accepted his pin, and spoke to the BOD
briefly about his pilot group’s accomplishment. His comments
are below: “Last May, within hours of
receiving the NMB’s proffer of arbitration, I asked the
Executive Board for their support as the pilots of Spirit
Airlines prepared for a strike—and what we received was
overwhelming. You showed up at events and picket lines, you
sent messages of encouragement, and you denied any attempt
to fly struck work. For five days we held that line and got
a fair contract that benefited all Spirit pilots.
“This success would not have
been possible without the assistance we received from every
corner of ALPA, including Captain Prater who sat with us at
the negotiating table, the MECs that voted to support our
strike benefit that we thankfully didn’t need, the line
pilots who used their days off or time between turns to walk
the picket lines with us, and the ALPA staff members who
dedicated long hours to ensure our success.
“In those five days, I saw
the vitality, strength, and resolve of this union. When our
MEC called for a strike in the early morning of June 12, we
knew it was going to be a fight, but we also knew we weren’t
going in it alone. On behalf of every pilot of Spirit
Airlines and their families—thank you.
“I am fortunate to be a
pilot, I am thankful to be an ALPA brother, and I am honored
to stand among you wearing the Battle Star.” |