- Nov 9, 2003
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- 5,865
MEC Chairman's message
August 18, 2004
This is your MEC Chairman, Bill Pollock, on August 18th, with an MEC Chairman's message to the pilots.
With Transformation Plan negotiations coming down to the wire, I want to talk with you about what to expect during the next few weeks. Right now, the Negotiating Committee is holding accelerated talks with management in Crystal City, and the Committee has just made the Company’s August 17th proposal available on the pilots only website.
The MEC recognizes the Company’s need for concessions; however, we also respect the Negotiating Committee’s stance during these talks. The Committee has rejected any overtures the Company has made to try to replace our contract with a JetBlue contract. The Committee has instead told management that they will negotiate based on the provisions that are contained in our existing contract. Through our polling and cost savings forms, you’ve indicated that you prefer certain contract changes compared to others. During this whole time, the Negotiating Committee has been working very hard to find a balance that meets the Company’s needs and the desires of the pilots to preserve certain aspects of our current contract.
I know you’ve heard it before, but these negotiations are quite likely the most critical ones of our careers. This may very well be our last time at bat, our last opportunity to control the fate of our airline and our careers. While I remain disturbed that some MEC members still maintain that the urgency of our situation has been somehow orchestrated and manufactured, I am encouraged to know that the pilots will not tolerate misguided posturing when it comes to your future.
The stakes are indeed high. As we enter these final stages of our Transformation Plan Negotiations, I’m urging all pilots to carefully look at management’s latest counterproposal on the pilots only site. It is by no means a final deal, but it will give you an idea of how management is now looking at many of the issues, and the alternatives, being discussed at the table.
Since a tentative agreement could be struck soon, it’s critical to remain informed. As we reported on last week’s code-a-phone, the MEC has pledged that any TA that the Negotiating Committee brings to them will be reviewed and then be sent out to the membership for a ratification vote.
I want you to be aware that the MEC Policy Manual contains a provision that requires the MEC to be in possession of an LOA for seven days before taking action on it. However, with the time constraints we are facing, the MEC can also choose to waive that requirement. The MEC has done this in the past, and was still able to balance the timeliness of a situation with an expeditious, but thorough, examination period before a vote was taken.
This way, a TA will be in your hands as quickly as possible, providing you with more time to ask questions and become educated on the agreement. Because our timeline is somewhat compressed, ballots may have to be cast more quickly than usual, but I will ensure that an expedited schedule will not affect your understanding of the issues. You will be provided with all of the information that you need to make an informed decision.
Once you receive the TA, the Committee will put together road shows and education materials. The most important result of this process, as I’ve said before, will be that you are able to participate in this process as a full partner in our transformation. You will make the decision. That being said, we all need to be giving some very serious thought to what we each find acceptable. And as we reach the closing days of these negotiations, I ask that you continue to support our Negotiating Committee’s non-stop efforts in working toward a fair agreement for our pilot group. In the meantime, please keep updated on our negotiations progress through the code-a-phone, website and email.
Another matter I’d like to talk about in this message is the support we are receiving from ALPA International and from our fellow pilots during this time. Just today, ALPA’s Executive Council released funds for the US Airways MEC from ALPA’s Operating Contingency Fund, commonly called the OCF. This fund is supported by the dues of the pilots across the entire association and is ALPA's reserve fund for unbudgeted MEC expenses. Receiving this grant shows that our union recognizes the MEC’s efforts to provide you with the services you need during a particularly difficult period. The fact remains, though, that during this time of intense activity, we are spending more than our budget permits. Your MEC is taking steps to remedy this situation, but as I addressed in my last Chairman’s letter, some of these costs remain out of our control for the time being. I’ll continue to keep you updated on our budget concerns, but I wanted you to know that we are working on a solution.
Thanks for listening.
August 18, 2004
This is your MEC Chairman, Bill Pollock, on August 18th, with an MEC Chairman's message to the pilots.
With Transformation Plan negotiations coming down to the wire, I want to talk with you about what to expect during the next few weeks. Right now, the Negotiating Committee is holding accelerated talks with management in Crystal City, and the Committee has just made the Company’s August 17th proposal available on the pilots only website.
The MEC recognizes the Company’s need for concessions; however, we also respect the Negotiating Committee’s stance during these talks. The Committee has rejected any overtures the Company has made to try to replace our contract with a JetBlue contract. The Committee has instead told management that they will negotiate based on the provisions that are contained in our existing contract. Through our polling and cost savings forms, you’ve indicated that you prefer certain contract changes compared to others. During this whole time, the Negotiating Committee has been working very hard to find a balance that meets the Company’s needs and the desires of the pilots to preserve certain aspects of our current contract.
I know you’ve heard it before, but these negotiations are quite likely the most critical ones of our careers. This may very well be our last time at bat, our last opportunity to control the fate of our airline and our careers. While I remain disturbed that some MEC members still maintain that the urgency of our situation has been somehow orchestrated and manufactured, I am encouraged to know that the pilots will not tolerate misguided posturing when it comes to your future.
The stakes are indeed high. As we enter these final stages of our Transformation Plan Negotiations, I’m urging all pilots to carefully look at management’s latest counterproposal on the pilots only site. It is by no means a final deal, but it will give you an idea of how management is now looking at many of the issues, and the alternatives, being discussed at the table.
Since a tentative agreement could be struck soon, it’s critical to remain informed. As we reported on last week’s code-a-phone, the MEC has pledged that any TA that the Negotiating Committee brings to them will be reviewed and then be sent out to the membership for a ratification vote.
I want you to be aware that the MEC Policy Manual contains a provision that requires the MEC to be in possession of an LOA for seven days before taking action on it. However, with the time constraints we are facing, the MEC can also choose to waive that requirement. The MEC has done this in the past, and was still able to balance the timeliness of a situation with an expeditious, but thorough, examination period before a vote was taken.
This way, a TA will be in your hands as quickly as possible, providing you with more time to ask questions and become educated on the agreement. Because our timeline is somewhat compressed, ballots may have to be cast more quickly than usual, but I will ensure that an expedited schedule will not affect your understanding of the issues. You will be provided with all of the information that you need to make an informed decision.
Once you receive the TA, the Committee will put together road shows and education materials. The most important result of this process, as I’ve said before, will be that you are able to participate in this process as a full partner in our transformation. You will make the decision. That being said, we all need to be giving some very serious thought to what we each find acceptable. And as we reach the closing days of these negotiations, I ask that you continue to support our Negotiating Committee’s non-stop efforts in working toward a fair agreement for our pilot group. In the meantime, please keep updated on our negotiations progress through the code-a-phone, website and email.
Another matter I’d like to talk about in this message is the support we are receiving from ALPA International and from our fellow pilots during this time. Just today, ALPA’s Executive Council released funds for the US Airways MEC from ALPA’s Operating Contingency Fund, commonly called the OCF. This fund is supported by the dues of the pilots across the entire association and is ALPA's reserve fund for unbudgeted MEC expenses. Receiving this grant shows that our union recognizes the MEC’s efforts to provide you with the services you need during a particularly difficult period. The fact remains, though, that during this time of intense activity, we are spending more than our budget permits. Your MEC is taking steps to remedy this situation, but as I addressed in my last Chairman’s letter, some of these costs remain out of our control for the time being. I’ll continue to keep you updated on our budget concerns, but I wanted you to know that we are working on a solution.
Thanks for listening.
