Negotiating in good faith? APFA Hotline March 3

jersey777

Veteran
May 24, 2006
627
73
Bankruptcy Update
March 3, 2012

In yesterday’s Negotiations Update American criticizes APFA for “opting” to attend an annual Board of Directors meeting and being insufficiently committed to reaching a consensual agreement. The company’s opinion has to be separated from the facts that actually comprise the events of the last several weeks. First, American claims that it is “negotiating” over its Section 1113 term sheet. Bargaining assumes flexibility not intransigence. A stance of “take or leave it” is rarely a formula for success. Yet that is precisely how the company is acting. In response to APFA’s proposals AA has just said “no” and not made a single counter-offer. Our “face time” with the company has indeed been short but that is attributable to American’s disinterest in discussing our proposals. Silence or unfairly debunking our ideas is not a constructive bargaining tactic.

APFA’s ability to make proposals depends in large part on having adequate information to determine what is truly necessary and fair and equitable. However, many of American’s responses to APFA’s information requests are incomplete, or have yet to be answered at all. For example, although we asked for American’s analysis of the cost difference between a pension freeze and termination weeks ago, we only received it late on March 2. A letter we e-mailed on February 22 detailing other inadequacies in American’s responses remains unanswered. In responding to our inquiry about the sacrifices management and non-represented employee will make, American has yet to identify the first penny these work groups will contribute. Instead the company has only indicated that changes will be made to their benefits and staffing that will purportedly equate to the requisite cost reductions. In contrast, the Flight Attendants, the Pilots and all the TWU-represented workers, American has specified every contract modification and calculated to the dollar their savings. Finally, we have yet to see a single analysis showing that the company’s demands are in line with the labor costs of its competitors.  

Contrary to American’s claims APFA has responded to virtually all of the items in AA’s term sheet; and next week we will make other proposals assuming we have the necessary information and analysis. A consensual agreement is of course our objective, but if it is to be realized American must acknowledge that its term sheet is not written in stone but can and must be molded and transformed by creative and mutually beneficial solutions.   

Finally, American’s criticism of the Negotiating Team choosing to attend a Board of Directors meeting is particularly ill-founded. American knows that membership ratification is essential to the success of these negotiations. In turn, if approval of a tentative agreement is to take place, we must meet with our leaders, keep them informed and respond to their questions and concerns.

By next week we hope American has provided complete responses to all our requests for information and has abandoned its “take or leave it” approach to negotiations. If they have done so, it is far more likely that we will achieve a consensual agreement.
   
In Unity,
Laura Glading




-----
APFA Communications
817.540.0108 x8308
[email protected]
 
I would like one of the many company folks on here, or those that tout the company line, how in the world they can possibly explain this kind of behavior on part of the company. Just suppose for a moment, just suppose, that everything in the hotline is true..... That the company is basically sitting at the table drumming their fingers waiting out the clock and that the same is true for the APA and TWU, which appears to be the case form many other threads here and on other bulletin boards. Please help me to understand the logic here. Does the company really believe that all they have to do is simply show up for the 10 sessions, or whatever the required number is under 1113, and do no negotiating and then simply walk up to the judge and say 'hey we tried... now rip up the CBAs' ?

Really? Is this really the way it happens ? With $5bn in hand, over $12m spent in the last few months alone on BK specialist law firms, sitting mum at the table like a good school boy and then simply ask for all the CBAs to be torn up. If any of the company folk here would like to explain to me how in any world view that scenario is in any way coherent or at least in some way in the best interest of the company, I would like to know.

:huh: News Flash :eek: ....if that is indeed the plan or the thinking then we are toast as a company. And I say that with dread as I am speaking of my own livelihood here as well with 33 years down the crapper. That process will kill the company and I would like to have someone explain to me how it would not.
 
Now all of you know a little bit about what the bankruptcy process is all about. Sad, isn't it? The term sheet AA mangmt. has provided would make Lorenzo blush and the former top guys at US seem like saints. Yes, AA's bankruptcy is going to be very different than the other airlines. Because, AA seems to have been watching very closely what worked and didn't work in other BKs'. Are any of you surprised that this may very well turn into the most heated and brutal filing of any airline in order to achieve the lowest costs of any airline? Do you really believe that you are going to come out of your BK any better off than the employees at any other bankrupted airline?

Managment is counting on one thing...and that is just like all of the other employees at any other bankrupt airline, you will all continue to show up and do your job. So my advice is do not stress over all the stuff you see in print and hear on the line, start putting extra into savings, get your rest and eat well. When all of the dust settles you will understand that only you have the power over your situation and only you truly have the ability to change it. There is the AA corporate identity and then there is you, don't confuse the two.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
If things continue along this line, management would deserve their fate if every employee just walked off the job one day and said, "I'm done." As miserable as they have made the working conditions over the past few years, is any job worth what the conditions will be like if they get everything on that term sheet?

I am fortunate in that I can retire tomorrow if I so choose. But, let me tell all of you, I am the perfect example of the truth that you do not have to put up with BS in order to eat. In my working life, I've had 5 separate and distinct "careers" and many more jobs than that. You just have to be willing to do whatever job presents itself at the moment. Something better will be along shortly.

I enjoy my job as a f/a, and I'm good at it. I collect those AAdvantage recognition certificates by the handful. But, if I have to give it up in order to maintain my self-worth, it won't be the end of the world. I think I have too much respect for myself to work for people such as currently occupy the executive suites at AMR.

I agree with ord78. They are reaching the point that the well of employee relations will be so poisoned that the company will not survive. Despite what Centreport may think, they are not immune to the disease that killed Pan AM, Braniff, and Eastern.
 
Unfortunately this company wants an MBA solution to a front line management problem. Just don't see the company making it. It will be a slow death for aa. Can't trust a word they say
 
When I was on the NC for US for the mechanic and related, in the three months we were in Section 1113 negotiations the company never moved off the term sheet. They were very slow on giving our financial people the data requested, and it was often wrong after our people went over it.

Also a lot of information was never received.

We had the same judge in the second filing as in the first.

We even provided a full and comprehensive new CBA that met the "ask" except we would not agree to terminate the pension. We knew the judge would terminate no matter what.

The company in the middle of the night before the court session in the morning where the Judge was going and did abrogate our CBA, gave us a final offer that they were going to present to the court.

We stayed at US headquarters till 4am and they did tweak a few things.

But in reality the company barley moved the judge abrogated our CBA. To keep labor peace he wanted us to vote on it and have the members decide before he would enact the order.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
This company has such a disconnect and mistrust.....not only in management and labor....but in themselves....hence in finding solutions by hiring so many outside consulting groups.....Ceo asked by the board to step down....etc...etc... I see this even down to the lowest supervisor Crew Chief relationship to all the way up the chain to the CEO's....Supervisor back stabbing supervisor....there is absolutely no accountability in this company anywhere......top management getting bonuses even tho bad decissions and failures run rampant.....supervisors getting promoted to managers not by merit but by buddy systems......this has gone on for years and years and now is finally catching up with us.......it is and always has been a every man/woman for themselves mentality when no-one is held to the fire when knuckle headed decissions are made.....this has been born and bread into the system from the top and filters down to the lowest management position or Union employee.

With leadership comes acountability.....there is none, zero accountability at American only figure heads.....empty suits......leaders stand up and admit mistakes.....they dont blame the people who dont make the decisions and have no power......we get the marching orders by the top guys, and then we march. Management doesnt listen to the front line soldiers us.....they mistrust us so much they hire outside consultants....Boston consulting group etc. when if they would listen,.....actually get out of the office.....walk around a bit....open their ears....but they sit in there Ivory tower at centreport attending meetings when answers are in the people that have a much bigger stake in the game on the floor...... In the military, no matter what, the success or failure of a squadron or the unit is ultimately on the shoulder of the Commanding Officer.....there are no excuses....if you dont know......its your responsibility to know.....If we were a Military unit many of our Commanding Officers (CEO'S) would be relieved of their Commands in disgrace for this very lack of Leadership and lack of accountabilities......blaming your soldiers for your battle plan....which were carried out to the letter....is absolutely disgraceful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
Was not American Airlines offering a better deal than the term sheet in each work groups pre C11 filing negotiations?

Were they not telling us they would file C11 if they could not get the cost reductions voluntarily?

My point is I don't like where we are any better than the next guy, but AA did offer each of us a better deal then than they are offering now.

Correct? I mean this sucks but we did have an alternative.
 
Was not American Airlines offering a better deal than the term sheet in each work groups pre C11 filing negotiations?

Were they not telling us they would file C11 if they could not get the cost reductions voluntarily?

My point is I don't like where we are any better than the next guy, but AA did offer each of us a better deal then than they are offering now.

Correct? I mean this sucks but we did have an alternative.


Hey Sport, who ties your shoes in the morning?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people