MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE - July 1, 2005
This is MEC Chairman Bill Pollock with a US Airways MEC update for Friday, July 1st, with six new items.
Item 1. US Airways filed its Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement yesterday. The POR is a document that provides how the Company, as the debtor, will restructure and emerge from bankruptcy and the amount and type of currency (cash, stock, or equity) that will be paid to its creditors. The Disclosure Statement describes and explains the terms of the POR. The Plan is based on its proposed merger with America West.
ALPA's legal advisors are analyzing details of the POR and Disclosure Statement, and they will report to the MEC. Your MEC will then decide if the elements contained in the plan and disclosure statement meet with ALPA's satisfaction. ALPA and all other US Airways creditors, investors and unions have until August 5 to review the disclosure statement and file any objections they may have to it. On August 9, the bankruptcy court will hold a hearing on whether to approve the Disclosure Statement. If the Disclosure Statement is approved, it will be sent along with the plan and ballots to impaired creditors, which are generally creditors who will not be paid in full, for them to vote on it. Following the vote, a confirmation hearing will be held on whether to approve the plan itself.
US Airways and America West have stated that they remain on track to complete all regulatory and court requirements and to close on the merger transaction by late September or early October.
We will keep you updated on the contents of the POR and disclosure statement through the code-a-phone, website, and my Chairman's communications.
Item 2. I have recorded a Chairman's message to the pilots in which I discuss the meeting that your MEC Officers, Negotiating and Grievance Committees had with management this week. During the meeting, I told management that their recent attempts to unilaterally disregard key elements of our contract in the guise of promoting the proposed transaction with America West was yet another indication of their greed and a betrayal of the employees who provided them with unprecedented cost savings. Management's actions continue to erode its relationship with ALPA, and your MEC is currently evaluating all options and responses to intolerable management "land grabs."
You can listen to the Chairman's message to the pilots by calling the code-a-phone number at 800-FOR-ALPA, or 800-367-2572, and then pressing 2. It will also be posted on the US Airways public and pilots only home page at www.usairwayspilots.org.
Item 3. A US Airways MEC Legislative Alert is being emailed to all pilots with an email address on file with ALPA. This alert explains that two bills, S. 685 and H.R. 2926, have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that would have a major impact on retirement benefits for US Airways pilots. These bills would change the PBGC rules so that pilots who must stop flying at age 60 would not have their benefits actuarially reduced by the PBGC in a terminated plan. Under current law, pilots are penalized by receiving reduced benefits because they must retire at 60, instead of the PBGC's "normal" retirement age of 65. The bills would eliminate this penalty by allowing pilots, at age 60, to receive benefit guarantees calculated as though they already had reached age 65.
Your MEC, MEC Officers, and Legislative Affairs Committee are urging pilots to contact their legislators and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. ALPA has an automated Action Alert campaign underway, so contacting your legislators is easy. You can send your messages right from your computer. Follow the ACTION ALERT message from either the ALPA or US Airways MEC pilots only home page. Then just click on the Action Alert button, and you'll go to a website outside of ALPA where our Legislative Action Center is set up. Instructions are also included on the Legislative Alert that has been emailed to pilots. If you need assistance emailing your letters, please call the MEC office at 800-USAIR MEC.
Item 4. The Training Committee reports that effective today, July 1, the CQT program for all airplanes is changing. The new CQT Briefing guides should be available in the crew rooms today, and they are already available on theHub.
This year's CQT will focus on international operations and the CMO simulator training. The CLO simulator evaluation events will be flown in and out of various Caribbean and, for the Airbus, Latin American destinations. Consequently, every pilot should plan to thoroughly review the entire TOLA and US Airways procedures, including pertinent FILs, for international operations prior to attending training.
The FOQA data and ASAP reports have indicated that the international arena deserves special focus, which is why the Flight Training Department has proactively decided to address these operations in the 2005-2006 CQT. With proper preparation, this should provide a valuable, challenging and rewarding training opportunity for each of our pilots.
Item 5. The newest issue of the MEC E-Report has been e-mailed to all pilots with an e-mail address on file with ALPA. The MEC E-Report, which is sent out as an Adobe PDF file that supports hyperlinks, contains important MEC and MEC Officer news, MEC committee information and US Airways and industry news links.
Item 6. We have just learned that MDA pilots have received a communication from management indicating that MDA pilots will be called upon to make a decision about training to take place at Republic Airlines scheduled to commence on the 18th of July. It is our understanding that management has established July 8th as a date for decisions to be made by MDA pilots. The MEC is investigating this correspondence and any implications. Additionally, the MEC’s position is that no pilot should consider making a career decision with less than complete and detailed information. We will vigorously oppose any move to force a training decision with less than full information. As a reminder, the MEC has filed a grievance regarding the proposed MDA transaction. It is the Association’s position that the proposed transaction is an MDA affiliate event that represents a change in control of MDA with the rights described in LOA 91.
On behalf of the MEC Officers and the MEC, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday.
Please remember we now have 1,574 pilots on furlough with approximately 400 pilots currently working at MDA or other Jets For Jobs carriers.
This is MEC Chairman Bill Pollock with a US Airways MEC update for Friday, July 1st, with six new items.
Item 1. US Airways filed its Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement yesterday. The POR is a document that provides how the Company, as the debtor, will restructure and emerge from bankruptcy and the amount and type of currency (cash, stock, or equity) that will be paid to its creditors. The Disclosure Statement describes and explains the terms of the POR. The Plan is based on its proposed merger with America West.
ALPA's legal advisors are analyzing details of the POR and Disclosure Statement, and they will report to the MEC. Your MEC will then decide if the elements contained in the plan and disclosure statement meet with ALPA's satisfaction. ALPA and all other US Airways creditors, investors and unions have until August 5 to review the disclosure statement and file any objections they may have to it. On August 9, the bankruptcy court will hold a hearing on whether to approve the Disclosure Statement. If the Disclosure Statement is approved, it will be sent along with the plan and ballots to impaired creditors, which are generally creditors who will not be paid in full, for them to vote on it. Following the vote, a confirmation hearing will be held on whether to approve the plan itself.
US Airways and America West have stated that they remain on track to complete all regulatory and court requirements and to close on the merger transaction by late September or early October.
We will keep you updated on the contents of the POR and disclosure statement through the code-a-phone, website, and my Chairman's communications.
Item 2. I have recorded a Chairman's message to the pilots in which I discuss the meeting that your MEC Officers, Negotiating and Grievance Committees had with management this week. During the meeting, I told management that their recent attempts to unilaterally disregard key elements of our contract in the guise of promoting the proposed transaction with America West was yet another indication of their greed and a betrayal of the employees who provided them with unprecedented cost savings. Management's actions continue to erode its relationship with ALPA, and your MEC is currently evaluating all options and responses to intolerable management "land grabs."
You can listen to the Chairman's message to the pilots by calling the code-a-phone number at 800-FOR-ALPA, or 800-367-2572, and then pressing 2. It will also be posted on the US Airways public and pilots only home page at www.usairwayspilots.org.
Item 3. A US Airways MEC Legislative Alert is being emailed to all pilots with an email address on file with ALPA. This alert explains that two bills, S. 685 and H.R. 2926, have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that would have a major impact on retirement benefits for US Airways pilots. These bills would change the PBGC rules so that pilots who must stop flying at age 60 would not have their benefits actuarially reduced by the PBGC in a terminated plan. Under current law, pilots are penalized by receiving reduced benefits because they must retire at 60, instead of the PBGC's "normal" retirement age of 65. The bills would eliminate this penalty by allowing pilots, at age 60, to receive benefit guarantees calculated as though they already had reached age 65.
Your MEC, MEC Officers, and Legislative Affairs Committee are urging pilots to contact their legislators and ask them to co-sponsor these bills. ALPA has an automated Action Alert campaign underway, so contacting your legislators is easy. You can send your messages right from your computer. Follow the ACTION ALERT message from either the ALPA or US Airways MEC pilots only home page. Then just click on the Action Alert button, and you'll go to a website outside of ALPA where our Legislative Action Center is set up. Instructions are also included on the Legislative Alert that has been emailed to pilots. If you need assistance emailing your letters, please call the MEC office at 800-USAIR MEC.
Item 4. The Training Committee reports that effective today, July 1, the CQT program for all airplanes is changing. The new CQT Briefing guides should be available in the crew rooms today, and they are already available on theHub.
This year's CQT will focus on international operations and the CMO simulator training. The CLO simulator evaluation events will be flown in and out of various Caribbean and, for the Airbus, Latin American destinations. Consequently, every pilot should plan to thoroughly review the entire TOLA and US Airways procedures, including pertinent FILs, for international operations prior to attending training.
The FOQA data and ASAP reports have indicated that the international arena deserves special focus, which is why the Flight Training Department has proactively decided to address these operations in the 2005-2006 CQT. With proper preparation, this should provide a valuable, challenging and rewarding training opportunity for each of our pilots.
Item 5. The newest issue of the MEC E-Report has been e-mailed to all pilots with an e-mail address on file with ALPA. The MEC E-Report, which is sent out as an Adobe PDF file that supports hyperlinks, contains important MEC and MEC Officer news, MEC committee information and US Airways and industry news links.
Item 6. We have just learned that MDA pilots have received a communication from management indicating that MDA pilots will be called upon to make a decision about training to take place at Republic Airlines scheduled to commence on the 18th of July. It is our understanding that management has established July 8th as a date for decisions to be made by MDA pilots. The MEC is investigating this correspondence and any implications. Additionally, the MEC’s position is that no pilot should consider making a career decision with less than complete and detailed information. We will vigorously oppose any move to force a training decision with less than full information. As a reminder, the MEC has filed a grievance regarding the proposed MDA transaction. It is the Association’s position that the proposed transaction is an MDA affiliate event that represents a change in control of MDA with the rights described in LOA 91.
On behalf of the MEC Officers and the MEC, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday.
Please remember we now have 1,574 pilots on furlough with approximately 400 pilots currently working at MDA or other Jets For Jobs carriers.
