AA Pilots Would Support BA Strike

Skymess

Veteran
Aug 6, 2004
1,123
6
NY
Transatlantic flights face shutdown as US pilots back protest at BA
David Robertson
British Airways's dispute with its pilots over the establishment of a
new subsidiary airline could spread to the United States and shut
down two thirds of transatlantic flights.

Pilots working for American Airlines, which has a partnership
agreement with BA, said yesterday that they would "unequivocably
support" the BA pilots' union. BA's pilots are threatening to strike
over the airline's decision to set up a separate division called Open
Skies, which will operate from cities such as Paris and Brussels to
New York.

The British Air Line Pilots' Association (Balpa) is worried that BA
will use its new division to introduce a low-cost operating structure
that will lead to reduced pilot salaries and benefits. The Allied
Pilots Association, representing 12,000 AA pilots, is concerned that
the idea will spread and that United States-based carriers might try
to follow suit.

Captain Lloyd Hill, the APA president, said: "As far as outsourcing
is concerned, the British Airways pilots' struggle is our struggle.
Accordingly, we have pledged a broad range of support to our fellow
pilots at British Airways, including personnel and financial
resources, to help to resist plans by their airline's management to
establish an alter ego operation."

Last week, 86 per cent of the 3,000 BA pilots who are Balpa members
voted to strike over the Open Skies proposal. BA and Balpa said
yesterday that they would try to resolve their differences through
Acas, the concilliation service. Talks will begin on March 3.

A strike by BA pilots would be the first in nearly 30 years and would
cripple the airline. The support of American Airlines pilots will put
extra pressure on BA, as its partner could also be grounded by the
action.

About 68 per cent of all traffic between Heathrow and the United
States is carried by AA and BA and industrial action at both would
have a substantial impact on transatlantic travel.

Mr Hill added: "Our pilots have experienced first-hand the career
damage brought about by outsourcing. We stand foursquare behind our
British Airways colleagues in their efforts to stop this threat to
our collective livelihoods."

BA is proposing to begin Open Skies services from June, using old
Boeing 757 aircraft. If the project is successful, it will extend the
venture to include flights from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid and
Milan to the United States.
 
Our labor laws are different.... If AA pilots did a wildcat strike with certain flights it would be illegal. If only this were France.... they strike early and often.
 
Sadly, it appears that Mr Hill is nothing but a media whore. He appears to be the union-leader counterpart to ADHD-Dave (Neeleman). He's having trouble focusing on his charges - the membership of the APA. Of course, it may take his mind off the 31% and 50% pay raise demands (the ones that have 0% chance of success).

The APA has a scope clause that prohibits AMR from setting up an "alter ego" airline like Open Skies. Further, AA and BA compete across the Atlantic, since all efforts by AA and BA to cooperate have been frustrated. And yet, here's Mr Hill, talking like these British pilots are his co-workers and pledging all kinds of "support" in case the BA pilots strike.

Gotta ask - where was Mr Hill and the APA when their stateside colleagues at US, UA and DL were facing pension termination? Any pledge of support for the US or UA or DL pilots whose pensions were decimated by their termination? No? How come?

Even better - the reporter of this article didn't know enough to ask any tough questions. Sorry, this is a non-event. BA pilots may strike; AA pilots will do nothing.
 
Forget the pensions...where was this stand when CalLite, MetroJet, Shuttle by United, et.al. were set up to do these same things? This is comical.
 
It was before my time with AA, but it seems that IIRC the AA pilots did not support the AA f/as strike and they crossed our picket lines. Am I wrong? Curious minds want to know.

Hmm. Stupid award of the day goes to me. I just figured out what IIRC means and I've been seeing it on message boards for awhile. DUH. :rolleyes:
 
Forget the pensions...where was this stand when CalLite, MetroJet, Shuttle by United, et.al. were set up to do these same things? This is comical.

True - plus MidAtlantic (MDA) at US or Compass at NW.
 
FWAAA is absolutely right; I would add that this is hypocrisy on a large scale.

The more I read about Captain Hill, the more it seems clear that he wants to force American down the road recently traveled by Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways: chapter 11.

Unless the Hills and Gladings of AA's organized labor drop the bully act and start making serious gestures toward working collaboratively with management, I don't see how AA can remain competitive.
 
Unless the Hills and Gladings of AA's organized labor drop the bully act and start making serious gestures toward working collaboratively with management, I don't see how AA can remain competitive.
Sure they can, they can start by raising fares instead of having labor subsidize the traveling public's vacation plans.
 
I'm sure they could try and refuse to cross a BALPA picket line, but that's pretty easily circumvented.

Lloyd needs to go read his contract, especially the "no sympathy strike" clause. Or maybe he just needs to go re-read the $40M judgement against his predecessors...
 
I'm sure they could try and refuse to cross a BALPA picket line, but that's pretty easily circumvented.

Lloyd needs to go read his contract, especially the "no sympathy strike" clause. Or maybe he just needs to go re-read the $40M judgement against his predecessors...
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I think you (all) need to read the press release

Ready FIRE Aim

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080227/20080227005915.html?.v=1

"“As far as outsourcing is concerned, the British Airways pilots’ struggle is our struggle,â€￾ said APA President Captain Lloyd Hill. “Accordingly, we have pledged a broad range of support to our fellow pilots at British Airways, including personnel and financial resources, to help resist plans by their airline’s management to establish an alter ego operation.â€￾


I like the use of youtube too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkZsPjQp3CM
 
All fine and well, but the average Joe isn't going to seek out the press release. They're going to read what the media writes, and that implied pretty clearly that a BA strike would mean an AA sympathy strike. And you know that APA would rather have customers afraid than informed.

The points about not speaking up when the other US carriers were gang raped are duly noted, but defensable -- they didn't happen on Hill's watch...