Posted for those castaways with other ALPA carriers who do not receive this info.
Furlough Administrator Update – June 5, 2006
Recall results – The recent recall of 55 pilots has been completed with the last of the group in training now. The final pilot recalled has a system seniority number of 3,311 with a January 30, 1989 hire date – position 175 on the APL. With 40 pilots of those 175 having retired, the Company contacted 135 pilots for 55 to return. Remember that you can bypass recall as long as there is someone junior to you on the list. Is this an indicator of the acceptance rate for future recalls? It’s hard to say – there are too many variables in this decision to make any reasonable predictions. If you look at the MDA pilots, a very high percentage of them accepted recall – most likely influenced by the fact that MDA ceased to exist at the end of May; while the majority of those who had jobs at other carriers passed on the recall. So your recall prospects depend on what positions are offered and the individual decisions of the other s on the list – not a very exact science, I know.
Future recalls? – There was a system bid for August that did not include any recalls. It is expected that any subsequent bids for 2006 would have some recalls. I have not heard any numbers, but with the EMB-190 coming, I anticipate recalls to staff it. To have pilots qualified to begin flying in December, they would probably begin training sometime in October.
EMB-190 – The Company has announced plans to acquire 57 EMB-190 aircraft. US Airways had originally ordered 85 EMB-170 aircraft for MidAtlantic Airways, the EMB division of Mainline. Twenty-eight of those were delivered and then subsequently sold to Republic Airlines. The remaining aircraft on order were converted to 190s and will begin to be delivered in November 2006. The plan now calls for two aircraft to arrive in November and one in December with revenue flights to begin sometime in December. After that, the deliveries will be approximately one a month for 2007. At this time these are planned to be growth aircraft, but the Company still has the ability to park older aircraft as the leases come up for renewal. No word yet on where the airplane will be based.
EMB-190 F/O Bypass – The merger Transition Agreement allows a furloughed pilot to bypass recall to a EMB-190 F/O position without jeopardy. A pilot on furlough can normally bypass recall as long as there is someone junior on the list. Once you are the most junior person, you must decide to come back or forfeit your position. If the only position available is a 190 F/O, then even if you are the last on the list, you can pass on the recall and still stay on the list.
There are some things to keep in mind about the 190. To start with, the pay is probably a major determining factor in deciding to accept the position. Depending on your longevity, the F/O pay ranges from $41-52/hr. The rates can be viewed on the pilots only website at EMB-190 Pay Rates and Excerpts from the Transition Agreement.
One thing you should consider when deciding about the bypass is the ability to bid during the permanent bid. The way the available recall positions are determined is that the permanent bid is processed and whatever positions are unfilled are then offered to recalled pilots in seniority order. This process seems to work OK, but there is a "gotcha" if you bypass the 190. Let’s say pilot A is senior to pilot B and both are offered recall to a 190 F/O – pilot A passes and pilot B accepts. Time passes and there are only 190 positions available for recall, so pilot A continues to pass.
Pilot A decides it is time to come back and will take the next recall offered. The fleet is now growing, and he figures he will be able to get an Airbus position and not be bottom reserve. A permanent bid is processed and pilot B has completed his training freeze (18 months) and is awarded an Airbus F/O position. When the bid is complete, the only positions available to reca lled pilots are 190 F/O positions! So pilot A has passed only to end up in the same position that he passed earlier. Since he is not on the property he cannot participate in the bid and must wait until it is complete.
Now this is the worst-case scenario – assuming that those who went to the 190 have completed the training freeze and there are no other Airbus/Boeing positions available. I only mention this so that you are not surprised if you find yourself in this position.
Merger Timeline – Integration of the US Airways and America West operational procedures are moving along. Teams from both sides are looking at procedures and attempting to pick the best from each side to move forward. The anticipated date for full integration is May 1, 2007.
Contract Negotiations – The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) consists of two members from the US Airways Negotiating Committee and two members from the AWA Negotiating Committee. They are attempting to glean the best from both contracts and work with the Company to come to terms on a combined contract. Talks have been ongoing, and they are working towards the best contract possible for the combined pilot group. You can contact the JNC at [email protected] or view updates on the JNC website.
Seniority list merger – The Merger Committee has exchanged lists with the AWA Merger Committee. Talks are scheduled throughout the year with mediation and possible arbitration scheduled for this fall. If arbitration is required, it is not scheduled to be completed until February 2007. It will then take some time for the arbitrator to issue his decision, so don’t expect a merged list until sometime in the spring of 2007 at the earliest. Merger Committee updates can be viewed on their webpage which includes a Q&A section. In addition, you can contact the Merger Committee at the emails listed on the Merger Committee website.
Furlough travel – The new Employee Travel Center (ETC) is now available on the Hub. You can view booking information and list for flights on both US Airways and AWA flights. The boarding codes have changed somewhat for all employees. Furloughed employees travel with a S5/SA5 code. This places you with employees of affiliate express carriers and dependants of retirees. The full form can be viewed at http://thehub.usairways.com/travel/2...orityChart.pdf on the hub. Remember if you are traveling on East flights, you board based on your seniority and West flights are based on check-in time.
If you have a question about travel, you can contact the employee travel office at [email protected]. You can also attempt to call them, but my experience is that you usually end up with a recording.
Survey – By now, you should have received either an email or a letter asking you to participate in a survey concerning your thoughts on a recall. Some pilots are concerned about the true motives of this survey, but I can assure you that the information will only be used to help you and not be used to aid the active pilots at the expense of the furloughed pilots. Having been furloughed myself, I would not be party to anything that would harm the junior pilots. I encourage you to take the couple minutes required to complete this simple survey. If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me about it.
Thanks for your time,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Furlough Administrator
J4J Coordinator
Furlough Administrator Update – June 5, 2006
Recall results – The recent recall of 55 pilots has been completed with the last of the group in training now. The final pilot recalled has a system seniority number of 3,311 with a January 30, 1989 hire date – position 175 on the APL. With 40 pilots of those 175 having retired, the Company contacted 135 pilots for 55 to return. Remember that you can bypass recall as long as there is someone junior to you on the list. Is this an indicator of the acceptance rate for future recalls? It’s hard to say – there are too many variables in this decision to make any reasonable predictions. If you look at the MDA pilots, a very high percentage of them accepted recall – most likely influenced by the fact that MDA ceased to exist at the end of May; while the majority of those who had jobs at other carriers passed on the recall. So your recall prospects depend on what positions are offered and the individual decisions of the other s on the list – not a very exact science, I know.
Future recalls? – There was a system bid for August that did not include any recalls. It is expected that any subsequent bids for 2006 would have some recalls. I have not heard any numbers, but with the EMB-190 coming, I anticipate recalls to staff it. To have pilots qualified to begin flying in December, they would probably begin training sometime in October.
EMB-190 – The Company has announced plans to acquire 57 EMB-190 aircraft. US Airways had originally ordered 85 EMB-170 aircraft for MidAtlantic Airways, the EMB division of Mainline. Twenty-eight of those were delivered and then subsequently sold to Republic Airlines. The remaining aircraft on order were converted to 190s and will begin to be delivered in November 2006. The plan now calls for two aircraft to arrive in November and one in December with revenue flights to begin sometime in December. After that, the deliveries will be approximately one a month for 2007. At this time these are planned to be growth aircraft, but the Company still has the ability to park older aircraft as the leases come up for renewal. No word yet on where the airplane will be based.
EMB-190 F/O Bypass – The merger Transition Agreement allows a furloughed pilot to bypass recall to a EMB-190 F/O position without jeopardy. A pilot on furlough can normally bypass recall as long as there is someone junior on the list. Once you are the most junior person, you must decide to come back or forfeit your position. If the only position available is a 190 F/O, then even if you are the last on the list, you can pass on the recall and still stay on the list.
There are some things to keep in mind about the 190. To start with, the pay is probably a major determining factor in deciding to accept the position. Depending on your longevity, the F/O pay ranges from $41-52/hr. The rates can be viewed on the pilots only website at EMB-190 Pay Rates and Excerpts from the Transition Agreement.
One thing you should consider when deciding about the bypass is the ability to bid during the permanent bid. The way the available recall positions are determined is that the permanent bid is processed and whatever positions are unfilled are then offered to recalled pilots in seniority order. This process seems to work OK, but there is a "gotcha" if you bypass the 190. Let’s say pilot A is senior to pilot B and both are offered recall to a 190 F/O – pilot A passes and pilot B accepts. Time passes and there are only 190 positions available for recall, so pilot A continues to pass.
Pilot A decides it is time to come back and will take the next recall offered. The fleet is now growing, and he figures he will be able to get an Airbus position and not be bottom reserve. A permanent bid is processed and pilot B has completed his training freeze (18 months) and is awarded an Airbus F/O position. When the bid is complete, the only positions available to reca lled pilots are 190 F/O positions! So pilot A has passed only to end up in the same position that he passed earlier. Since he is not on the property he cannot participate in the bid and must wait until it is complete.
Now this is the worst-case scenario – assuming that those who went to the 190 have completed the training freeze and there are no other Airbus/Boeing positions available. I only mention this so that you are not surprised if you find yourself in this position.
Merger Timeline – Integration of the US Airways and America West operational procedures are moving along. Teams from both sides are looking at procedures and attempting to pick the best from each side to move forward. The anticipated date for full integration is May 1, 2007.
Contract Negotiations – The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) consists of two members from the US Airways Negotiating Committee and two members from the AWA Negotiating Committee. They are attempting to glean the best from both contracts and work with the Company to come to terms on a combined contract. Talks have been ongoing, and they are working towards the best contract possible for the combined pilot group. You can contact the JNC at [email protected] or view updates on the JNC website.
Seniority list merger – The Merger Committee has exchanged lists with the AWA Merger Committee. Talks are scheduled throughout the year with mediation and possible arbitration scheduled for this fall. If arbitration is required, it is not scheduled to be completed until February 2007. It will then take some time for the arbitrator to issue his decision, so don’t expect a merged list until sometime in the spring of 2007 at the earliest. Merger Committee updates can be viewed on their webpage which includes a Q&A section. In addition, you can contact the Merger Committee at the emails listed on the Merger Committee website.
Furlough travel – The new Employee Travel Center (ETC) is now available on the Hub. You can view booking information and list for flights on both US Airways and AWA flights. The boarding codes have changed somewhat for all employees. Furloughed employees travel with a S5/SA5 code. This places you with employees of affiliate express carriers and dependants of retirees. The full form can be viewed at http://thehub.usairways.com/travel/2...orityChart.pdf on the hub. Remember if you are traveling on East flights, you board based on your seniority and West flights are based on check-in time.
If you have a question about travel, you can contact the employee travel office at [email protected]. You can also attempt to call them, but my experience is that you usually end up with a recording.
Survey – By now, you should have received either an email or a letter asking you to participate in a survey concerning your thoughts on a recall. Some pilots are concerned about the true motives of this survey, but I can assure you that the information will only be used to help you and not be used to aid the active pilots at the expense of the furloughed pilots. Having been furloughed myself, I would not be party to anything that would harm the junior pilots. I encourage you to take the couple minutes required to complete this simple survey. If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me about it.
Thanks for your time,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Furlough Administrator
J4J Coordinator
