"Now let's look at what the individual Addington plaintiffs (Leonidas members) said with respect to the Kirby proposal: Steve Wargocki testified* that he would "probably not" vote for a contract that incorporated the Kirby proposal"......
One thing that will never change is that we will all get older and eventually must retire. By the year 2020, just under 2,500 pilots will have retired, with almost 2,000 (80%) of that number coming from the East pilot group. (This assumes an average age at retirement of 64, which, based upon available statistics, would tend to understate the rate and magnitude of pilot attrition.) By the year 2015, the number of age-64 retirements will be more than 900. The Leonidas/AOL pamphlet's minimization of attrition-related career opportunities cannot stand up to the plain realities of pilot demographics.
The East pilots do not blame the West pilots for the failed leadership of ALPA in the past and concur with the notion that we are not each other's enemy; we share the desire for all pilots to join together. However, the authors of the pamphlet, by continuing to push for a seniority proposal that, as recognized by the Ninth Circuit Court, was never and is not ratifiable, are clearly attempting to mislead the entire pilot group with misinformation that is purely self-serving and damaging to the entire pilot bargaining unit, East and West. We encourage all pilots to carefully examine what the actual USAPA seniority proposal contains. The USAPA proposal is balanced, representing the interests of the pilot group as a whole.
Finally, there is the question of delay, if any, caused by USAPA's pursuit of an equitable seniority integration solution. The most important point that must be recognized by all US Airways pilots is that the primary source of delay in reaching a single CBA is the non-seniority issue of economics and the intransigence of the Company in this regard. Until the recent disingenuous Leonidas mailer, there has never been any dispute that the Company's current economic proposal (the Kirby Proposal) is unacceptable throughout the pilot group. First, in a West MEC update dated July 23, 2007, West MEC Chairman John McIlvenna described the Kirby proposal as "woefully inadequate." Furthermore, in a draft letter from John McIlvenna to East MEC Chairman Jack Stephan dated February 22, 2008, the West MEC Chairman explained that "the May 2007 Kirby proposal ... was deemed unacceptable by both pilot groups." Now let's look at what the individual Addington plaintiffs (Leonidas members) said with respect to the Kirby proposal:
Steve Wargocki testified* that he would "probably not" vote for a contract that incorporated the Kirby proposal;
Mark Burman testified* that the Kirby proposal "seemed to fall short of what expectations were moving forward with the new contract."
Afshin Iranpour testified* that "from his point of view ... [the pilots] could probably ask for more than just [the] 3 percent raise" contained in the Kirby proposal;
Roger Velez (current PHX Domicile Representative) responded* with an emphatic "no" when asked if he would vote for a single CBA which incorporated the Kirby proposal as its economic package;
John Bostic, testified* that he "wouldn't be satisfied" with the Kirby proposal and he "would like [something] better."
