ALPA MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE – July 11, 2003

[USA320Pilot]

US Airways' decision to sublease the CRJ-700s to Mesa Airlines may be considered a wet lease, which appears to once again violate the ALPA contract. If true, this could force US Airways to place the CRJ-700 aircraft at a participating wholly owned carrier per the ALPA contract. Specifically, the contract states:
Accelerated Small Jets - Letter of Agreement #83

Other than as specifically modified in this Letter of Agreement, all terms and conditions of the ALPA-US Airways Restructuring Agreement effective July 1, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as the "Restructuring Agreement") as modified by the Supplementary Cost Reductions Letter of Agreement (L.O.A. 84), shall remain in full force and effect.

2. The terms and conditions for placement of the Small Jet code share aircraft that are authorized to be placed at other carriers and flown under the US Airways code by the provisions of Attachments B, B-1, and B-3 of the Restructuring Agreement shall be modified under the terms and conditions stated below:

A. Up to 20 "Medium SJs" and up to 30 "Large SJs (CRJ-700 aircraft only) may be operated by Mesa Airlines or by any wholly owned subsidiary of Mesa Air Group or Mesa Airlines under terms agreed to between Mesa Air Group and the Association. Such aircraft shall be subject to the Jets For Jobs Protocal and must be placed into revenue operation no later than December 31, 2004.

B. Up to 25 "Large SJs" (CRJ-700 aircraft only), in addition to the 30 "Large SJs" authorized in Paragraph 2.A above, may be placed into revenue operation by Participating Affiliate carriers, provided that they are placed inot revenue service no later than December 31, 2004, and provided further that they are subject to the Jets for Jobs Protocol (Attachment B-3 of the Restructuring Agreement). The foregoing does not preculde the placement of Large SJs in MDA in accordance with Attachment B of the Restructuring Agreement as amended by LOA 84.

C. Up to 25 "Large SJs", specifically limited to the CRJ-700, may be placed into revenue operation at a Participating Wholly-Owned Carrier, other than MDA. All Large SJ positions created by operation of this paragraph shall be filled by US Airways pilots in accordance with the Jets for Jobs Protocol, Attachment B-3 of the Restructuring Agreement. In addition, as an exception to the Jets for Jobs Protocol, 100% of the first 25 Medium or Small Jet positions at the Wholly Owned Carrier where the above Large Small Jets are placed shall be filled by pilots of that Wholly Owned Carrier. Upon completion of the staffing of these aircraft, the 50/50 balance of hiring pursuant to the Jets for Jobs Protocol will be followed.

Best regards,

Chip

 

[USA320Pilot]

ALPA MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE – July 11, 2003
Item 1. The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, will be holding a hearing on Tuesday, July 15 at 2 p.m. Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, who ALPA hopes will sponsor a bill to restore the US Airways pilots’ defined benefit plan and to also protect airline workers’ pension plans, will use this forum to move this legislation forward.
We are encouraging US Airways pilots to attend the hearing so that we can join pilots of other major airlines to register our collective support for pension legislation. If you can volunteer for this event, please wear your uniform.
The hearing location is at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2175, at Independence and South Capitol Streets.
Item 2. MEC Chairman Bill Pollock sent a letter to US Airways pilots today that discusses the deterioration of US Airways corporate culture through management’s insistence on continually violating the pilots’ contract, and reinforces the fact that the MEC will continue to enforce our working agreement.
The letter also includes an update on activity involving the pension legislation and the possible introduction of a bill next week. If a bill is formally introduced, it will be assigned a number, and at that time, we will implement another MEC communications campaign, similar to the one that the pilot group participated in during May, that asks our elected representatives to support this bill.
The letter also contains information on Age 60 legislation, ALPA-PAC, and the Star Alliance. This letter is available on both the public pilots website at www.usairwayspilots.org and on the MEC pilots only website.
Item 3. In reaction to being forced to comply with the pilots’ working agreement by changing the 25 CRJ-900 Series 705 aircraft order to CRJ-700s, management has made several irresponsible and untrue statements. These statements are designed to inflict membership blame on ALPA for forcing the Company to comply with the pilots’ working agreement.
Management announced it will divert the converted order of 25 70-seat CRJ-700 aircraft to an affiliate carrier, Mesa Airlines, instead of a wholly-owned carrier.
ALPA is reviewing the legality of the financing arrangement, as it may not comply with pilots working agreements at a wholly own airline.
Management’s claims that the CRJ 900-705s created more Jets For Jobs positions are maliciously false. The total number of aircraft ordered and Jets For Jobs positions available to APL pilots do not change. There would have been no additional Jets For Jobs positions if the MEC allowed the Company to operate the -705.
LOA 83, 2C states that:

Up to 25 Large SJs, specifically limited to the CRJ-700, may be placed into revenue operation at a Participating Wholly-Owned Carrier, other than MDA. All Large SJ positions created by operation of this paragraph shall be filled by US Airways pilots in accordance with the Jets for Jobs Protocol, Attachment B-3 of the Restructuring Agreement. In addition, as an exception to the Jets for Jobs Protocol, 100% of the first 25 Medium or Small Jet positions at the Wholly Owned Carrier where the above Large Small Jets are placed shall be filled by pilots of that Wholly Owned Carrier. Upon completion of the staffing of these aircraft, the 50/50 balance of hiring pursuant to the Jets for Jobs Protocol will be followed.​

This paragraph means there are no additional Jobs for APL pilots created by adding these 25 aircraft to a wholly owned carrier. US Airways furloughed pilots will get 100 percent of the 70-seat jobs at US Airways’ wholly-owned carriers, but the wholly-owned carriers can then fill 100 percent of an equal number of jobs in their 50-seaters using their pilots. It would also take years to begin manufacturing and then get 25 CRJ-705s into service.
Management’s statements are quite punitive toward furloughed and wholly-owned pilots, and spiteful toward ALPA. Management could have put these 70-seat aircraft, the CRJ-700s, at a wholly-owned carrier as the contract allows, but chose their approach of contractual disrespect and fabricated blame for pilots. Nonetheless, the MEC will continue to vigorously enforce the Contract. This effort is only fortified by management’s inappropriate reactions.
The central issue is that management sought to violate an important scope provision by placing an inappropriate aircraft order and then creating membership confusion to influence contractual consent. Such actions and violations of scope provisions put additional pressure on mainline pilot jobs and ultimately cause delays of mainline pilot recalls.
MEC Chairman Bill Pollock sent a letter today to US Airways President and CEO David Siegel stating that members of his senior management misstated our contractual agreement and attempted to vilify ALPA in the press. The letter reviews the facts of the CRJ-900 Series 705 issue and requests that Mr. Siegel establish that contract compliance be required at all levels of management. Otherwise, there can be nothing but deteriorating relations between management and the pilots. This letter is available on both the public website at www.usairwayspilots.org and on the MEC pilots only website.
Please remember we have 1,879 pilots on furlough.