MEC Code-A-Phone Update - August 7, 2004
This is Jack Stephan with a US Airways MEC update for Saturday, August 7th, with two new items.
Item 1. The MEC held two special meeting conference calls last Wednesday evening to review the final language of the PSA Large SJ Letter of Agreement and to discuss what information should be released to the membership regarding the financial health of the company.
While considering these two agenda items, four members of the MEC, as per the MEC Policy Manual, voted to discontinue the call and to resume consideration of these agenda items during two special MEC meetings to be held next week. These meetings will convene in Arlington, VA at the Key Bridge Marriott. The first meeting will convene on Monday, August 9th, at 1 p.m. and adjourn the same day at 5 p.m. or at the completion of business. The agenda of the meeting is as follows:
1) Discussion of dissemination of confidential information to the membership regarding the financial health of the company.
2) Review of final PSA Large SJ LOA.
A second special meeting will then convene on Tuesday, August 10, at 10 a.m. and will adjourn on Wednesday, August 11th, at 5:00 p.m., or at the completion of business.
The agenda for the meeting is as follows:
1) MEC Chairman/MEC Officers’ Reports.
2) Update from the Negotiating Committee and advisors regarding the status of negotiations and a discussion of whether MEC action is needed at this time.
3) At 9 a.m., Wednesday, August 11th, a briefing on the status of US Airways from senior management including: CEO-Bruce Lakefield, Senior VP, Alliances & Pres. of US Airways Express-Bruce Ashby, Executive VP and CFO-Dave Davis and Executive VP, Operations-Al Crellin.
Both meetings will be held at the Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington. All US Airways pilots are encouraged to attend. The telephone number for transportation information is 703-524-6400. Please be advised that portions of the meeting may be in closed session.
Item 2. MEC Chairman Bill Pollock is sending out a letter to all pilots that reports on the MEC’s recent special conference call meetings, the items that were to be discussed during these meetings, which were deferred to face-to-face special meetings that will take place this week in Arlington, VA, and the serious consequences of delaying action on these items.
In this letter, Captain Pollock explains, “I am growing more and more concerned by an attitude that I am seeing return to the MEC, where, for example, the unambiguous advice of our legal and financial advisors is dismissed by certain MEC members. I am deeply concerned by rumblings I have heard that suggest that some of the MEC members may attempt to dictate the terms of an agreement with the Company, or just as likely, attempt to keep from you a proposed agreement that fails to conform to their particular desires and unrealistic standards.â€
The letter also contains more in-depth information on the interim agreement that ALPA and management have come to regarding the more favorable provisions of the pilots’ previous sick policy. Captain Pollock advises the pilots that as this interim agreement reflects a change to our current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the next step is for the MEC to review it and then approve it as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). After the MEC’s approval, this MOU would go out to the membership for ratification. This step is required under the tenets of the membership ratification vote of December 2003, as any change to the CBA that substantially affects the pay and working conditions of our contract—both positive and otherwise—is to always be sent to the pilots for ratification.
Captain Pollock advises all pilots to read this letter, which will be posted shortly on the pilots only website under “MEC Chairman Information.â€
Please remember we have 1,879 pilots on furlough.
Thank you for listening.
This is Jack Stephan with a US Airways MEC update for Saturday, August 7th, with two new items.
Item 1. The MEC held two special meeting conference calls last Wednesday evening to review the final language of the PSA Large SJ Letter of Agreement and to discuss what information should be released to the membership regarding the financial health of the company.
While considering these two agenda items, four members of the MEC, as per the MEC Policy Manual, voted to discontinue the call and to resume consideration of these agenda items during two special MEC meetings to be held next week. These meetings will convene in Arlington, VA at the Key Bridge Marriott. The first meeting will convene on Monday, August 9th, at 1 p.m. and adjourn the same day at 5 p.m. or at the completion of business. The agenda of the meeting is as follows:
1) Discussion of dissemination of confidential information to the membership regarding the financial health of the company.
2) Review of final PSA Large SJ LOA.
A second special meeting will then convene on Tuesday, August 10, at 10 a.m. and will adjourn on Wednesday, August 11th, at 5:00 p.m., or at the completion of business.
The agenda for the meeting is as follows:
1) MEC Chairman/MEC Officers’ Reports.
2) Update from the Negotiating Committee and advisors regarding the status of negotiations and a discussion of whether MEC action is needed at this time.
3) At 9 a.m., Wednesday, August 11th, a briefing on the status of US Airways from senior management including: CEO-Bruce Lakefield, Senior VP, Alliances & Pres. of US Airways Express-Bruce Ashby, Executive VP and CFO-Dave Davis and Executive VP, Operations-Al Crellin.
Both meetings will be held at the Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington. All US Airways pilots are encouraged to attend. The telephone number for transportation information is 703-524-6400. Please be advised that portions of the meeting may be in closed session.
Item 2. MEC Chairman Bill Pollock is sending out a letter to all pilots that reports on the MEC’s recent special conference call meetings, the items that were to be discussed during these meetings, which were deferred to face-to-face special meetings that will take place this week in Arlington, VA, and the serious consequences of delaying action on these items.
In this letter, Captain Pollock explains, “I am growing more and more concerned by an attitude that I am seeing return to the MEC, where, for example, the unambiguous advice of our legal and financial advisors is dismissed by certain MEC members. I am deeply concerned by rumblings I have heard that suggest that some of the MEC members may attempt to dictate the terms of an agreement with the Company, or just as likely, attempt to keep from you a proposed agreement that fails to conform to their particular desires and unrealistic standards.â€
The letter also contains more in-depth information on the interim agreement that ALPA and management have come to regarding the more favorable provisions of the pilots’ previous sick policy. Captain Pollock advises the pilots that as this interim agreement reflects a change to our current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the next step is for the MEC to review it and then approve it as a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). After the MEC’s approval, this MOU would go out to the membership for ratification. This step is required under the tenets of the membership ratification vote of December 2003, as any change to the CBA that substantially affects the pay and working conditions of our contract—both positive and otherwise—is to always be sent to the pilots for ratification.
Captain Pollock advises all pilots to read this letter, which will be posted shortly on the pilots only website under “MEC Chairman Information.â€
Please remember we have 1,879 pilots on furlough.
Thank you for listening.
