Crew News 4/5 F/A (PHX) First New Hire Class to include MidAtlantic

[2clippedwings]

Crew News 4/5 Posted. Very small group of F/A's at recurrent in PHX. This was the first new hire class to include Midatlantic f/a's.
Interesting and short session.
Doug in attendance. His intro DID admit to operational mistakes.
Sherry in attendance. I get the sense that any challenge from a flight attendant is received as a personal attack to her.
Better grow some thicker skin and eliminate the edge and defensiveness from her voice. (note other Crew News sessions)

In the News posted today, the 1st Q & A:

We’re thrilled that the company was able to stop the displacement of 90 flight attendants from Charlotte – and instead will recall flight attendants to cover short staffing at DCA, LGA, BOS and PHL. But I’m wondering about the math we’re using. How did we go from being “overstaffedâ€￾ at Charlotte (necessitating the displacements), to now bringing people back from furlough?

A. In order to balance the staffing, we'll likely offer voluntary leaves and look at other ways to manage excess staff, without displacing employees. VP of InFlight Sherri Shamblin has been visiting with flight attendants and is preparing a more extensive question and answer document that will details more information for inflight.

She's been visiting with f/a's. I hope it's been out east!
Has anyone seen her in an east crew room since 3/22?

Finally, I am very troubled by the amount of finger pointing going on with issues that are difficult to answer. "It's your union", "It's your contract". etc etc
Apparently when pressed HARD with a STRICT TIMELINE suddenly the finger pointing stops and problem resolution happens.

A Piedmont pilot on the Crew News 3/22 was discounted when asked about scope re:Q400's (Kirby,"It's mainline ALPA union") and flow up and preferential hiring for Piedmont and PSA pilots. Mr Kirby answered that the flow up etc wasn't an issue until they are ready to hire off of the street.
Not a good answer. Why not address scope and flow through and preferential hiring within the wholly owneds now?
My understanding is they've run through the seniority list for recalls. At what point will preferential hiring be considered?

oops, got off on a tangent there.....I'm not even a pilot.
Just having a hard time accepting non-answers and spin.
I think though that a lesson was learned from the 3/22 F/A Crew News. Ask politely, push hard for accountability, request a resolution date and hold them to it.

 

[Dorf]

My understanding is they've run through the seniority list for recalls.
/quote]
They have NOT run through the seniority list yet. They are to the mid 1999 classes at this point. U hired 1000 pilots in 1999 alone. There is probably about 900 pilots left to be "contacted".

 

[2clippedwings]

Thx, I stand corrected. But why not resolve the preferential hiring, flow-up, scope within the wholly-owned issues none-the-less?

 

[Elevation]

Thx, I stand corrected. But why not resolve the preferential hiring, flow-up, scope within the wholly-owned issues none-the-less?

whats to discuss? it's a bad idea for the WO's

 

[2clippedwings]

whats to discuss? it's a bad idea for the WO's

Please explain from your perspective.

 

[Elevation]

Please explain from your perspective.

Ask American Eagle how's it working for them when AA furloughed. When it rains it pours on the WO's, so becareful what you ask for.

 

[Dorf]

Thx, I stand corrected. But why not resolve the preferential hiring, flow-up, scope within the wholly-owned issues none-the-less?

First, there is the whole issue of the WO's sticking it to the U/MDA pilots by saying, "What flow back!?" That was until the AWA merger was announced, and then it was, "Let's talk, since WE still want flow through now that there might be a chance that U survives". A little late at that point.
Second, the WO managements can't staff the airlines now with pilots leaving to other airlines. If they lost pilots to their "owner" they would have to shut the doors. Some would say they could, pilots would come work there because of the flow through, IMHO I don't see that happening. There are plenty of airlines hiring, or getting ready to hire, why go fly a ratty old turbo-prop, just for the off chance that there will be no hiccups in the flow through, when you could go to another airline and fly the jets that you hope you may fly in the future at U(if nothing goes wrong, again).
Third, U management is all about CHEAP($$$)....why pay to train a pilot at the WO, then pay to train that pilot and their replacement when they flow through, when they could train 1 pilot at mainline instead. History has shown that mainline management would rather hire a pilot from another carriers' feeder, than its own feeder....pure economics. The only reason they had a flow through in the first place, IMHO, was to appease the WO pilots and get them to go along with J4J(PDT/ALG got hosed on that one)and concessions. Nobody (management or U ALPA) thought it would ever happen. When it did, it caught everyone off guard. I think the only reason they let pilots go to U/MDA was because they had all those a/c on order and not enough pilots to fly them. They would rather have DHC8's sit for lack of pilots than brand new jets.
I hope I'm wrong, there are some great pilots with alot of experience at PDT, but I don't see them coming out on the clean end of the stick.

 

[livinthedream]

There are a alot of issues regarding the flow back, and no one is innocent! At the end of the day it was PDT mgt that decided since there is nothing in writing they don't need to take them back. Now they can't even find anyone that wants to come here, and the ones that do are gone in 6 months.

But you are right about one thing, why won't ALPA Mainline and Mainline management actually do something about the WO.

ALPA Mainline doesn't care about us and have no real compelling reason to sit down with us. The pilots who did go to MDA, they just gave them ML numbers, so they are in a better position than if they flow back. The only thing stopping the flowback issue from being resolved is them to sit down and finish the document that has been agreed to.

As far as management goes, not really sure if they know, care, whatever..... But that seems to be the common thought on this forum.

 

[EMBFA]

Good to see some familiar faces! If I'm correct is this the first time they have mentioned the mainline-MDA-Republic fiasco? It seems like Doug was surprised that the MDA people are being shafted out of thier longevity. Sherri was quick to jump up and say "its contractual", her favorite line...

I really don't think the current company cares all that much about robbing junior F/As of a couple years longevity, it really is the union thats refusing to budge on it. They can say "you knew that going into MDA" all they want but thats bullshit. We knew that going into "MidAtlantic Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways Group" as a seperate airline with a seperate certificate. NOT "MidAtlantic- Emnbraer Division of mainline" as it turned out to be... the company pulled a fast one and the union let it by because they couldn't care less about any F/A with less than 10 years seniority. Once the company decided not to make MDA a seperate company but instead a division of mainline, the "no longevity" should have gone out the window with the Express wings no one wore!

ONE CERTIFICATE< ONE CONTRACT? Then how come a few hundred of us flew on the mainline east certificate for two years under a different, unpublished contract, and are not being credited for it? And how come a furloughee could go to America West (still a seperate certificate) and recieve pay longevity, but MDA- the same certificate, company and qualifications, doesn't? The whole thing just shows how hypocritical and stupid US AFA is.

MDA folks in PHX... come back east. You could be waiting for years for a merged contract. You're working below your proper pay level two times over right now (HP new hire + the "forgotten years" in MDA division). We want the whole family back, and you guys know we will open our homes and crash pads to you...

 

[CV580ETOPS]

Good to see some familiar faces! If I'm correct is this the first time they have mentioned the mainline-MDA-Republic fiasco? It seems like Doug was surprised that the MDA people are being shafted out of thier longevity. Sherri was quick to jump up and say "its contractual", her favorite line...

I really don't think the current company cares all that much about robbing junior F/As of a couple years longevity, it really is the union thats refusing to budge on it. They can say "you knew that going into MDA" all they want but thats bullshit. We knew that going into "MidAtlantic Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways Group" as a seperate airline with a seperate certificate. NOT "MidAtlantic- Emnbraer Division of mainline" as it turned out to be... the company pulled a fast one and the union let it by because they couldn't care less about any F/A with less than 10 years seniority. Once the company decided not to make MDA a seperate company but instead a division of mainline, the "no longevity" should have gone out the window with the Express wings no one wore!

ONE CERTIFICATE< ONE CONTRACT? Then how come a few hundred of us flew on the mainline east certificate for two years under a different, unpublished contract, and are not being credited for it? And how come a furloughee could go to America West (still a seperate certificate) and recieve pay longevity, but MDA- the same certificate, company and qualifications, doesn't? The whole thing just shows how hypocritical and stupid US AFA is.

MDA folks in PHX... come back east. You could be waiting for years for a merged contract. You're working below your proper pay level two times over right now (HP new hire + the "forgotten years" in MDA division). We want the whole family back, and you guys know we will open our homes and crash pads to you...

Oh brother...............give it a rest,will you please? Come "home"? Want the whole"family" back?? Girl, get a grip and get a life out side the airport fence.

 

[Itestwell]

Oh brother...............give it a rest,will you please? Come "home"? Want the whole"family" back?? Girl, get a grip and get a life out side the airport fence.

Typical uneducated outsider lookin in (and he tells YOU to get a life?? ); just ignore it.... Obviously, he has no idea what the MDA folks have gone thru, and continue to go thru. Nice post, EMBFA.

 

[Elevation]

Oh brother...............give it a rest,will you please? Come "home"? Want the whole"family" back?? Girl, get a grip and get a life out side the airport fence.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[EMBFA]

Bite me!

 

[Elevation]

Bite me!

:wub: :mf_boff:

 

[allstrike]

MDA folks in PHX... come back east. You could be waiting for years for a merged contract. You're working below your proper pay level two times over right now (HP new hire + the "forgotten years" in MDA division). We want the whole family back, and you guys know we will open our homes and crash pads to you...

Ya and Dougs pat answer in the meeting MDA time doesnt count,( that was premeger ) hu...we were all pre merger no mater were you were.

The maint part was time spent at MDA ccounted,I do think.You never lost time away from mainline. :down: :down: :down: