USAPA President's Message - July 28, 2009
Fellow Pilots,
We are aware that Management has recently made statements about the possible sale of the E190 fleet. They tell us that this action is not about liquidity, but that it is about their ability to reduce capacity in response to analysts’ concerns. This, of course, is a difference without distinction to those whose jobs are affected.
The Company has recently enjoyed record load factors and modest improvements in yield, both presently and looking forward; the economy may be signaling that it is at or beyond the bottom of the cycle; and President Kirby’s statements on the recent conference call were remarkably bullish. These are all issues that would argue against further capacity reduction in favor of profitability. These observations also mitigate the fear rumor discreetly perpetuated by certain management messengers regarding a bankruptcy filing this year. The trend change in US Airways’ quarterly earnings report further wears off the polish of any bankruptcy fear-mongering.
Could it be, without the previous “cause du jour†(bankruptcy) to instill uncertainty among our pilots, that a new lever is needed? We just do not know. It is possible that the E190 fleet is for sale. We can say with certainty that the E190 fleet itself is not protected by the minimum aircraft provisions of LOA 96, the Transition Agreement. Other protective provisions will be evaluated if and when the specifics of any actual deal materialize.
USAPA will always encourage our management to grow the airline. We, of course, do not want them to park aircraft. But, we will not put our pilots into the untenable position of bargaining (read: paying) to keep their own jobs. We hear from many of our E190 pilots on the line that they will stand firm and would rather be furloughed than take another pay reduction. We fully support them. Management can figure out how many airframes and what types they want to fly. It is our responsibility to negotiate market rates and working conditions for our pilots. Although connected, those responsibilities do not overlap.
USAPA will not comment in further detail about ghost deals. We urge our pilots not to react to what could as easily be a fear tactic as something rooted in reality. Because of the timeliness, I have asked the Negotiating Advisory Committee to work in conjunction with the Grievance Committee to produce a review of our Scope protections that would operate under various scenarios. You can expect to see that review shortly.
We will maintain our close vigilance over all possible scenarios, strategically plan for them and work to keep ourselves in a position to affect a positive outcome for all US Airways pilots.
Fraternally,
Captain Mike Cleary
President
