AAA ALPA Thread 10/5 to 10/12

[Richard]

OK here's the new thread for ALPA East for the week.

 

[88 B.T.D.]

East Bid 8-01 is out. Closes 14 October.

 

[Phoenix]

De Facto Trusteeship

PRESIDENT'S DEPARTMENT
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL

October 1, 2007

Captain Jack Stephan, Chairman US Airway MEC
Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
One Thom Run Center, Suite 400
1187 Thorn Run Road
Coraopolis, PA. 15108

Dear Jack:

Since the day the seniority award was announced, the Executive Council, other national officers, and I have worked tirelessly with you, your MEC, and line pilots to try to find positive solutions that would provide career protection, economic gains, and quality-of-life improvements for all US Airways pilots. I hope you would be the first to say that we have never given up on the US Airways pilots and have provided every possible avenue for you and your MEC to be heard.

The numerous individual and joint MEC meetings, crew room visits, domicile meetings, as well as meetings of the Joint Negotiating Committee, the Rice Committee, and, ultimately, the Executive Council, led to. the Executive Council resolutions affirming ALPA's positions regarding this situation, which we all must now abide by. This is why I am very concerned with the outcome of recent meetings of your MEC and am writing to request that you immediately call a special MEC meeting, to be held no later than October 8, to deal with these critical matters.

Let me be clear: Prompt corrective action by the MEC is necessary for compliance with fundamental obligations under our Constitution and By-Laws and policies with respect to the AAA-AWA merger. This is also required to overcome the MEC's failure to respond to and defend against efforts by an independent organization (USAPA) to displace the Association as bargaining representative.

I have attempted to work out these matters and would have much preferred that the MEC act on its own initiative, without my request. But at this point the combination of action and inaction on the part of the MEC exposes the Association to truly detrimental consequences.

With respect to the AAA-AWA merger, it is time for the MEC to comply with its representational and legal obligations under the Constitution & By-Laws, ALPA Merger Policy, the Transition Agreement, and implementing resolutions of the Executive Council. The MEC; at this meeting, should adopt a resolution (or resolutions) reversing all prior efforts to bar or precondition the continuation of joint negotiations. The MEC should also direct the US Airways members of the Joint Negotiating Committee to resume their full participation in the negotiation of a single agreement covering the merged operation of US Airways and America West, including both parity and parity plus as provided in the Executive Council resolution of September 20, 2007.

Since the Executive Council has determined that there is no ground under ALPA Merger Policy to set aside the seniority award, the MEC should also adopt a resolution recognizing that the award is to be included in the single agreement to be negotiated under the Transition Agreement and Merger Policy, provided only that the Association and all MECs will comply with valid court orders, if any, affecting the terms of the award.
The Rice Committee will continue to work with the MECs and Joint Negotiating Committee to implement this process. You may also wish to contact Captain Mcllvenna to invite the AWA MEC to meet with the AAA MEC to discuss tern's for implementation either before or after the AAA MEC meeting.

It is also time for the US Airways MEC to assume its basic responsibility for defending against the USAPA raid. MEC members are not only status representatives-they are also members of the ALPA Board of Directors-with the clear obligation to preserve ALFA representation for the US Airways pilots.

As of today, the MEC has failed to adopt a single resolution or send a single communication speaking out against this raid. Indeed, to the contrary, some MEC members appear to be at least refusing to support the Association and even expressing support for the USAPA effort. I request that the MEC adopt a resolution expressing full and unreserved support for the continuation of ALFA representation along with continued efforts to resolve all collective bargaining and seniority issues within the Association.

I am ready to have the Association staff assist with making any logistical, travel, hotel, and meeting room arrangements for this special MEC meeting. You are, of course, welcome to hold the meeting at our Washington, D.C., or Herndon offices, and I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss with the MEC any questions concerning the actions set forth in this letter.

I look forward to your positive response and to the outcome of the special MEC meeting so that we can turn our attention to the important work of completing this merger and negotiating a single agreement that will provide very significant improvements in pay, benefits, and career protection to all US Airways pilots. These goals can be achieved only if we work together to preserve Association representation for the entire US Airways pilot group.

In Unity,
Captain John Prater President
cc: • Executive Council Executive Board

 

[Crzipilot]

Looks like, if there aren't any freezes up on the 190, about 15-17 new hires will get group II or better...

 

[Freighterguynow]

21 New hires
20 Captain upgrades
Jan/ Feb two month bid

Tell me some more BS how all the retirements are furloughed, Medical or F/o's

 

[Elevation]

21 New hires
20 Captain upgrades
Jan/ Feb two month bid

Tell me some more BS how all the retirements are furloughed, Medical or F/o's

How many of those are 190 upgrades?

 

[88 B.T.D.]

How many of those are 190 upgrades?

2. Four Cap Lines minus Two Reserve Lines

 

[Crzipilot]

The 20 upgrades

190 - 2 bh

76I - 2 rsv

319 - 8 rsv

33 - 8 rsv


F/O side (reductions in paranthesis)

190 - 2 bh

76I - (4)

76D - 0

737 - (18)

319 - (13)

330 - 13

 

[EastUS]

Since the day the seniority award was announced, the Executive Council, other national officers, and I have worked tirelessly with you, your MEC, and line pilots to try to find positive solutions that would provide career protection, economic gains, and quality-of-life improvements for all US Airways pilots. I hope you would be the first to say that we have never given up on the US Airways pilots

Sorry, but I just couldn't initially get any farther than the above opener due to an onset of hysterical laughter Turns out that yet more hilarious, even if pathetic, material followed.

Prater's punch line: "These goals can be achieved only if we work together to preserve Association representation for the entire US Airways pilot group." Well..There's a big surprise! Seems that "regardless of how much we've screwed you, and continue to do so...we really, really want your dues money to keep flowing in." Something to consider: Prater's striving mightilly to completely sell out the group that's got, on average, the longest dues paying Alpo membership in history. Said group to be utterly sold out in the blink of an eye, and purely for their own convenience up at Alpo Notional.

Anyone out there still having some confused moments as to what ALpo's true agenda is?..or how much they actually care about ANY given pilot group?

Prater: "I look forward to your positive response" Does a raised set of middle fingers constitute a "positive response"?

 

[Cactus737]

Sorry, but I just couldn't get any farther than this due to an onset of hysterical laughter

What did you realistically expect ALPA do to? They weren't giong to overturn the award, and in reality, nobody else in the industry buys your "windfall" argument. In fact, they did more for you than they would have done for AWA if it had gone DOH. The game Prater played with the seniority list for you guys (trying to generate leverage for you so that AWA would negotiate), was pretty unprecedented. There would have been no Rice Committee if AWA was griping over DOH. All of that baloney was orchestrated by ALPA just for you guys.

As for the trusteeship piece, I see your MEC purposely maneuvering in that direction for the sole purpose of gaining political cover for themselves. If I were in their shoes, I would have stayed in joint negotiations where I would have been most effective in thwarting a TA. This last "tough guy" resolution they just passed invited ALPA to remove their power, and expose you to the possibility of having a TA sent out for membership ratification.

BTW - let's assume for a moment that I would rather settle some issues over the Award rather than do down this path of destruction for the next several years. Your MEC passed a resolution that says that there will be no negotiating "fixes" to the Nicolau Award and that there will be permanent separate operations, yet Jack Stephan's most recent chairman's message says that he's waiting for the AWA MEC to come negotiate a fix to the Nicolau Award. Well, which is it?

 

[EastUS]

What did you realistically expect ALPA do to?

I expected nothing good from Alpo. Recall that I've seen them in "action" for a very long time. I had zero doubts that they'd do whatever served their personal interests the most, and am certainly not the least bit surprised that such has once more proved true. As I've mentioned many times: My argument with Alpo's not based upon the Nic fiasco, but rather a quarter century plus of events and observations as to the overall worthless nature of the "Association", not to be in any way improperly confused with being any "Union".

Just a couple from old times for reference:

Remember the initial onset of having flight crews forced to go through security check lines? What happened with our Canadian neighbors at that time? Ah yes = They raised middle fingers and threatened the shut down of the system, and avoided that humiliating, and worthless mess. What did Alpo "do" at that time?

When the pensions of many, many thousands of pilots accross this country were being stolen from us...What did Alpo ever actually "do"? Hint = Give them up in displays of almost gleefull cowardice without the tiniest of fights, and without even membership votes in at least one case rather near and dear to my selfish heart 😉 Alpo's not a "National Union", regardless of how obscenely large the compensation packages for Prater and his sorry ilk are.....It's a joke, and do not, for even a moment, fantasize that airline managements don't fully know this to be true.

An honest question sir: Are you really comfortable giving nearly 2 of every hundred dollars you earn up so that Prater and company can "live large"? If for every hour you spend flying, you had to put 2-3 dollar bills in an envelope and mail them to Prater....would you?

 

[hp_fa]

EastUS, in the closed thread I used the word "mindlessly" and I am not sure if you took offense or not. It may have been a poor choice of a word, but what I was trying to illustrate was whether or not someone (I didn't specify who and didn't target you) follows a path being followed by friends, despite one having personal feelings that the path is incorrect. I hope you did not personalize what I was trying to get across. That was not the intent.

 

[EastUS]

EastUS, in the closed thread I used the word "mindlessly" and I am not sure if you took offense or not. It may have been a poor choice of a word, but what I was trying to illustrate was whether or not someone (I didn't specify who and didn't target you) follows a path being followed by friends, despite one having personal feelings that the path is incorrect. I hope you did not personalize what I was trying to get across. That was not the intent.

No worries and no problem there. I didn't have that "take" on your posting at all. Given that I'm certainly amongst the most bristling, and often irritating hedgehogs hereabouts...I wouldn't/couldn't have taken any offence in any case.

 

[skyflyr69]

'My argument with Alpo's not based upon the Nic fiasco, but rather a quarter century plus of events and observations as to the overall worthless nature of the "Association", not to be in any way improperly confused with being any "Union". '

East US, you are so correct, First Deregulation, then non support of Patco, TWA wrap around agreement, no PID implementation at Ozark-twa, EAL strike, pensions etc. But OH NOOOOO,,, lets not cross the secretaries/staff strike of last year. ALPO has run its course. Its policies have nothing to do with individual pilots. It's time to put ALPO in the bowl of dog food it deserves.

:angry:

 

[Phoenix]

'My argument with Alpo's not based upon the Nic fiasco, but rather a quarter century plus of events and observations as to the overall worthless nature of the "Association", not to be in any way improperly confused with being any "Union". '

East US, you are so correct, First Deregulation, then non support of Patco, TWA wrap around agreement, no PID implementation at Ozark-twa, EAL strike, pensions etc. But OH NOOOOO,,, lets not cross the secretaries/staff strike of last year. ALPO has run its course. Its policies have nothing to do with individual pilots. It's time to put ALPO in the bowl of dog food it deserves.

:angry:

ALPO and the company are like Democrats and Republicans. How the he!! do you tell them apart?