LETTER TO ALPA PRESIDENT JOHN PRATER

[AWA320]

MEC Letter to ALPA President Captain John Prater


May 8, 2007


Dear Captain Prater:

I understand that the AAA MEC has adopted a Resolution asserting that the merged AWA/AAA seniority list created by the Panel chaired by Arbitrator George Nicolau is not “fair and equitable†and calling on the “Executive Council [to] receive a presentation regarding the Nicolau Award from [the AAA] Merger Committee at its next regular meeting.†The purpose of this letter is not to debate the fairness of the Award – everyone is free to have their own personal view on that point. Rather, it is to state, in the strongest possible terms, the AWA MEC’s opposition to that request on much more fundamental grounds.

ALPA Merger Policy was specifically crafted to remove ALPA from substantive decision-making when it comes to the integration of seniority lists. The entire premise of that Policy is to leave to autonomous merger committees the task of merging seniority lists, with arbitration before a three-member panel chaired by a neutral as the ultimate “backstop†in the event the merger committees cannot reach agreement. Once a panel issues an award, that award – by Merger Policy’s express terms - “shall be final and binding on all parties to the arbitration and shall be defended by ALPA.â€

That commitment is the centerpiece of Merger Policy. It is the assurance that ALPA will not intervene in the decision-making process that establishes the integrity of the process. Any deviation from that important principle would wipe out decades of precedent and would entirely destabilize the seniority integration process, turning it into a contest over who shouts the loudest. More to the point, it would be a breach of faith with the ALPA membership that has come to rely on the integrity of the Policy and would be a breach of ALPA’s fundamental governing documents.

All that being so, the Executive Council’s acquiescence in the AAA MEC’s request for a meeting to receive a presentation on its perception of the fairness of the award will do nothing more than create mischief. It will create false hopes in the AAA pilot ranks when, in fact, ALPA cannot do anything to upset the award. And it will create needless anxiety among the AWA pilot ranks that the hard work of the last two years may be undone when, in fact, ALPA cannot undo it.

It is time for ALPA to state strongly, clearly, and quickly to both the AAA and AWA pilots, in terms each will understand, that the Nicolau Award is “final and binding,†that it will be that list (together with it Conditions and Restrictions) that will govern seniority at US Airways, and that ALPA will defend that list against any attacks that might be brought by anyone. Anything short of that clear and unambiguous statement will do the Association and the pilots it represents irreparable harm.

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions about anything in this letter.

Sincerely,

MEMBERS OF THE AWA MEC.
<s>

 

[prechilill]

MEC Letter to ALPA President Captain John Prater


May 8, 2007


Dear Captain Prater:

I understand that the AAA MEC has adopted a Resolution asserting that the merged AWA/AAA seniority list created by the Panel chaired by Arbitrator George Nicolau is not “fair and equitable†and calling on the “Executive Council [to] receive a presentation regarding the Nicolau Award from [the AAA] Merger Committee at its next regular meeting.†The purpose of this letter is not to debate the fairness of the Award – everyone is free to have their own personal view on that point. Rather, it is to state, in the strongest possible terms, the AWA MEC’s opposition to that request on much more fundamental grounds.

ALPA Merger Policy was specifically crafted to remove ALPA from substantive decision-making when it comes to the integration of seniority lists. The entire premise of that Policy is to leave to autonomous merger committees the task of merging seniority lists, with arbitration before a three-member panel chaired by a neutral as the ultimate “backstop†in the event the merger committees cannot reach agreement. Once a panel issues an award, that award – by Merger Policy’s express terms - “shall be final and binding on all parties to the arbitration and shall be defended by ALPA.â€

That commitment is the centerpiece of Merger Policy. It is the assurance that ALPA will not intervene in the decision-making process that establishes the integrity of the process. Any deviation from that important principle would wipe out decades of precedent and would entirely destabilize the seniority integration process, turning it into a contest over who shouts the loudest. More to the point, it would be a breach of faith with the ALPA membership that has come to rely on the integrity of the Policy and would be a breach of ALPA’s fundamental governing documents.

All that being so, the Executive Council’s acquiescence in the AAA MEC’s request for a meeting to receive a presentation on its perception of the fairness of the award will do nothing more than create mischief. It will create false hopes in the AAA pilot ranks when, in fact, ALPA cannot do anything to upset the award. And it will create needless anxiety among the AWA pilot ranks that the hard work of the last two years may be undone when, in fact, ALPA cannot undo it.

It is time for ALPA to state strongly, clearly, and quickly to both the AAA and AWA pilots, in terms each will understand, that the Nicolau Award is “final and binding,†that it will be that list (together with it Conditions and Restrictions) that will govern seniority at US Airways, and that ALPA will defend that list against any attacks that might be brought by anyone. Anything short of that clear and unambiguous statement will do the Association and the pilots it represents irreparable harm.

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions about anything in this letter.

Sincerely,

MEMBERS OF THE AWA MEC.
<s>

I would recommend to the USAir MEC to come clean on this issue and educate their pilots the award is final and binding. It is inappropriate enough and completely irresponsible to have to hear it from the other MEC. The USAir pilots deserve better than this.

 

[Charlie_Tuna]

Excellent letter...Read and heed

 

[Piedmont1984]

AWA320

With all due respect, for decades ALPA's merger policy hinged on the concept of DOH. It was the cornerstone of merging pilot groups in a fair and equitable manner. I won't go into why the policy was changed, except to say that it was changed for the worse, in the interest of a influential few and to the detriment of the many.

When two pilots are up for advancement, the pilot who has been there longer should go first. This is a very compelling argument and it certainly trumps the argument of career expectations, particularly in this industry and in this day and age.

You at AWA live and breath by your DOH. The equipment you fly, the seat you occupy, the schedule you enjoy, the holidays you are able to spend with your family - none of them are determined by career expectations.

The number one pilot on your list gets his first choice every single time he chooses. You would never consider rotating him through the list in order to avoid windfalls, or to improve a junior pilot's expectations.

The fellow I flew with this week was slotted by Nicolau behind an AWA pilot who was in grade school when my F/O was hired here.

This award simply defies rationality. It is bizarre. Its right out of Alice in Wonderland.

 

[ussnark]

AWA320

With all due respect, for decades ALPA's merger policy hinged on the concept of DOH. It was the cornerstone of merging pilot groups in a fair and equitable manner. I won't go into why the policy was changed, except to say that it was changed for the worse, in the interest of a influential few and to the detriment of the many.

When two pilots are up for advancement, the pilot who has been there longer should go first. This is a very compelling argument and it certainly trumps the argument of career expectations, particularly in this industry and in this day and age.

You at AWA live and breath by your DOH. The equipment you fly, the seat you occupy, the schedule you enjoy, the holidays you are able to spend with your family - none of them are determined by career expectations.

The number one pilot on your list gets his first choice every single time he chooses. You would never consider rotating him through the list in order to avoid windfalls, or to improve a junior pilot's expectations.

The fellow I flew with this week was slotted by Nicolau behind an AWA pilot who was in grade school when my F/O was hired here.

This award simply defies rationality. It is bizarre. Its right out of Alice in Wonderland.

No problem. Apparently the morons at AWA have never had planes cancelled out of country before. Watch this.

 

[Charlie_Tuna]

AWA320

This award simply defies rationality. It is bizarre. Its right out of Alice in Wonderland.

With all due respect, you agreed to binding arbitration with no strings attached. Therein lies your problem.

 

[Piedmont1984]

With all due respect, you agreed to binding arbitration with no strings attached. Therein lies your problem.

That is true. It is also true that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[prechilill]

AWA320

With all due respect, for decades ALPA's merger policy hinged on the concept of DOH. It was the cornerstone of merging pilot groups in a fair and equitable manner. I won't go into why the policy was changed, except to say that it was changed for the worse, in the interest of a influential few and to the detriment of the many.

When two pilots are up for advancement, the pilot who has been there longer should go first. This is a very compelling argument and it certainly trumps the argument of career expectations, particularly in this industry and in this day and age.

You at AWA live and breath by your DOH. The equipment you fly, the seat you occupy, the schedule you enjoy, the holidays you are able to spend with your family - none of them are determined by career expectations.

The number one pilot on your list gets his first choice every single time he chooses. You would never consider rotating him through the list in order to avoid windfalls, or to improve a junior pilot's expectations.

The fellow I flew with this week was slotted by Nicolau behind an AWA pilot who was in grade school when my F/O was hired here.

This award simply defies rationality. It is bizarre. Its right out of Alice in Wonderland.

And a dollar doesn't equal a pound sterling... DOH policy as a sole measure was flawed and thus changed by a majority vote in ALPA for a reason- your views are inconsistent with ALPA policy and more specific to this case not in agreement with the arbitrator, the neutral pilots on the board and basic common sense.

 

[algflyr]

Wait a minute... I thought the AWA MEC also thought this award was unfair, and that they didn't get enough... What better way to get more, they should also demand this meeting so they can show all the inequities in the award to the AWA pilots....

 

[Piedmont1984]

And a dollar doesn't equal a pound sterling... DOH policy as a sole measure was flawed and thus changed by a majority vote in ALPA for a reason- your views are inconsistent with ALPA policy and more specific to this case not in agreement with the arbitrator, the neutral pilots on the board and basic common sense.

I submit that ALPA merger policy was not flawed, unless you can articulate how, but that it most certainly is flawed today.

If it causes a pilot group to break away and seek a different collective bargaining agent, common sense should tell you something is seriously flawed.

 

[exB717Flyer]

If it causes a pilot group to break away and seek a different collective bargaining agent, common sense should tell you something is seriously flawed.

Cause and effect? No. ALPA Merger Policy did not cause you to be unhappy, YOU choose to be unhappy. IMHO it was a case of unrealistic expectations.

 

[767jetz]

AWA320

With all due respect, for decades ALPA's merger policy hinged on the concept of DOH. It was the cornerstone of merging pilot groups...

Yeah, until it was determined that the "cornerstone" was no longer fair and equitable.

When two pilots are up for advancement, the pilot who has been there longer should go first.

It should be pretty easy for you to understand the concept that this only applies for the company you originally were hired by. That company no longer exists for east or west. There was a merger resulting in a new company and therefore a new seniority list based on ALPA merger policy.

 

[aquagreen73s]

AWA320


The fellow I flew with this week was slotted by Nicolau behind an AWA pilot who was in grade school when my F/O was hired here.

This award simply defies rationality. It is bizarre. Its right out of Alice in Wonderland.

Actually, it is a normal result from an abnormal circumstance. Having an F/O on a narrowbody who was hired 18 years prior is NOT NORMAL. Point to any airline, anywhere in the world, where there exists nothing but 18, 19, and 20 year F/Os. That's what makes this arbitration suddenly seem very normal.

 

[767jetz]

Wait a minute... I thought the AWA MEC also thought this award was unfair, and that they didn't get enough... What better way to get more, they should also demand this meeting so they can show all the inequities in the award to the AWA pilots....

As the original post already stated, the arbitrators ruling is final and binding and is to be supported and defended by ALPA.

You guys chose to go to BINDING arbitration. You already had the chance to come to an agreement that was reasonable outside of the arbitration process. You chose not to. That is because many of your pilots have held onto the unreasonable expectation that DOH is the only outcome you'd be happy with.

What makes you think anyone in ALPA will be sympathetic to your situation and change merger policy just to suit you, when there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of pilots who don't agree with DOH seniority integration. Let's face it... the few thousand US East pilots are the ONLY ones in this industry crying for DOH. With consolidation on the horizon, there is not another group of pilots willing to give up their career expectations just because a group of disgruntled US pilots are bitter about were they have landed.

This decision was an important ruling that validates the actual ALPA merger policy and will be a model in the near future for the inevitable consolidation that will occur in the next 5 - 10 years. (IMHO of course.) ALPA will defend it and it will stand on its merits.

 

[Callsign_Cactus]

After reading what can only be described as regurgitated BS over the last few days, I am convinced more than ever this merger should have never taken place. We “moronsâ€￾ at AWA would have continued to grow and prosper while you SOBs in the East continued to rot in hell. Oh how I wish I could change the past.

I remember the day the merger was announced, the East were jumping up and down singing glory days and praising their savior, and the West were crying the blues because we knew just how dysfunctional the piece of crap airline we were marrying really was. All in the West felt we just tied up to the Titanic. Six months into the merger that nauseous feeling in the West slowly dissipated as we realized things might be ok. – boy were we wrong.

With that said, nobody can change the past so we are stuck with each other, unfortunately. I was ready to upgrade before the merger was announced but now I am years and years away, so all of you that are whining about the award go F@#! yourselves – I was screwed too. I hope the East does not vote in a new contract, or better yet decertifies ALPA. That would be the biggest joke of the industry for many decades to come. The Transition Agreement (TA) is a binding legal document and no matter what you guys do, the list will never change and a court will force the implementation sooner rather than later. Furthermore, what many do not realize is the West operation will be on the East certificate this summer. After the idiots in the East decertify ALPA and are in material breach, the Company will begin the process of placing all growth/replacement aircraft in the West and slowly downsize and furlough in the East. Eventually we can rid ourselves of the cancer and pretend this whole nightmare never occurred. Please, please, make it happen!

The real “travestyâ€￾ in all of this is the complete incompetence and reckless behavior of the East MEC. Throughout this whole process they raised the expectation of the East pilot group to orbital levels all the while knowing they had absolutely no chance for DOH. Their merger committee told them so but it fell on deaf ears. In contrast, the West MEC preached a voice of caution - we did not know what to expect. I only wish we pursued the staple campaign since this was nothing less than the AA-TWA acquisition. Just be thankful for your job and a more than generous seniority award. It is a whole lot better than the alternative.

When the emotions are checked and cooler heads prevail, the East FOs will soon understand exactly what relative means – you will upgrade in relatively the same amount of time regardless of what you think. Age 60 will change anyway so all of the attrition you speak of will disappear.

BTW, I am sure you guys will really like calling my name (cactus) after certifcate merge this summer. It really is a catchy call sign.

I’ll never fly with an arrogant East prick.

No problem. Apparently the morons at AWA have never had planes cancelled out of country before. Watch this.