Change of Control Award

[Tim Nelson]

That is correct! Management does not need a unified workforce, in reality the existing work rules are favorable to a merger since the West is working at 7-11 wages!

Also, if you think that the next contract is going to be sweeter, then you are really fooling yourself. The market has changed in a few short months, and investors are not going to allow pre 9-11 wages and work rules to come back.

Investors have always been investors, nothing has changed. I'm unclear on your basis?
At any rate, when negotiating contracts, industry standards and a profitable company is key. Industry standards have baggage handlers topped out over $20, double time, more vacation, more holidays, more everything....that's today, not pre 911.

Further, all analyst point to a profitable airline industry for this year of between $4-$5 billion. All the analyst I've read point towards US AIRWAYS making millions this year. Not as much as they originally anticipated but still in the hundreds of millions. Geez, I remember Colodny coming in our breakroom preaching a 'gloom and doom' in the midst of negotiations and he said things were tough because they projected to make $400 million but only made $250 million so the company has no money since they lost $150 million. I couldn't believe the spin on the big profits but your comments brought back memories of them.

Stop trying to manufature 'gloom and doom' because oil is at $100. With oil at over $90, UA announced a whopping $250 million dividend to the investors. US AIRWAYS announced new contracts for Parker, even continue to announce new VP's and are rigorously trying to find moe wide body's. Stop the talk and start looking up to the scoreboard. No doubt Parker wants you and the other IAM negotiators [including Brickner] to put out the 'we antz gots no money' talk. Such talk is typical leading up to negotiations.

Goldenram, you've spent too much time in the negotiations room with hemminghaw. Let him do what he does. In the meantime, the workers will do what it needs to do and get you out of office.

Going back to investors, investors don't want to allow anything, that is why you fight. Kinda like a defense that doesn't want to allow a touchdown. Should the offense just walk away? Considering the environment, I think we can hang 50 points on these guys.

regards,

 

[700UW]

I guess you need to re-read the dates, we went on strike 15 years ago, also the NMB is now full of Bush appointees who wont let you strike.

And the next time we negotiated over four and half years and the NMB would not declare an impasse. The previous negotiations dont mean nothing in regard to the west, new bargaining agent so everything would be open again.

Better go back to school the East is not permitted to strike, that would be a wildcat strike under the RLA, they can honor any sanctioned picket line of employees of US.

Guess you also fail to realize where there are no HP employees l Fleet or any other group will not be able to honor a picket line as there wont be one.

How many HP employees in CLT, US largest hub?

And I truly believe your hatred of the IAM which your track record clearly shows, has made you brainwashed not I.

 

[Tim Nelson]

I guess you need to re-read the dates, we went on strike 15 years ago, also the NMB is now full of Bush appointees who wont let you strike.

And the next time we negotiated over four and half years and the NMB would not declare an impasse. The previous negotiations dont mean nothing in regard to the west, new bargaining agent so everything would be open again.

Better go back to school the East is not permitted to strike, that would be a wildcat strike under the RLA, they can honor any sanctioned picket line of employees of US.

Guess you also fail to realize where there are no HP employees l Fleet or any other group will not be able to honor a picket line as there wont be one.

How many HP employees in CLT, US largest hub?

And I truly believe your hatred of the IAM which your track record clearly shows, has made you brainwashed not I.

I don't hate the IAM, I hate corporate greed. If I hated the IAM I would 'choose' to revoke my membership in it and become a dues objector. I haven't done that.
The problem i have is primarily with current IAM leaders, and loyalist like yourself who continually talk down to the members and misrespresent the environment, law, rights, etc., of the members.

Now regarding your comments. Technically you're right, the east can't strike but I spoke in general terms of reality. Honroing a picket line is the 'equivalence of striking' if nobody goes to work. Further, honoring a picket line also provides more protections than striking outright.

Any such honoring of picket lines will be in concert and the language of the east contract protects this right since the company ordained it in the language. There is some dispute as to whether a picket line could be set up in CLT. If not, the consider CLT a real mess if PHL, BOS, and most other east cities have genuine picket lines. At any rate, my point was that the company would have a super big mess on its hands and that the west section 6 negotiations have 'teeth' since the east brothers and sisters can 'participate' in any strike by ommission of work.

Regarding your bizarre NMB dribble, nothing has changed no matter how much your hatred of Bush convinces you otherwise. But, if you are right, then Bush is irrelevant anyways because we are talking about an impasse that wouldn't happen before Jan 2009. In that context, if you are correct, then the west should be 'full steam' with section 6 sine Obama or Hillary will have their own people in by then.

Also, your previous statements of inaccuracy about labor law need to be discussed. The RLA was the product of negotiations between the major railroad companies and the unions that represented their employees. PLease get your facts straight.

regards,

 

[GoldenRam94]

Stop trying to manufature 'gloom and doom' because oil is at $100. With oil at over $90, UA announced a whopping $250 million dividend to the investors. US AIRWAYS announced new contracts for Parker, even continue to announce new VP's and are rigorously trying to find moe wide body's. Stop the talk and start looking up to the scoreboard. No doubt Parker wants you and the other IAM negotiators [including Brickner] to put out the 'we antz gots no money' talk. Such talk is typical leading up to negotiations.

It is not that simplistice of a view. US lost 73% last year for its investor's. Doug and Scott got new contracts, and they do what it takes to make sure they keep theirs.

 

[700UW]

Yes it was, but its main purpose is to prevent the stoppage of interstate commerce protecting companies and gave the workers the right to unionize after the National Railroad strike.

The Adamson Act, passed in 1916, provided workers with an eight hour day, at the same daily wage they had received previously for a ten hour day, and required time and a half for overtime. Another law passed in the same year gave President Wilson the power to "take possession of and assume control of any system of transportation" for transportation of troops and war materiel.

Wilson exercised that authority on December 26, 1917. The federal administrator of the railroad system issued an order protecting railroad workers' right to organize, while establishing a number of adjustment boards to settle employment disputes.

While Congress considered nationalizing the railroads on a permanent basis after World War I, the Wilson administration announced that it was returning the railroad system to its owners. Congress tried to preserve, on the other hand, the most successful features of the federal wartime administration, the adjustment boards, by creating a Railroad Labor Board with the power to issue non-binding proposals for the resolution of labor disputes, as part of the Transportation Act of 1920.

The RLA was the product of negotiations between the major railroad companies and the unions that represented their employees. Like its predecessors, it relied on boards of adjustment, established by the parties, to resolve labor disputes, with a government-appointed Board of Mediation to attempt to resolve those disputes that board of adjustment could not. The RLA promoted voluntary arbitration as the best method for resolving those disputes that the Board of Mediation could not settle.

Congress strengthened these procedures in the 1934 amendments to the Act, which also prohibited "yellow dog" contracts and created a procedure for resolving whether a union had the support of the majority of employees in a particular "craft or class", while turning the Board of Mediation into a permanent agency, the National Mediation Board, with broader powers.

Congress extended the RLA to cover airline employees in 1936. In 1951 Congress legalized the union shop, which the railway unions had opposed at the time of the original passage of the Act because of the prevalence of employer-dominated company unions at that time.

 

[rat tales]

Guess you also fail to realize where there are no HP employees l Fleet or any other group will not be able to honor a picket line as there wont be one.

How many HP employees in CLT, US largest hub?

Is my thinking wrong in that HP no longer exists? West fleet are now all US employees. The company merger is complete. West exists under a separate contract.

 

[700UW]

Read the CBA, it still states TWU/America West Employees.

East's CBA will be the surviving CBA and the East Employees are not covered under the West/TWU agreement.

The East's CBA is not amendable for almost 2 years, while the West's is.

Still exists under the RLA and Union Representation.

The East is not even in Section 6 negotiations and would not be permitted to strike at all, they can honor a sanctioned picket line of US' employees.

 

[freedom]

The views on the possible outcome of the up coming talks are all over the place , some think we will simply transition the west into the east contract , others believe that we will push for far greater gains than in the last TA and others yet think nothing will be accomplished and the process will simply drag out until dec 2009 .

I think the company will return to the table offering something similar to what they offered before . Many of you believed that the change of control was worth something , but doug parker specifically stated that he thought it was worth very little , which in fact it was .So I feel that what was offered to us before ,really was offered based on it’s own merits .

I believe that we are still close to finalizing an agreement .There only need be two adjustments to the last TA offered us , full holiday pay and better job security , and then we can sign it for a number of years and everyone can go home happy . A while ago I would have pushed for full sick pay in addition to points one and two , but with the recession looming and our loss of the COC , I think it’s now only reasonable to push for those two issues and nothing more .

Our workforce needs a transition agreement , this company needs a transition agreement , our investors need a transition agreement . We’ve been talking about this merger and it’s progress for a very long time now , but we’ve had little to show for it other than a new computer system and paint jobs . We need a LONG term plan , and we need to add VALUE to our company . It’s one thing to craft new uniforms and banners and throw them out into public view and say “viola , we’re merged “ it’s another to take two different work groups with different cultures and morale issues and get them to work towards a common goal . It’s time for doug parker and his numerous VP’s to begin to tackle the CORE problems that are continuing to drag us airways down in performance ,customer satisfaction and public perception . Labor issues are not easy , but on the other hand , ignoring them simply doesn’t work , it’s not a strategy for long term success . Right now Us Airways has a golden opportunity to sit down with one of it’s work groups and hammer out a labor agreement that both groups will be able to not only live with , but actually be happy about .

The future of the airline business is only going to get more competitive , we must begin to make our company more attractive as a possible partner in any merger by showing potential investors that the choice they make in merging with us will not be a mistake . If we can’t sign even ONE major labor agreement , what does that say about our company , it’s leadership and the way we do business ? I’ll tell you what it says , it reads “we’re just trying to get as big as possible , but we don’t really have a plan and in a few short years all of our cost savings are going to come undone when the labor time bomb explodes “

I believe that we are SO close to a reasonable solution , we must simply not let this chance pass .

 

[rat tales]

Read the CBA, it still states TWU/America West Employees.

East's CBA will be the surviving CBA and the East Employees are not covered under the West/TWU agreement.

The East's CBA is not amendable for almost 2 years, while the West's is.

Still exists under the RLA and Union Representation.

The East is not even in Section 6 negotiations and would not be permitted to strike at all, they can honor a sanctioned picket line of US' employees.

You are sleep blogging! Go back to bed.
It will be OK!

 

[700UW]

Prove me wrong.

The East could not strike if the West was in Section 6 Negotiations, two seperate CBAs and two seperate work groups.

The East could honor any sanctioned picket line of US' employees, but the East would not be permitted to strike as you have a totally seperate CBA.

Don't let the facts get in your way!

 

[rat tales]

So, you are stating that if circumstances arose that MTC and Related East were to strike, Fleet could not honor the strike?

 

[Jester]

What necigrad is proposing is segregation.

And once again, do you think the company would negotiate in good faith for the west, knowing they have still negotiate to bring both groups under one CBA?

What do you think we have now? We have West being treated as a segregated after thought, but your protests comes because MAYBE, just maybe, the West might get a better deal than East if the IAM ever got off their pauchy asses and did something on behalf of West?

For all the complaining about how IAM doesn't represent East very well, they should be grateful they get some representations at all! They could be West working with an amendable contract for three years, under lousy wage scales, while Section 6 has been rejected by "our" union! Of course, the company will refuse to negotiate in good faith because Boss Canale and his Crew refuse to drop the Section 6 hammer on Parker, and with a real chance of a pro-labor, Democratic President in less than one year the IAM might actually be able to effective in negotiations! West has been by the IAM minimized, neutralized and marginalized. I am honestly unsure who is worse in this environment whether it being the IAM or Management, because they are both sides of the same anti-West ramper coin.

So Boss Canale's approach has been to have West wait for the IAM's ill-fated choice of the CIC ruling, then wait for two more years for East contract to expire, then negotiate for a few more years, and then maybe throw down a Section 6 threat after a lengthy cooling off period, and by that time most of the current West people have been forced to move on as they cannot afford to stick around for several years of working under an amendable contract, but during all this time IAM collects West dues for this "representation"?

Once again, for all those Westies who refuse to sign IBEW cards, this is how IAM views you as nothing more than skin tag on the collective body.

So rants Jester.

 

[Tim Nelson]

It is not that simplistice of a view. US lost 73% last year for its investor's. Doug and Scott got new contracts, and they do what it takes to make sure they keep theirs.

Yes it is. It's very simple. You and Brickner need to stop worrying about $100 barrell and how much investors win or lose. You don't represent investors. Start worrying about those you represent. Stop being a company mouthpiece and just let Dougie worry about those he represents. Start doing what it takes to get a real contract for those you represent. Your way is known and that is why a 'fierce ticket' is being put together to kick all the deadweight out of the district offices.

Bottom line, US AIRWAYS is a cash machine, as all analyst admit this company is going to make 'millions' this year also. The industry is projected to make close to $5 billion this year even as oil is at record levels. That's the environment and that's what the scoreboard shows. Parker and investors know this so that's why management just got increased benefits, that's why United just gave investors $250 million. Investors at US AIRWAYS need these labor transitions to complete themselves so they can participate the same way the United investors participated.
They can't expect any type of big payouts with labor contracts needing to be resolved as they are at United. So don't worry about the investors losing 73% on paper...they will get theirs, they always do.

Further, negotiations for workers who are at the industry bottom, for a profitable company, has the greatest leverage. If US AIRWAYS workers were making industry averages then the leverage wouldn't be as great. If you were negotiating with a company that is losing money then the leverage wouldn't be that great. However, neither is the case. Further, the company needs a transition agreement to further its interest, this makes the environment 'negotiations friendly' for workers. If the company didn't need to transition and if the company doesn't need to negotiate, then why doesn't it just wait till 2009? The answer is clear....the company needs to transition. Screw transition until the human beings from the west and east are shown the dignity and respect they deserve.

Further, our network will 'smash down' any new TA you and your fellow negotiators throw our way that is not fair. The network welcomes the chance to once again embarass the district pushovers and company management. OTOH, if a fair agreement is brought back then the network will welcome it.

 

[Planemx]

Tim,

How big is this netwaork and who is involved? We need everybody to work together....not such a few people that can type a mean post.

 

[GoldenRam94]

Further, our network will 'smash down' any new TA you and your fellow negotiators throw our way that is not fair. The network welcomes the chance to once again embarass the district pushovers and company management. OTOH, if a fair agreement is brought back then the network will welcome it.

You forgot to mention that when you smash this down, that Dougie will love it! Since he gets to hold down an employee group under less than favorable terms for the workforce for a bit longer.

Think long and hard about what you are being offered, and take the long-term view, not the short-term view that you are falling for.