ALPA PHL Council 41 Update for July 23, 2007
Adios Bambinos’ Or It Really Was a Winning Ticket
Did any of you know we, (the US Airways MEC and the AWA MEC), along with their respective Merger Committees were summoned last week to the eighth floor of the AFL-CIO building in DC for a little Kumbaya? The hosts were Captain Prater and specifically, Captain Paul Rice’s committee put together to help facilitate the stalemate known as the Nicolau Award. Captain Rice (UA) heads up a committee created by Prater that includes Captain Miller (NWA), and Captain Dave Webb of Fed-X, all seasoned fellas. Their mission is (was) to help us, (we and awa), explore an end run around the stalemate created by the EC’s continued refusal to get further involved by tipping the scales either way. I guess we can thank them for that. Let’s face it, this is a no smoking zone for very good reason…a single spark and …oh well, it would probably be KABOOM, for a lot of things as we know them, if you get my drift.
AWA brought their attorney, Mr. Jeffrey Freund with them. We had no one to represent us. Our newly hired attorney was out of town and could not be reached early on in the morning at the start of things. He was later located by Kevin Barry of the Merger Committee. I objected to Freund’s being there as we are litigating the Nicolau Award and after all, it wouldn’t be too cool for us to prejudice our case by beginning settlement discussions, now, would it? Prater and the ALPA lawyers assured us that wouldn’t happen. I’ll take that bet!
We were in and out without a scratch, and let everyone know we are searching for a solution for this un-workable award. Strangely, everyone on the planet but the AWA MEC understands this award will not work. Their chairman and one of their more thoughtful reps kept explaining that given enough money, a couple of years down the road the East guys would learn to live with this award. Have another mushroom, amigos! BTW, didn’t the “take the 340’s and shove em†reply send ya some kind of a clue?
So basically, they are locked into their position. It is what it is. We cannot make the company put these two airlines together if they do not want to. The company is now anxious to clean up their “labor balance sheet†in order to give them more flexibility in the M&A arena and it may provide some early opportunities for us. We ain’t gonna clean up this mess on the cheap, and the company pretty much understands this or so it is reported. Time will tell.
We could be looking at single contract separate operations, or separate agreements and separate operations. The East and the company will be exploring these possibilities. No matter how well each separate pilot group may do in the “separate mode,†in my opinion there will be losers created by this strategy. First, to those of you who will be around for a while, say 50ish or so and younger guys, you are entitled, in my opinion, to what your expectations were at the announcement of the merger; a bigger stronger airline with the capacity for more synergies, profitability, and opportunities created by the implementation of a list which is consistent with the tenants of ALPA Merger Policy. Secondly, The AWA guys will never find another potential inheritance the magnitude of what has recently been before them. There will never be another arbitration boondoggle like this on the short term ALPA horizon. You can bet on that! Nicolau will not happen again real soon. This old fart has cost the company and the Association a bunch! The AWA guys will never find another deal in which, even if they were stapled, would they inherit so much so soon.
The Price of A quick Deal in order to do a DEAL
Dave and I will work hard in order to ensure that if in fact the company wants to clean up their labor balance sheet in order to give them flexibility to make a deal moving ahead that nothing gets forgotten. We will ensure that we not give assurances and/or concessions and then get sucked into long protracted negotiations. You can rest assured that the dollar numbers on the JNC table are already looking a little weak. They are still bankruptcy +%. This is a non starter as far as the cost of getting out of this mess and into the next deal and on the beach behind for management. The reserve system as you know it is over if we are to proceed on the path to fix managements problems in not being able to do their next deal….O-V-E-R! Already, our furloughees are finding out there actually is something worse than being furloughed…..being on reserve around here. Vacation will be on the table right up front too in order to begin walking down this path. It will be a short path. Everything has been put on the table already during the JNC process. The issues are known to both sides. Let’s face it. The company has been jerking us around for two years moving ahead only at their pace in spits and spurts. Now only ninety days after the Nicolau Award they’re in panic mode that things are stalled…go figure.
Men Are From Mars — AWA Guys Are From Venus
I thought I’d share a little interplanetary wisdom picked up from Captain McIlvenna and Jon Garcia (a good guy, BTW, Hey! they just think differently) of AWA yesterday. Both said to the astonishment of all in the room, with the exception of the other Venetians (are all Venetians from Vegas?) “With a really good contract in a couple of years the east guys will get used to this Nicloau list.†“They may not like it, but they will get used to it.†Not only did they say it once, twice, but perhaps three times…..Honest!
Gee, I would‘ve thought telling the company to shove the 340’s would’ve given them a clue but remember, they’ve never seen these movies before….they weren’t tall enough to get in!
As Freddie Fender would have said…..Adious Bambinos!....and easy on the shrooms!
Follow the three prong approach, Fly safe, Family First, and SAP down for quality of life.
Fraternally,
Eric Rowe
Dave Ciabattoni
Jim Portale
P.S. Another day without having to read a post from 700UW! AWA320 could be next!
Adios Bambinos’ Or It Really Was a Winning Ticket
Did any of you know we, (the US Airways MEC and the AWA MEC), along with their respective Merger Committees were summoned last week to the eighth floor of the AFL-CIO building in DC for a little Kumbaya? The hosts were Captain Prater and specifically, Captain Paul Rice’s committee put together to help facilitate the stalemate known as the Nicolau Award. Captain Rice (UA) heads up a committee created by Prater that includes Captain Miller (NWA), and Captain Dave Webb of Fed-X, all seasoned fellas. Their mission is (was) to help us, (we and awa), explore an end run around the stalemate created by the EC’s continued refusal to get further involved by tipping the scales either way. I guess we can thank them for that. Let’s face it, this is a no smoking zone for very good reason…a single spark and …oh well, it would probably be KABOOM, for a lot of things as we know them, if you get my drift.
AWA brought their attorney, Mr. Jeffrey Freund with them. We had no one to represent us. Our newly hired attorney was out of town and could not be reached early on in the morning at the start of things. He was later located by Kevin Barry of the Merger Committee. I objected to Freund’s being there as we are litigating the Nicolau Award and after all, it wouldn’t be too cool for us to prejudice our case by beginning settlement discussions, now, would it? Prater and the ALPA lawyers assured us that wouldn’t happen. I’ll take that bet!
We were in and out without a scratch, and let everyone know we are searching for a solution for this un-workable award. Strangely, everyone on the planet but the AWA MEC understands this award will not work. Their chairman and one of their more thoughtful reps kept explaining that given enough money, a couple of years down the road the East guys would learn to live with this award. Have another mushroom, amigos! BTW, didn’t the “take the 340’s and shove em†reply send ya some kind of a clue?
So basically, they are locked into their position. It is what it is. We cannot make the company put these two airlines together if they do not want to. The company is now anxious to clean up their “labor balance sheet†in order to give them more flexibility in the M&A arena and it may provide some early opportunities for us. We ain’t gonna clean up this mess on the cheap, and the company pretty much understands this or so it is reported. Time will tell.
We could be looking at single contract separate operations, or separate agreements and separate operations. The East and the company will be exploring these possibilities. No matter how well each separate pilot group may do in the “separate mode,†in my opinion there will be losers created by this strategy. First, to those of you who will be around for a while, say 50ish or so and younger guys, you are entitled, in my opinion, to what your expectations were at the announcement of the merger; a bigger stronger airline with the capacity for more synergies, profitability, and opportunities created by the implementation of a list which is consistent with the tenants of ALPA Merger Policy. Secondly, The AWA guys will never find another potential inheritance the magnitude of what has recently been before them. There will never be another arbitration boondoggle like this on the short term ALPA horizon. You can bet on that! Nicolau will not happen again real soon. This old fart has cost the company and the Association a bunch! The AWA guys will never find another deal in which, even if they were stapled, would they inherit so much so soon.
The Price of A quick Deal in order to do a DEAL
Dave and I will work hard in order to ensure that if in fact the company wants to clean up their labor balance sheet in order to give them flexibility to make a deal moving ahead that nothing gets forgotten. We will ensure that we not give assurances and/or concessions and then get sucked into long protracted negotiations. You can rest assured that the dollar numbers on the JNC table are already looking a little weak. They are still bankruptcy +%. This is a non starter as far as the cost of getting out of this mess and into the next deal and on the beach behind for management. The reserve system as you know it is over if we are to proceed on the path to fix managements problems in not being able to do their next deal….O-V-E-R! Already, our furloughees are finding out there actually is something worse than being furloughed…..being on reserve around here. Vacation will be on the table right up front too in order to begin walking down this path. It will be a short path. Everything has been put on the table already during the JNC process. The issues are known to both sides. Let’s face it. The company has been jerking us around for two years moving ahead only at their pace in spits and spurts. Now only ninety days after the Nicolau Award they’re in panic mode that things are stalled…go figure.
Men Are From Mars — AWA Guys Are From Venus
I thought I’d share a little interplanetary wisdom picked up from Captain McIlvenna and Jon Garcia (a good guy, BTW, Hey! they just think differently) of AWA yesterday. Both said to the astonishment of all in the room, with the exception of the other Venetians (are all Venetians from Vegas?) “With a really good contract in a couple of years the east guys will get used to this Nicloau list.†“They may not like it, but they will get used to it.†Not only did they say it once, twice, but perhaps three times…..Honest!
Gee, I would‘ve thought telling the company to shove the 340’s would’ve given them a clue but remember, they’ve never seen these movies before….they weren’t tall enough to get in!
As Freddie Fender would have said…..Adious Bambinos!....and easy on the shrooms!
Follow the three prong approach, Fly safe, Family First, and SAP down for quality of life.
Fraternally,
Eric Rowe
Dave Ciabattoni
Jim Portale
P.S. Another day without having to read a post from 700UW! AWA320 could be next!
