Letter to Doug Parker & Scott Kirby

[USA320Pilot]

Doug & Scott,

As many of my pilot contacts know, I have been what some people would call a “company supporterâ€￾ or one of the key leaders of the ALPA’s GAG (Give Away Gang) group. In my opinion, my pilot group leadership of the so-called GAG group has been what I believe was “rightâ€￾ to help save the company, most of the time supported US Airways' "executive suite", and for the most part I have always been in your court.

I continue to support the company today, but I will tell you I have never felt worse about US Airways or the US Airways East piloting career than I do today. This week the DOT issued its March report for on time flights, lost baggage, and customer complaints and US Airways came in dead last in all categories. I realize this was largely due to the IT migration and weather, but I now believe we are facing an unprecedented crisis unlike ever before that could cripple operations again.

This week George Nicolau issued his pilot seniority integration Opinion and Award and to say it is devastating to the US Airways pilot group is an understatement. We now have US Airways East pilots with 19 years of service junior to a former AWA pilot with 3 months of service at the time the merger closed. Or we have 15 year furloughees stapled to the bottom of the seniority list. How can any reasonable person believe that is fair and equitable?

Did the award hurt me? No because my relative seniority improved by about 4% and the widebody restrictions favor the East pilots. But for my colleagues the Award has the East pilot group distraught.

As you probably already know, there is a large US Airways pilot contingent that advocates not agreeing to a joint contract to prevent the seniority list integration. This very large group of East pilots now believe letting the AWA pilots enter into Section VI negotiations today and waiting until 2010 to begin East pilot contract talks are the best course of action. Furthermore, there is now a group of pilots who are leading the charge to decertify ALPA on the East property and forcing or imposing decertification of ALPA on the West pilots.

None of this is good news for the company or the pilots, but one thing is for sure. The Delta pilots resolve to stop your merger attempt was one of the key reasons the deal did not proceed. In my opinion, the US Airways East pilots resolve to prevent the Nicolau Award from being implemented is as strong as the Delta pilots resolve to fight your hostile merger attempt, and the East pilots can legally delay implementation of the Nicolau Award for nearly a decade by using the tools provided by the RLA.

Therefore, what can be done so we can move forward as a unified pilot group that works in concert with management and stop all of this fighting? I believe we first need very strong leadership from US Airways’ “executive suiteâ€￾ to bring the parties together to obtain an acceptable solution to the Nicolau Award.

In my opinion, a good option would for the US Airways East and West pilots; along with the company, to agree to place permanent fences around East and West Coast Crew bases. These fences would prevent a pre-merger US Airways pilot from bidding PHX or LAS and a former America West pilot from bidding BOS, CLT, DCA, LGA, PHL, or PIT. Each pilot group would maintain their pre-merger career expectation/DOH and the combined union and company could negotiate a new joint pilot working agreement, which would benefit the company, the East/West pilots, and the other labor groups.

In addition, there would have to be a number of conditions such as how would new flying to China, Japan, or Israel split, how would positions for growth widebody aircraft such as the A340 be shared by each employee group (not replacement aircraft), there would need to be shared scope protections in event of a furlough, shared minimum block hours/minimum fleet counts, and shared EMB-190 flying.

All of this could be included in the new contract talks and could prevent a pending pilot meltdown.

I believe it is important to note that if an acceptable pilot seniority integration is not obtained, the US Airways East pilots have options to prevent the implementation of the new combined seniority list such as not reaching a new joint contract, pulling out of ALPA, or even legal action.

I believe none of the actions in the paragraph above are positive and I encourage you to intervene in this dispute to bring the parties together; otherwise, I believe the US Airways pilots will take whatever action is necessary to prevent the Nicolau Award from being implemented and the infighting will undue all the positive merger work you have done.

Doug, thanks for reading my email and I wish you the best in this pilot crisis.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[N905TW]

I guess we are supposed to be impressed that you are on a first name basis with Doug and Scott...

Either way, you have some interesting ideas. Too bad they are a few months too late. Exactly what part of "Binding Arbitration" is unclear here?

The East was told in no uncertain terms from day 1 that a date of hire scenario was not going to happen. The arbitrator called both parties back and once again asked for some movement on positions. Again, the East stuck to their proposal.

Now that the decision is in, and it is not what the East wanted, you are all crying foul.

We need to stand together to get a new joint contract, not waste our time and resources bickering amongst ourselves on a matter that was followed every step of the way via ALPA Merger Policy. Your enemy is not the AWA pilots, its Management dragging their feet on a new joint agreement! Wake up!

If you really wish to fly under LOA 93 for the next 10 years, by all means, go right ahead. Contrary to what you may think, this "Westie" doesn't want your PHL to DUB flight.

 

[prechilill]

Doug & Scott,

As many of my pilot contacts know, I have been what some people would call a “company supporterâ€￾ or one of the key leaders of the ALPA’s GAG (Give Away Gang) group. In my opinion, my pilot group leadership of the so-called GAG group has been what I believe was “rightâ€￾ to help save the company, most of the time supported US Airways' "executive suite", and for the most part I have always been in your court.


USA320Pilot

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an example of a person anesthetized with emotion- lacking any reason or judgement in posting this personal admission...truly astonishing and it speaks volumes about his state of mind. Reading posts this whole week collectively would make a wonderful case study in human behavior and the subjects of denial and self preservation at all costs.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Therefore, what can be done so we can move forward as a unified pilot group that works in concert with management and stop all of this fighting? I believe we first need very strong leadership from US Airways’ “executive suiteâ€￾ to bring the parties together to obtain an acceptable solution to the Nicolau Award.

Yeah, Dougie P is going to have his fine Labor Relations team on it right away. They will do right by you.

Strong leadership! That is rich! You can get a job as a comedian when you retire!

 

[700UW]

Once again you are bending over for management and trying to do an end around on your own union.

How pathetic.

 

[fr8tmastr]

I guess we are supposed to be impressed that you are on a first name basis with Doug and Scott...

Either way, you have some interesting ideas. Too bad they are a few months too late. Exactly what part of "Binding Arbitration" is unclear here?

The East was told in no uncertain terms from day 1 that a date of hire scenario was not going to happen. The arbitrator called both parties back and once again asked for some movement on positions. Again, the East stuck to their proposal.

For cripes sake, gloat all you want but East did not ask for DOH, it was mostly about LOS (length of service). That may be the same thing to you, but it certainly is not for the East pilots that would have lost alot under our own proposal. Enjoy your windfall, but in the meantime let the East lick their wounds without people rubbing salt in it. You never know how soon you might appreciate the same courtesy

 

[UALDC767]

For cripes sake, gloat all you want but East did not ask for DOH, it was mostly about LOS (length of service). That may be the same thing to you, but it certainly is not for the East pilots that would have lost alot under our own proposal. Enjoy your windfall, but in the meantime let the East lick their wounds without people rubbing salt in it. You never know how soon you might appreciate the same courtesy

Fr8t,

As an outsider, can you please show me(us) what the east was asking for then? Preferably the actual language.

And how under a LOS proposal, "the east would have lost a lot"...?

Thanks.

DC

 

[luvn737s]

Dear Doug and Scott-
Please do not give in to anarchists who have no regard for the rule of law. Please do not undermine your credibility with the rest of the airline to placate a group who has long needed a prescription-strength dose of reality. The long-term viability of this airline depends on not giving in to threats. We must all work together to a common-good without threats or intimidation.

The employees of US Airways need strong leadership now more than ever. Will you lead, or will you be shaken by those who put their interests above and before the other 30,000 of US?

 

[safety stud]

Dear Doug and Scott-
Please do not give in to anarchists who have no regard for the rule of law. Please do not undermine your credibility with the rest of the airline to placate a group who has long needed a prescription-strength dose of reality. The long-term viability of this airline depends on not giving in to threats. We must all work together to a common-good without threats or intimidation.

The employees of US Airways need strong leadership now more than ever. Will you lead, or will you be shaken by those who put their interests above and before the other 30,000 of US?

Blah, Blah, Blah...

and more Blah...

Just my opinion...

 

[lynyrdskynyrd]

The following is directed at USA320Pilot:

A respected arbitrator is not reasonable? Perhaps some of these bright ideas you have should have been put forth earlier in the process by your merger committee, rather than the inflexable doh modified by length of service or nothing. Had you done that you may very well have found the Nicolau ruling more to your liking now.

As a west pilot I would be agreeable to some sort of fencing. But permanant, I don't think so. See here you go again, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead, all or nothing. Didn't you learn anything from what just happened? Come on.

 

[A320 Driver]

Piney Bob,

I read the award as well and I find two parts of it particularly troubling. First is a statement made by the arbitrator that says that a list could not be merged without affecting career expectations (I assume this means East) and second, he seems to buy into the argument made by the West pilots that East pilots had NO career expectations because of the two trips to bankruptcy court.

For many East pilots this is simply the last straw. So many careers have been in a downward spiral since 1989. Where is the bottom? I thought the loss of retirement benefits was the last straw until this happened. For 517 pilots, things aren't so bad. For the back end of the seniority list, there is no hope of advancement...not through growth and now, not through attrition.

The West pilots fought the good fight and won, if you call this winning. Personally, I think ALPAs seniority integration should be decided in a conference room at ALPA headquarters, but in an effort to remove themselves from the process (for political cover) ALPA leaders take a hands off approach. Look where it gets us. To this degree unionism has failed. It is supposed to provide leadership and direction thus creating unity for the groups they represent. There is NOTHING that will unify this group now.
Still, I don't think letters written to management are appropriate nor will they make any difference except to further confirm that the pilot group is forever splintered.

Piney, I respect your opinion on the award and I think it was good of you to take the time to read and try to understand it. It may not sound too bad until you apply it to the bottom of the list which has been living tied to a beeper for the last two decades. Seniority is a quality of life issue. Reserve is a young man's game. It was never meant to be a career or way of life. Simply put, it's an awful way to make a living, but many stick with it in hope of moving up the ladder as those above retire. That's what those at the bottom of our list were hoping for. A chance for a schedule, a family life, a raise, without having to leave aviation.

That hope is gone.

A320 Driver B)

 

[FWAAA]

What I can't figure out is why a promising young pilot like USA320Pilot sitting in the right seat wouldn't be applying at WN or B6 or another growing airline that's hiring.

In the old days, I could understand being "tied" to US, what with the pension and higher pay. But with both of those now gone and with the diminished career expectations - with many freshly minted West pilots holding positions above the experienced veteran East pilots - it would seem to me to be a great time to cut the losses and go fly for someone else.

Although this arbitration decision isn't exactly a staple, it's darned close. I thought that only AA's unions did that to their members. Turns out that ALPA does nearly the same thing to its members. Ouch.

 

[luvn737s]

Piney-
Actually it doesn't affect anyone until the first vacancy bid or the first (and probably the last) furlough. And even then, there are no guarantees what will happen. Alot of stomach lining is being sacrificed for nothing.

 

[allstrike]

Once again you are bending over for management and trying to do an end around on your own union.

How pathetic.

Dont go begging,dont show weakness.Patients is your only option here.Make the system work for you.

 

[Deepthroat]

Its time