More Alpa - Us Airways Meetings

[USA320Pilot]

ALPA officials have reported that US Airways senior management and pilot union leaders will meet twice within the next seven days.

On March 2 the parties will meet to discuss Defined Contribution Retirement Funding and FICA funding charges/issues. Attending the meeting will be chief financial officer Neil Cohen, ALPA MEC chairman Bill Pollock, ALPA MEC vice-chairman Kim Snider, ALPA R&I Committee chairman Rick Moseley, and ALPA Negotiating Committee chairman Phil Carey.

On March 9 the parties will meet to discuss larger negotiation objectives. Specifically, the agenda will not only be to discuss the importance of finding a path to profitability, with ALPA involvement in the negotiations of the "Going Forward (business) Plan", but also to stress the importance of transforming the corporate culture. Meeting attendees will be US Airways chief executive officer Dave Siegel, RSA/US Airways board member Bruce Lakefield, the ALPA MEC Officers and the ALPA Negotiating Committee.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[autofixer]

How do you change the corporate culture of a highly unionized and top heavy corportation, which hired many of its employees on the nepotism plan (Particularly middle and lower management)?

This ALL sounds like corporate speak. Why not have the meeting tomorrow, if it is so imperative?

 

[USA320Pilot]

The most pressing issue for US Airways, Mainline ALPA, and all parties interested in the success of US Airways is the company's request for Regional Jet (RJ) scope clause modifications. The ALPA Negotiating Committee reported that it met with management and PSA representatives last week on RJ scope issues. Meetings will continue this week on this issue(s) and then discussions on the revised business plan will commence.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[d328pilot]

50/50 or you can send them to Mesa and enjoy 50/50 with fewer days off on reserve and a much worse quality of life..

 

[USA320Pilot]

D328Pilot:

PSA will almost assuredly be sold with the likely acquirer Mesa Air Group. Moreover, this could entail the transfer of the CRJ-200 and CRJ-700 delivery slots. Both of these issues are part of the on-going discussion and could become part of the current J4J agreement.

The intent is to provide scope relief to permit PSA to be spun off, the capital used to pay down the loan guarantee and then obtain ATSB EBITDAR relief. Discussions with the ATSB are currently being conducted and there should be public news on this issue(s) in the not-so-distant future.

Separately, this deal would reduce the risk of a credit rating downgrade, reduce US Airway's long-term debt, maintain a RJ revenue stream, strengthen US Airways, and buy the Arlington-based airline more time to drive down its unit costs.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[EyeInTheSky]

USA320Pilot, you have the right buyer, but the wrong operation to be sold. You sure it's not Piedmont or Mid-Atlantic? Funny thing is a few of US Airways former management employees that were heading up divisions at Mid Atlantic are now in PHX working for Mesa. Hmmm.

 

[USA320Pilot]

I suspect Allegheny Airlines/Piedmont Airlines will be sold after the March 31 merger is complete.

MidAtlantic cannot legally be sold without an FAA operating certificate, which is why the EMB-170s will be flown on the mainline. However, the new ALPA scope clause could permit MidAtlantic to be spun off if MidAtlantic obtains its own FAA operating certificate. Where could one be obtained? Allegheny Airlines once the company is merged into Piedmont.

In my opinion, dependent upon union negotiations and other fundamentals, PSA, Allegheny/Piedmont, and even MDA could be sold, if the EMB-170 operator obtains an operating certificate.

The big player in this negotiation – GECAS -- who wants to diversify their US Airways exposure, strengthen their investment, and wants to ensure US Airways keeps its RJ revenue.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[ktflyhome]

EMb-170's will be flown on the mainline????????? Hey I'm mainline. Now what does this mean???

 

[Light Years]

Kt-

This is where it gets confusing.

The E170s will be on the mainline certificate- as far as the FAA and for all other official purposes, they will be on the "Embraer Division" of US Airways Inc (mainline) as opposed to Allegheny Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines which are seperate airlines owned by US Airways Group, the parent company. As MAA does not have its own operating certificate, its technically a division rather than a "wholly owned."

However, when it comes to furloughed employees, its MidAtlantic Airways, which may as well be Delta the way they are acting about it. Returning F/As will have to wait six months for medical insurance (mind you, new hires at US or the W/os do not have to do this) and of course are under a completely different contract (worst in the industry considering the equiptment and the fact that these are employees with several years with the company). Also, the "flow-through" is still pretty vague, with the company wanting F/As to commit to a year, even if thier mainline recall comes up- meaning a junior F/A who turned Mid down could return to mainline earlier than one who reported to Mid. The fact that it's even referred to as a "flow-through" is rather insulting, as a mainline recall really means a return to the position the F/A sought, was hired for, and held in good terms, only to be released by no fault of thier own.

Also, the aircraft will fly under the "US Airways Express" banner despite being a division of the mainline cert. and operated by mainline personnel. We've discussed to death how poor a marketing choice this is, but the reasoning seems to be that mgmt would like to ALSO put E170s at affiliates (Mesa, Chautauqua etc), in which case they would have to be flown under the Express banner. So presumably they wouldnt want to have one E170 be "US Airways" and another be "US Airways Express".

It's all just the usual unfair, cheap, backwards US Airways way of doing things. 🙁

 

[USA320Pilot]

US Airways does not want to spin off MidAtlantic, however, for example, if the unions and the company do not come to terms on labor participation in the "Going Forward Plan", then it could be necessary to sell the EMB-170 unit to raise cash.

This cannot occur in the short-term because MidAtlantic is part of the mainline, however, if the EMB-170 division obtains its own operating certificate then the divestiture could occur. Meanwhile, I expect ALPA to provide US Airways with scope relief to spin off EMB-170 delivery positions to a J4J participating US Airways carrier.

Current mainline pilot scope clause contract language in regard to MidAtlantic states:

MDA Change in Control:

US Airways/MDA Change in Control Job Opportunities

All of the foregoing provisions providing for job opportunities and job rights between MDA, US Airways and the Participating Wholly-Owned Carriers shall be preserved as part of any agreement providing for change in control of MDA or sale of a majority of the assets of the MDA.

MDA Change in Control and Successorship

Control as defined in Section 1(J) of the ALPA-US Airways Agreement except for the reference to Section 1(D)2 below.

If an entity other than US Airways Group acquires control of or is a successor to MDA, it will:

• Maintain the MDA pilot agreement and recognition of ALPA (MDA Agreement)

• Merge the seniority list of the MDA pilots with the seniority list of its pilots under ALPA merger policy if applicable or Sections 3 and 13 of Allegheny-Mohawk LPPs

• If a change of control occurs as defined in Section 1(D)2. of the US Agreement, MDA shall provide ALPA the right to extend the MDA agreement for up to 3 years with 4.5% pay raises.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[ACrazy8]

Hopefully ALPA and the Company will keep MAA a part of mainline. Considering there are thousands of furloughed employees waiting for a call back.......to A job-PERIOD! <_<

 

[ktflyhome]

Ok Duh me, what's the difference between MDA and MAA. Sorry I guess I have had my head up Mainline for too long. Also can anyone tell me how I can print certain excerpts from this forum without printing the entire 3,4,5, pages, ect. Certain things pop up that I would like to have and maintain for my references. Also can anyone tell me how I can forward certain articles. Thanks. KT

 

[Light Years]

Kt-

MAA and MDA both mean MidAtlantic. Apparently MAA is the right designator, but MDA was what eveyone first shortened it to, and it does have more of a ring to it (although folks I know are know calling it "Mid", or depending on the attitude, "purgatory" 😀 ).

Its like how people here use U, US, UAIR, Airways, Usair to mean US Airways. UAIR is now the stock symbol, but the airline code is US.

MAA and MDA are the same thing, just shorthand for MidAtlantic. I'm glad to see "current" mainline flight attendants getting informed about MAA as it affects them and thier future. I've spoken to relatively junior crews who looked at me like I was talking about copper plumbing when I was talking about MAA, the E170 etc... they had no idea what it was. Every mainline F/a could end up there and should keep up on information about it. I also hope mainline employees realize that it is furloughed mainline employees operating it, and how even this "soft landing" is in jeopardy now as mgmt attempts to outsource even more flying.

 

[ktflyhome]

Sounds like you and Colby are hanging in there for MAA or MDA. Best of luck. Don't think I could go there, but one never knows. My best friend for 25 years, based out of PHL was offered the so called package from this last screwed up furlough(which became VF8) and she said she would not take it. Altough I have not seen (as of yet) what it incompases, I think I might rather start a "phone service". 😉

 

[ClueByFour]

Hopefully ALPA and the Company will keep MAA a part of mainline. Considering there are thousands of furloughed employees waiting for a call back.......to A job-PERIOD! <_<

U ALPA has never cared about it's junior pilots, as evidenced by the resident guru opining that PSA will be sold to Mesa.

Hmm, take the only part of the US group that is making money, sell it to Mesa, and then enter into a "per departure" lift scheme. Brilliant.

Tell you what--I'll donate both little Dave and the MEC Chairmen both an operable semi-automatic pistol--not so they they can duel, but rather so that they can shoot themselves in the foot now, instead of waiting. Oh, and Pollack can shoot at any junior pilots on the US list, any of the furloughed guys, or anyone at a wholly-owned--again, to save some time.

Of course, it has to happen that way now that March 1 has come and gone, the company has roughly three weeks (until the new MEC elects a chairman) to get anything done.