Parker makes low-ball offer to AMR creditors to merge US with AA
- Thread starter FWAAA
- Start date
Arpey was a manager in a leadership position. He wasn't qualified to be there. He proved that to us.
Moving on.......................
Moving on.......................
AAviator, with regards to your tag line question "Why can't LCC folks answer basic question?" It would appear based on the comments here and on other threads, your coworkers are answering that question. So you need to come up with a new tag line.
PITbull
Veteran
PITbull
Veteran
What, are YOU doing, pray tell, on theAA board...spying...little management weasel....
YOU GO AWAY!!!!!
Yes , your right . Spying . Get a life you crazy lady . You got issues .
- Thread Starter
- #39
At least nobody can accuse you of consistency.
One week ago, you posted this:
Live and let live when it's the pilot pining for a shiny widebody yet you tell the former flight attendant to "GO AWAY!"
If you dont like what she posts, ignore her, she has the right to post just like you do.
PITbull
Veteran
Here's the story. US Airways managment lack of regard for their own labor groups is undeniable.... demonstrates time and time again how unethical they can behave with their own labor force.
The AA creditors can't possibly know what is going on behind the scenes at US Airways, and I can't believe that no one on the creditors committe is posing the tough questions to the senior management on how they are going to remedy the current, long-standing discord between U managment and their labor, and what is their plan to get US Airways labor behind such a mega merger.
This from the AFA e-line to its members:
December 21, 2012
Realities of Merger and Negotiations
Talks in Bankruptcy Are Never Good for Labor
Our future is on the line while management is attempting to pit us against each other. It is critical that we understand what their plan is. US Airways management is using the American bankruptcy to attempt to get labor to work harder for less. We have the power to stop it and we can improve our position twice.
We do not envy the position American Flight Attendants find themselves in due to the bankruptcy. They are attempting to create the best possible conditions within a process that affords them no leverage other than to accept a deal that is less than could be demanded for Flight Attendants at the world’s largest airline. We need to remember that US Airways Flight Attendants are not in bankruptcy and it is our hard work and sacrifice that has given US Airways the ability to shape a merger with American. By securing improvements through a single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants and defending our bargaining rights in a merger, we are in a better position to advance our interests and our profession on the whole – putting all Flight Attendants at the new American in a better position to get the greatest return from the benefits created by forming the world’s largest airline.
The merger will happen, but we cannot be distracted by the merger discussions – that plays right into management’s hands. American Flight Attendants have now signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to take part in the merger discussions that are underway within the bankruptcy. Let’s be clear that we are in a better position to stand strong for US Airways Flight Attendants and our profession by standing our ground away from the bankruptcy. We will not get the contract we want by taking part in talks conducted in bankruptcy. We must be unified for an outcome that does not simply follow management’s road map.
Management’s Merger Plan for US
1) Remain focused on our negotiations to get more money in our pockets now and put our attorneys in a better position to defend our collective bargaining rights, job security and seniority in a merger.
2) Allow management to divide us, fund the next merger off of continued cost savings gained by no single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants and put our future contract in the hands of an arbitrator based on contracts that are the product of bankruptcy. (review the chart at the bottom of this message as an example of why we do not want the American contract to provide the basis for our future)
Remember that we will always do better by working in unity. Our discussions with APFA continue and once a merger is announced we will move forward based on the understanding set by APFA President Laura Glading and AFA International President Veda Shook earlier this year. Review the joint letter now>>
It is critical that we best position US Airways Flight Attendants in this merger by achieving a stand-alone contract now.
In a few hours you will hear from your Local Leadership, reinforcing the importance of solidarity and supporting our negotiations for a single agreement. Look for these emails and a mailing to your home that will follow.
Management has a plan for us – we reject that plan.
We have a plan that protects our interests – let’s do it.
In Solidarity,
Roger Holmin, MECP
AFA US Airways-East Deborah Volpe, MECP
AFA US Airways-West
The AA creditors can't possibly know what is going on behind the scenes at US Airways, and I can't believe that no one on the creditors committe is posing the tough questions to the senior management on how they are going to remedy the current, long-standing discord between U managment and their labor, and what is their plan to get US Airways labor behind such a mega merger.
This from the AFA e-line to its members:
December 21, 2012
Realities of Merger and Negotiations
Talks in Bankruptcy Are Never Good for Labor
Our future is on the line while management is attempting to pit us against each other. It is critical that we understand what their plan is. US Airways management is using the American bankruptcy to attempt to get labor to work harder for less. We have the power to stop it and we can improve our position twice.
We do not envy the position American Flight Attendants find themselves in due to the bankruptcy. They are attempting to create the best possible conditions within a process that affords them no leverage other than to accept a deal that is less than could be demanded for Flight Attendants at the world’s largest airline. We need to remember that US Airways Flight Attendants are not in bankruptcy and it is our hard work and sacrifice that has given US Airways the ability to shape a merger with American. By securing improvements through a single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants and defending our bargaining rights in a merger, we are in a better position to advance our interests and our profession on the whole – putting all Flight Attendants at the new American in a better position to get the greatest return from the benefits created by forming the world’s largest airline.
The merger will happen, but we cannot be distracted by the merger discussions – that plays right into management’s hands. American Flight Attendants have now signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to take part in the merger discussions that are underway within the bankruptcy. Let’s be clear that we are in a better position to stand strong for US Airways Flight Attendants and our profession by standing our ground away from the bankruptcy. We will not get the contract we want by taking part in talks conducted in bankruptcy. We must be unified for an outcome that does not simply follow management’s road map.
Management’s Merger Plan for US
- Pit Flight Attendants against each other.
- Utilize the onerous conditions of the American bankruptcy to secure concessions, or hold down labor costs by getting agreements for American/US Airways joint contracts now as they form the world’s largest airline.
- Continue to pocket the $45 million plus that they are not paying to us through improvements in a stand-alone, single contract for all US Airways Flight Attendants.
- Trample your collective bargaining rights and enforce the Bridge Agreement made with APFA during bankruptcy to utilize final and binding arbitration to determine a single Flight Attendant contract at the new American – without your vote.
- Use the lower rates of the current East and West contract as basis for American/US Airways joint agreement decided by an arbitrator in a process controlled by management.
- Refuse to speak with US Airways Flight Attendants to get you to believe your only option is to give up hope on addressing your issues today and instead attempt to trick you into merger discussions in the context of the bankruptcy.
- Keep AFA members out of the merger discussions in an attempt to distract us, break our unity and keep us from enforcing our legal rights so that they can ultimately pay us less for working harder.
- Remain informed and unified – making it clear to management that we understand the rights we have with AFA as our collective bargaining representative. We did not agree to an arbitration designed by management to decide our future contract.
- Continue to focus on our Section 6 contract negotiations overseen by the NMB to reach an agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants.
- Prepare for the possibility of a strike should management refuse to negotiate with us for a single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants.
- Secure a single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants with improvements and protections as step one and a better foundation for getting to a US Airways/American merger agreement in step two.
- Continue to enforce our collective bargaining rights in the merger and work with American Flight Attendants to set the highest possible industry standard for Flight Attendants at the world’s largest airline.
1) Remain focused on our negotiations to get more money in our pockets now and put our attorneys in a better position to defend our collective bargaining rights, job security and seniority in a merger.
2) Allow management to divide us, fund the next merger off of continued cost savings gained by no single agreement for US Airways Flight Attendants and put our future contract in the hands of an arbitrator based on contracts that are the product of bankruptcy. (review the chart at the bottom of this message as an example of why we do not want the American contract to provide the basis for our future)
Remember that we will always do better by working in unity. Our discussions with APFA continue and once a merger is announced we will move forward based on the understanding set by APFA President Laura Glading and AFA International President Veda Shook earlier this year. Review the joint letter now>>
It is critical that we best position US Airways Flight Attendants in this merger by achieving a stand-alone contract now.
In a few hours you will hear from your Local Leadership, reinforcing the importance of solidarity and supporting our negotiations for a single agreement. Look for these emails and a mailing to your home that will follow.
Management has a plan for us – we reject that plan.
We have a plan that protects our interests – let’s do it.
In Solidarity,
Roger Holmin, MECP
AFA US Airways-East Deborah Volpe, MECP
AFA US Airways-West
US management has moved on to bigger and better things. This was not only expected, it was told to us, both times, by AFA leadership. Nothing surprising here. I just hope that those that instructed us to turn down both TA1 and TA2 this past year are correct in saying that Doug *NEEDS* us to do a merger. I'll support my collective bargaining agent, but will be watching closely as to what improvements we are offered, through more NMB supported negotiations, over TA1 and 2. Remember, many people voting 'NO' passed out mailings, fliers, and made themselves ever present in lounges, concourses, and galleys. Sometimes, their information was incorrect. That said, the majority believed that we would be required to be settled with Doug et al before any merger had a chance of being successful.
After seeing the comparison of our TA to the Term Sheet and LBFO offered by AA, I'll be watching with baited breath. What do you foresee as our next steps PITBull, and could you outline a timeline for us if, hypothetically, a merger is announced in mid January? What exactly is our leverage going forward, and what is our best way to execute said leverage?
PITbull
Veteran
Best case scenerio for both labor parties on both sides is AA emerges from BK as a stand alone. Then acquires US Airways.
The AA team is a mega airline and was the biggest in the world before the other legacies started to merge and consolidate as a competitive edge and strategy.
AA who financed their own Bk has big plans to be a fierce competitor against all carriers in every market once they emerge.
Doug Parker and his team are no match don't have the experience, ,and don't have the talent, as evidenced in the past 7 years with the US Airways merger, and beyond when he was just CEO of a regiional carrier like America West in the early 2000. Past evidence speaks for itself. Parker can throw out to AA 8+billion dollars to capture the franchise while in Bk from the cost savings he INHERITED from his predecessors, Siegal and Lakefield, with two Bk ,with 3 restructurings within a 3 year time-frame including two bk concession contracts from the East employees....billions of cost saving over 7 year period.
No thanks to him, as his obvious focus for the past 7 years was to garner the cash to purchase a legacy... first DL, then a second shot at United...and both failed for him. That was the only plan and still is for the operation business plan going forward. I have emense/ Major respect for the consistent job performance and customer-best-in -class service provided buy all groups at US Airways who have consistently ran the operation while Parker was feeding his ego trying to rub shoulders with the big leagues.
US Airways f/a strategy should be to publically clamor and denounce in the media... collectively that they have no confidence or would support a merger with AA bankrupt contracts, until US Airways sits down and negotiates a fair and equitable deal that the f/as, after a decade of concessions deserve.
Your leverage is this..."PARKER NEEDS THE F/A AND ALL OF LABOR TO SUPPORT THIS MERGER, MORE THAN YOU NEED HIM TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER CONTRACT.
Your friend for AFA and the f/a group is and always has been public support and the MEDIA...use it.
Parker needs the f/as group and the pilot group and all of labor to publically support this, but I'm not hearing it. There is a huge disconnect between managment and labor that has existed for a decade...a managment culture of disrespect, apathy, and disregard for labor. Parker wants a free pass or unspoken forgiveness from his own labor groups for his past behavior of detachement, disregard, and just hopes that he can either ignore labor, or threaten them to support this merger with nothing in for U labor but, same-old, same-old, another concessonary agreement with no real, substantial improvements to move forward. That's just not the right way to conduct business.
Way I see it, you folks are in the drivers seat.
Don't let anyone tell you differently, or brain wash you into some kind of fear for your future without AA...its just plain scare tactics that U is infamous for.. If your leadership should buy into that then they are either stupid cause they can't see beyond their noses, or just plain analytically deficient.
And If the NMB tries to pull you guys in a direction that is not in your best interest, fire him, or take them to court to step aside and allow for a 30 day cooling off.
This process has to be done and its about time. U has 10 Billion, they can afford better deals. Only then would I think US Airways has a chance to merge with this mega carrier whose service is "world class".
WorldTraveler
Corn Field
- Dec 5, 2003
- 21,709
- 10,721
Pit,
a little balance would be helpful.
Even in AA's early BK documents, they proposed costs that were lower than one major competitor but only 1% lower than the other - and that was almost a year ago. The competitive situation has continued to move - it always does - and it isn't at all clear where AA's costs will be relative to the industry post BK.
US has actually done about average to slightly above average in the industry regarding revenue production driven in part by the poor operational performance at some carriers. US has been near the top tier in terms of operational performance; operational performance at more than one airline is accompanied by above average revenue production.
US hasn't generated revenues sufficiently large to start passing out pay raises in masse again but US mgmt is not the baffoons that you might want them to be and AA mgmt or their business model is not as proven as you might want to hope they are either.
a little balance would be helpful.
Even in AA's early BK documents, they proposed costs that were lower than one major competitor but only 1% lower than the other - and that was almost a year ago. The competitive situation has continued to move - it always does - and it isn't at all clear where AA's costs will be relative to the industry post BK.
US has actually done about average to slightly above average in the industry regarding revenue production driven in part by the poor operational performance at some carriers. US has been near the top tier in terms of operational performance; operational performance at more than one airline is accompanied by above average revenue production.
US hasn't generated revenues sufficiently large to start passing out pay raises in masse again but US mgmt is not the baffoons that you might want them to be and AA mgmt or their business model is not as proven as you might want to hope they are either.
