Fellow Pilots,
The potential merger of US Airways with American Airlines has entered a new phase. Up until now, US Airways management has spent a substantial amount of time talking to American’s creditors and pursing American’s unions. Doug Parker and his team made vague promises and pronouncements about the benefits of a merger to the USAPA pilots and other unions at US Airways, but engaged in no substantial conversations with us.
That situation has changed.
First a bit of history: In April, shortly after we learned that US Airways had been in talks with the APA, we pressed our position with the Company. Initially US Airways CEO Doug Parker visited USAPA headquarters and said that he didn’t need anything from the pilots to complete a merger with American. Hearing that, we quietly devised an aggressive strategy to ensure that our pilots were not left behind. This strategy and process was ultimately developed by YOU – the membership – through feedback to your Board of Pilot Representatives (BPR) and Officers. Some of the facets of our strategy included:
- An extensive analysis of the APA term sheet by legal counsel, the BPR, the Negotiating Advisory (NAC), Merger, Business Intelligence and Scope Monitoring Committees.
- Development and implementation of a communication strategy with the Communications Committee and the newly hired Public Relations consultant.
- Development and implementation of a plan for Congressional support by the Government Affairs Committee and the General Counsel.
- Formation of the Union Labor Coalition comprised of all the labor unions representing over 30,000 US Airways employees.
The Board of Pilot Representative then outlined the provisions necessary to address our concerns with the APA term sheet in a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would serve as a baseline of requirements necessary for USAPA to support the proposed merger.
Our strategy now appears to be paying off. What started as a one-day meeting on August 1 with the NAC involved in a series of discussions and negotiations with the Company’s negotiating team and President Scott Kirby, has lasted the remainder of the week and is continuing this week. At the NAC’s invitation, I attended those negotiations as well. The NAC and the Company made substantial progress on a draft MOU, which could not have been attained without the extraordinary efforts of the many players in the process.
There are still a few areas left in the negotiation, and until the legal language is drafted, our Professional Negotiator has requested that specific details of the MOU remain confidential. However, when the language is completed, it will be given to the BPR which will then review it in detail. If approved, it will be sent to you – the membership – for a vote along with a detailed analysis of the pros and cons prepared by the NAC.
While much has been done, we have not and cannot rush into action. Forcing a project to completion could ruin what is almost ripe. Please remain patient and expect an update of further developments soon.
In unity,
Gary Hummel, President