PHX Fog Saturday?

[hp-csr-phx]

CNN is reporting a 1.5 hour ground delay at PHX for fog. Is it really that bad this morning? How is the rest of the system doing?

 

[Awa Contract]

Best part was the planes diverted to Tuscon -- the Fueler called in sick - Can you say "Oh S*&%"

 

[hp_fa]

CNN is reporting a 1.5 hour ground delay at PHX for fog. Is it really that bad this morning? How is the rest of the system doing?

The fog was spotty, but dense where it occurred. There was a weather statement out on it also.

BTW, remember one thing. PHX is a very senior FAA facility. They come here to retire here, so they don't have much desire to work fast. We had a FAA en-route controller (ABQ Center) catching a ride on the plane once and we chatted. He flat out said that PHX doesn't like to work traffic and will slow things down when other stations will accept and work traffic.

 

[Happy_People]

Phoenix was a mess this morning! There was dense fog around 0600-1000 spotty at times. The airport was crazy... crews timing out, scheduling is trying to hold 'em hostage. The airport looked like a refugee camp. 3-5 hour delays. Most of the inbounds diverted to LAS,ABQ, or TUS. Our company needs to learn how to recoop the operation! Its getting worse and worse as the day drags on. They are cancelling several flights and there is no where to rebook these people. This is all we need right before christmas. I feel really bad for these passengers!

 

[hp_fa]

The airport was crazy... crews timing out, scheduling is trying to hold 'em hostage.

How where they doing that this time, rerouting the timing out crews to shorter flights?

 

[UWCactus]

The fog had basically settled in over the airport for a while, many arrivals got diverted, inlcuding inbound Hawaii which ended up on LAS. It's a bad situation since the hub carries so much connecting traffic and with the flights as full as they are...it's a mini denver right now, with no planes to put people. Last year they were able to help the passengers out by running an extra section using east crews and a/c, but the union had a fit about helping the passengers in that way.

 

[Sthrnboy]

The fog had basically settled in over the airport for a while, many arrivals got diverted, inlcuding inbound Hawaii which ended up on LAS. It's a bad situation since the hub carries so much connecting traffic and with the flights as full as they are...it's a mini denver right now, with no planes to put people. Last year they were able to help the passengers out by running an extra section using east crews and a/c, but the union had a fit about helping the passengers in that way.

No the company just failed to follow the UNION contract about scope that the company agreed to... END OF STORY....
What BS about the Union not helping passengers.... :down:

 

[Dog Wonder]

Fog in PHX causing delays?

Next it will be deicing in Miami.

 

[hp_fa]

I have a few different thoughts, in no particular order.

1. If the company decides to have the minimum number of employees needed to run the operation adequately 95% of the time, then things will go to hell 18 days a year. The company decides that being in hell 18 days a year is acceptable or else they would hire more folks to lessen the amount of time spent in hell every year.

2. The company, if it chose to, could ignore the contracts and fly extra folks on East metal. The Unions only legal response would be to file an expedited grievance, which still would take at least a year to resolve. Then an arbitator would decide if the company had any basis to take the action they did and if not, make an award to the union.

3. When folks working under union contracts get screwed, other folks show a lack of sympathy for a number of reasons, but most of them add up to you have a contract and you should have negotiated everything in there. Since you didn't, it sucks to be you. So, the union does negotiate all this stuff and managements response is to blame the union for having protections in the contract to prevent non-union labor from preforming any work granted the union in the contract. (For the purpose of defining "non-union" as used above, it means any persons not in the unions that contracted with America West Airlines.) If the unions do not attempt to enforce their contracts, then precidents will be set that dilute the ability of the union to enforce and or negotiate its' contracts.

 

[Sthrnboy]

2. The company, if it chose to, could ignore the contracts and fly extra folks on East metal. The Unions only legal response would be to file an expedited grievance, which still would take at least a year to resolve. Then an arbitator would decide if the company had any basis to take the action they did and if not, make an award to the union.

The company did (fly east A/C and east fa's/pilots on West routes) this and the Union filed the grievance and settled. Or that's what a memo sent out to us said. SO the company can not try to pull that kind of STUNT again. So its been tried and tested and ALPA/AFA came to a agreement.

MEC Hotline Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Scope Grievance

PackOut Update



Grievance 24-66-2-63-05 Scope Grievance



In December of 2005 and again in the spring of 2006, US Airways operated several published and scheduled America West flights with East metal and crews. These substitutions were due to scheduling and/or maintenance delays of America West aircraft and flights.



When your MEC learned of these flight changes, we filed Grievance 24-66-02-63-05. This grievance asserted that US Airways was in violation of Section 1, Scope and Recognition of our current AWA/AFA Collective Bargaining Agreement.



Section 1.B SCOPE, reads as follows:



"This Agreement covers all revenue and all known and recurring miscellaneous flying performed by the Company with Flight Attendants on its payroll. All flying covered by this Agreement shall be performed by Flight Attendants whose names appear on the America West Airlines, Inc. Flight Attendant System Seniority List."



Arbitration on this important case was scheduled for January 16 & 17, 2007. However, late last week, after several meetings with US Airways Labor Relations, and consultations with fellow MEC Officers Bill McGlashen, Mary Cost, Grievance Chairperson Linda Campagna, and AFA Associate General Counsel Mark Bigelow; I have agreed to a proposed settlement of this matter.



SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT



As and for a full and final settlement of AFA Case No.24-66-2-63-05, America West Airlines (dba US Airways) and the Association of Flight Attendants agree as follows:



1. The Company will cease and desist from using crews and/or equipment from the US Airways side of the operation (the East side), to cover scheduled operations on the America West side of the operation (the West side), or to substitute for flight cancellations on the West side.



2. This fully resolves all outstanding issues in AFA Case No.24-66-2-63-05, with prejudice.



America West Airlines (dba US Airways) Association of Flight Attendants – CWA

By: By:



Cindi Simone Gary Richardson

Director Labor Relations MEC President



A similar grievance was filed by the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) under the terms and conditions of the US Airways/ALPA Transition Agreement. ALPA representatives are currently reviewing a comparable settlement with the company.



This settlement is an important victory for organized labor at US Airways. If management was allowed the free and unfettered ability- during separate operations- to substitute aircraft and crews due to delays or cancellations of east or west flights, their imperative to obtain the “synergiesâ€￾ of this merger without actually merging would have been greatly enhanced. Additionally, their need to negotiate a ratifiable single agreement would have been severely diminished.



I have provided a Q&A below, however, please feel free to contact me should you have further questions regarding this settlement.



In Solidarity,



Gary Richardson

MEC President

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA AFL-CIO

480-966-1231 ext.11



Questions and Answers



Q-What does "With Prejudice" mean?



A- "With Prejudice" is a legal term used here to indicate that based upon the company agreeing to cease and desist in this type of action/behavior, AFA will not re-file a claim alleging the same contractual violation.



Q.-What about a pay remedy to the crews whose flights were substituted?



A- While no additional pay component was agreed upon with this settlement, AFA believes that at the time the violation occurred, all effected America West Flight Attendants were contractually guaranteed pay and credit, the greater of their scheduled-and then canceled trips- or their actual trips worked.



Q- The AFA/US Airways settlement mentions that the company will cease and desist from using east aircraft and crews to cover scheduled operations on the America West side. Does this settlement allow America West aircraft and crews to be substituted for scheduled operations on the east side?



A- No. The company must maintain separate operations during the transition phase of this merger for both West and East aircraft and crews. Although we filed under the specific terms of our AWA/AFA SCOPE Section, AFA’s Transition Agreement along with ALPA’s proposed settlement prevents the substitution of west aircraft and crews for scheduled east-side flights and operations.

 

[HPearlyretiree]

Last year they were able to help the passengers out by running an extra section using east crews and a/c, but the union had a fit about helping the passengers in that way.

LOL, try to get a union goon to help someone outside of their contract! Typical.

FWIW, we get maybe 2-3 days of fog every year, and its usually gone by 10am.

 

[HP_JACK]

Well with this situation I don't think that EAST metal would have helped. There was an initial shut down of the airport early this morning then about 0930 the fog rolled in again over the north runway for about an hour. Thats the time the first inbounds roll in from the east coast so most of those diverted to other cities. It seemed that there were enough crews but no planes. Unfortunatley when stuff like this in Phoenix happens it just goes all day long and rolls till the end of the night into LAS.

 

[hp_fa]

The company did (fly east A/C and east fa's/pilots on West routes) this and the Union filed the grievance and settled. Or that's what a memo sent out to us said. SO the company can not try to pull that kind of STUNT again. So its been tried and tested and ALPA/AFA came to a agreement.

Words on paper. They agreed not to do that in the original contract. They did it anyway. They now have more useless words on paper. It didn't stop them the first time. What is to stop them now? They could always tell the arbitrator they were working in the public interest and see if that flies. The point is that enforcement is delayed even if achieved and the RLA removes any real threat of the unions doing anything more then filing a grievence.

 

[HPearlyretiree]

Doncha just love how the RLA was written many decades ago when people travelled by rail and the unions have kept this ancient ruling alive and ignored progress?

Yeah, unions are all about protecting their higher ups and making sure the money flows upstream.

 

[Barbell]

crews timing out, scheduling is trying to hold 'em hostage.

That's just downright awful! They should have sent everyone home with full pay. 🙄

Merry Christmas public: HP scheduling has decided to send timing out crews home instead of asking them to fly their legal and negotiated lines. They shouldn't have to work, it is Christmas after all...