ALPA MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE - May 21, 2003

USA320Pilot

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ALPA MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE - May 21, 2003

This is Roy Freundlich with a US Airways MEC update for Wednesday, May 21, with one new item.

The MEC reconvened its special meeting in Herndon, Va., today and accepted a late agenda item to address the inappropriate and unprofessional conduct of US Airways senior management. The MEC has heard you, the US Airways pilot, loud and clear regarding management’s behavior toward you, your working agreement and the commitments we made in good faith and thought we received in good faith to ensure US Airways would survive bankruptcy and emerge as a respectable airline moving forward. While we, the pilots, have delivered through sacrifices that financially stabilized our airline and professionalism that has kept operations reliable and safe, management continues to refuse to honor its contractual commitments to you and continues to mislead you through its public and private communications.

The MEC took action today to reflect the position that you, the pilots, have taken regarding the unacceptability of management failure to deliver on its commitments to you, its false and misleading statements made to you, and the aggressive misapplication of our working agreement.

The MEC unanimously passed the following resolution, by acclamation:

WHEREAS the US Airways pilots have saved the company from liquidation by sacrificing pay, work rules, benefits and retirement for over $3 billion in savings to the corporation, and

WHEREAS the US Airways pilots have lost over 1,827 pilot jobs with management announcing 52 more pilot furloughs on June 4, 2003, in direct violation of the pilots’ working agreement, and

WHEREAS the US Airways pilots entered into negotiations with US Airways management in good faith and agreed to amend the pilots’ contract with LOA 84 and LOA 85, and

WHEREAS US Airways management has chosen to not comply with the pilots’ working agreement and has issued inaccurate, provocative and belligerent statements, publicly and through emails, that are in direct violation of the signed agreements that have recently been executed, and

WHEREAS management has falsely claimed that the contract is ambiguous and has ordered SJs that clearly violate the scope limitations of the pilots’ working agreement, and

WHEREAS US Airways’ management lied to the Negotiating Committee about the value of concessions that was being required of other employee groups within the company during the second restructuring negotiations, and

WHEREAS management is refusing to honor the contractual provisions requiring US Airways to pursue and support restoration of the pilots’ defined benefit pension [plan] through legislation, and

WHEREAS management has unilaterally implemented an egregious and arbitrary interpretation of sick policy that was never agreed to by the Association, and has placed additional financial burdens and safety concerns on the US Airways pilots, and

WHEREAS RSA is attempting to renege on portions of the pilots’ working agreement regarding stock and tag-along rights, and

WHEREAS the MEC has determined that upper management, specifically David Siegel, Neil Cohen and Jerry Glass, have proven that they do not honor either their word or their signed agreements if the situation does not suit their perceived needs and designs,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the MEC publicly comments on the duplicitous character of upper management, specifically David Siegel and Neil Cohen, and the disrespect that the Labor Relations Department, under the direction of Jerry Glass, has taken toward the employees that saved this airline and the agreements that they have signed, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Mr. Siegel be reminded that the use of bankruptcy as a negotiating tool ended on April 1, 2003, and he must be made to recognize that the Railway Labor Act applies to the enforcement of the pilots’ collective bargaining agreement, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MEC has no confidence in US Airways’ management team to either honor the agreements they have made with the pilots or administer the working agreement in good faith, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MEC directs the MEC chairman to ensure that all legal and representational avenues, including but not limited to informational picketing, are being pursued to bring US Airways into compliance with the pilots’ working agreement, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the MEC Chairman, as ALPA’s US Airways Board of Directors member, will address management’s insincerity to employees at the Board of Directors level.

On the stock allocation issue, the MEC passed a resolution consistent with the accelerated vesting schedule in LOA 84 but addresses the Company’s inability to complete the issuance of stock prior to July 2003, and clarifies and modifies the allocation choices to be submitted to you for a membership ratification vote. LOA 84 states that the first of the four distributions vesting date is June 1, 2003. The MEC does not want to permit vesting of any pilot stock prior to the stock actually being issued.

The MEC previously authorized a membership vote between two methods of allocation of pilot stock on April 10. The MEC modified the choices with more specific distribution choices added in the per capita category. The MEC also charged the Negotiating Committee to enter into discussions with management to conclude a letter of agreement to address the vesting and timeline for pilot stock distribution as well as ensuring death or retirement does not interfere with a pilot’s unvested shares.

If these modifications cannot be resolved due to tax considerations, pilots who normal retirement date is before January 1, 2006, will be grossed up so that the total vest shares following retirement will equal the number of shares had the Company agreed to modify Attachment G of the Restructuring Agreement as previously described.

Ballots for membership ratification on the methods of stock distribution including these changes, education material, and detailed instructions will be mailed as early as Friday, once the ballot materials are completed. The balloting period is expected to commence next week and be competed by May 31.

The MEC also charged the Chairman to inform management that the five percent Iraq war contingency pay deferral that was implemented by the Company effective April 1, 2003, should be terminated and reimbursed to pilots immediately. President Bush has declared that hostilities in Iraq are concluded, and carriers have openly stated that passenger loads are returning, fuel prices have plummeted, TSA has refunded a portion of the security fee, and US Airways and other airlines have raised fares.

Please remember we have 1,827 pilots on furlough with 52 pilots scheduled for furlough on June 4.

Thank you for listening.
 
::in Ben Stein's voice:: Woohoo...union propaganda. I had almost missed seeing this posted every day over and over and over again saying the exact same thing.

For those that don't want to read the whole thing, let me sum it up for you.
12.gif
Management sucks. They lied. We want more money. We are important, the rest don't matter. Management sucks.
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Imagine how much paper and web space they could save without all the BS language to try to sound important. They could actually use the resources to tell stories on the lives of their members...how they doing, what they are doing, any community service projects they are involved in, etc. Something to break away from the hatred and focus on the members as people...not just numbers.
 
And just a year ago today it was "Labor Friendly" DAVE . I actually heard an employee say "we''re sure glad you have taken over" to Dave at the CLT mtc hanger last May .
 
Chip,

What is your feelings now regarding this management team after a little over a year under the rule of David Siegal, Neil Cohen, and Jerry Glass if you dont mind me asking?

In my opinion this management team has lied in the face of, and completly has no respect for the Labor groups that clearly SAVED this company. I felt very deceived, because I actually believed in Dave and his "labor friendly" team when they first got here. Now my thoughts of their leadership are similar to that of the Polit Bureau (deception)!

Furloughed and Frustrated.
 
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On 5/22/2003 1:38:41 PM cubfan02us wrote:

This mgt will continue to dance,chisel,and screw ''em,
till they''re are forced to conduct business with honor
and treat the employees and the contracts with respect...

----------------​

Welcome to working life everywhere! What job have you had where management fundamentally wants to work with its employees as opposed to squeezing every last dime out of them, union or not? My company is supposedly an "employer of choice", yet management continues to blame the economy, political climate, etc. for not providing training, career advancement and/or raises. It''s status quo these days from everyone I''ve spoken with.
 
I don''t see it that way dfw.I''m not a
pilot ,I don''t read all of the ALPA updates
but I sense a change in attitude from the pilots.

I don''t have a problem with the way they word
the resolutions.A layman can understand that they''re
fed up with the lies and bull****.

This mgt will continue to dance,chisel,and screw ''em,
till they''re are forced to conduct business with honor
and treat the employees and the contracts with respect...
 
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On 5/22/2003 3:40:29 PM dashflyer wrote:

Hate to throw politics in here, but I''m voting Democrat next election!

----------------​
No doubt about it. It sure was a lot easier to laugh at all the monica stuff when everybody''s job was more secure (and, by the way, paid better!)
 
It''s funny how quickly people forget that the economy was already tanking under Clinton, and the fact that it did tank is mostly due to Clinton''s complete lack of a sane fiscal policy.
 
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On 5/22/2003 6:24:05 PM ClueByFour wrote:

It''s funny how quickly people forget that the economy was already tanking under Clinton, and the fact that it did tank is mostly due to Clinton''s complete lack of a sane fiscal policy.


----------------​
That''s a debate you could have all day. Just like the one that Clinton inherited the good economy from GB I. I didn''t believe it then, and surely don''t believe it now. I do know that this administration is NO FRIEND TO LABOR. The economy was fine under the dems, largely because consumer confidence (most percieved that their jobs were way safer than they are now) was much higher, and spending fuels the economy. GB II, if he doesn''t do something soon, may be the next Herbert Hoover. After Herb''s reign, it took one democrat 12 years and a world war to straighten this country out. When I see ANY republican take more of an interest in the average american maybe I''ll rethink my NEXT vote. Hasn''t happened yet!
 
Cluebyfour,

Yeah, yeah yeah, and if you believe that then monica was just smoking a pipe. dumbya has about as much sense when it come to the economy that you do. I guess that Tax cut/refund he gave us back about a year or so ago really went towards boosting the economy. Why we just rushed right out and spent the heck out of it like we always do when we have a pocket full of money, yeah thats it. Then the Seigle''s and the Cartys and the Mullins continue to blame workers for the reason they cant claim their stockoptions and bonusus.

I think justin timberlake says it just right....."Cry me a river!"

W has the same mentality towards the people that actually do the work in this country as do many of the other CEOs in this airline business have towards their employees. Screw them because they arent doing the real work like us.
 
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On 5/22/2003 6:24:05 PM ClueByFour wrote:

It''s funny how quickly people forget that the economy was already tanking under Clinton, and the fact that it did tank is mostly due to Clinton''s complete lack of a sane fiscal policy.


----------------​

I think the words of Harry Truman work here now...

"If you want to live like a Republican,
then you better vote Democrat!"
 
You can say GWB is no friend of labor, fine. But by labor, I sope you are referring to "big labor". Since we are on the topic, riddle me this. If you are unemployed right now, who is going to give you a job? You will probably answer, someone who has a business. Probably, someone who has a growing business. The fact is labor never created a job, but business, especially small business, always has.

There are more facts you must acknowledge. The economic recession of the early 90s was in fact over, and the economy on the rise when Bush Sr. left office. Clinton inherited it on the rise. The recession of 2001 began in March 2001, so the economy was most defintely on the slide before Bush took office. We did not fall directly into recession with GWB only in office for 6 weeks. The terror attacks have had a great deal of influence in the rather tepid economic recovery we are in. The third fact is that the Clinton administration was given not one, not two, but five opportunities to take out Osama bin-Laden in the late 90s, and chose not to act.

Again, these are facts that anyone can find with little effort. Say what you want about GWB, but if you are looking to Washington to make you life better, it will never improve. The only thing that Washington can do is to get out of the way of business growth, stifled by a ridiculous tax code (look at how much this industry is taxed), and let the natural course of the economy move ahead.
 
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On 5/22/2003 1:49:21 PM USFlyer wrote:


----------------

Welcome to working life everywhere! What job have you had where management fundamentally wants to work with its employees as opposed to squeezing every last dime out of them, union or not? My company is supposedly an "employer of choice", yet management continues to blame the economy, political climate, etc. for not providing training, career advancement and/or raises. It''s status quo these days from everyone I''ve spoken with.

----------------​
USFlyer,
There is one difference between your company, other companies, and US. The difference is that not only are those factors which you point out used as excuses, our horrible managment also blames it''s employee''s. They don''t feel we are worth it. ALL COMPANIES ARE NOT LIKE THAT.
 
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On 5/22/2003 1:46:18 PM Baret4 wrote:

Chip,

What is your feelings now regarding this management team after a little over a year under the rule of David Siegal, Neil Cohen, and Jerry Glass if you dont mind me asking?

In my opinion this management team has lied in the face of, and completly has no respect for the Labor groups that clearly SAVED this company. I felt very deceived, because I actually believed in Dave and his "labor friendly" team when they first got here. Now my thoughts of their leadership are similar to that of the Polit Bureau (deception)!

Furloughed and Frustrated.

----------------​
Glad to see the pilots finally on board. We are all now singing the same tune. Informational picketing will commence. We here in PIT also filed for our applications to conduct leafleting and letting the public know the violations of our contracts, despite our sacrifices. This managment has not and does not live up to their commitments to labor and doesn't honor their own contracts with labor that they jammed down our throats. If this management thinks that they can continue to ignore labor, and that we will just eventually shut up, they should think again. Time for them to sit with labor is long past due. We need a management team that is willing to work synergistically with their employees, and to stop violating our contracts, and help build bridges with labor so that we can succeed TOGETHER as a company

See you all at the picket lines all summer long!