Also,
Negotiating Advisory Committee Update
November 8, 2008
Fellow Pilots,
The Negotiating Advisory Committee (NAC) was looking forward to this week’s negotiating session since it was prepared to receive Section 11 Training, Section 25 Scheduling, Section 27 Insurance and Section 28 Retirement. This week was viewed by the Committee as an indication of where negotiations may be headed. To say we are extremely disappointed is an understatement. We want our Pilots to get this message loud and clear - Management is not even close to meeting our expectations and as much as we say that they failed miserably, we are afraid that they consider that fact to be their success.
We do not pass this message to you lightly or emotionally; it’s business. What has us concerned is not just what Management is passing to us on the table, which we will discuss later, but the negotiating tactics that they are employing. Let us be perfectly clear to you and explain.
* When Management raises concerns on proposals, we take them seriously. We listen and try to understand their issues and work hard to try to find solutions to those issues. A win/win solution is always in both parties' best interest.
* When the Pilots raise concerns on proposals, Management just says "NO". For the most part, they’re not attempting to come up with solutions; they go directly to their fall-back solution, "NO".
If we continue down this path, the end result is that the Pilots literally end up negotiating with themselves; returning to the table each time moving further away from the Pilots’ needs. Sound familiar? This has been a successful negotiating tactic used by past and present management teams and we are determined not to travel down that path.
As if Management’s negotiating tactics weren’t bad enough, this week we sat at the table and received some hideous solutions to Pilot issues. Here are some classic examples:
In Section 27 Insurance, we discussed Disability. Now follow this: If you purchase and pay for a Loss of License Insurance policy independent from the Company, and you have a medical issue that leads to the loss of your license and use of Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance, Management proposes to reduce your LTD benefit by the amount of your private insurance. That’s equivalent to putting your own money towards an investment and if you received a profit or dividends from that investment, Management unilaterally would reduce their payment to you by the same amount!
There are other concessions Management wants involving LTD insurance payouts. Management proposes that if a LTD Pilot qualified for government assistance for him/herself, spouse and children, Management wants to reduce the Pilot's LTD payment by that same amount - not only by his/her own government assistance, but also that of his/her spouse and kids. An immoral concession by anyone’s standard.
In addition, Management wants to end medical insurance to a disabled Pilot after four years and kick them off the seniority list after eight. All of these items are repulsive and concessions from our bankruptcy contract.
Let’s move on to Section 28 Retirement. Management has not come close to other airlines’ retirement benefits. The Association’s position regarding DC contributions is 15% for the first year and 17% the second year. Management’s proposal is to not to move off the bankruptcy rate of 10%. The Association’s position is reasonable and in-line with other major airlines:
* Delta negotiated 14% plus $800M (approx) from their defined benefit plan.
* UAL is at 16% plus a large claim on their terminated defined benefit plan.
* NWA (prior to merger) - maintained their defined benefit plan (frozen) and in addition, added a 14% contribution (post merger).
Although we received some movement in Section 11 Training, Management refuses to address the Pilot’s concerns in Section 25 Scheduling.
* They propose no predictability
* They propose commuter type work rules and scheduler-controlled reserve (trips assigned at scheduluer perogotive)
* A Preferential Bidding System (PBS) – The NAC wants the Pilots to have input and some control over the parameters which will operate PBS. This language is in the East Pilot contract under LOA 84. Management wants the concession of complete control over the PBS system and responded that if we had an issue with the operation of PBS, a Pilot can “File a Grievance!†That’s comforting!
The bottom line here is that the NAC is disappointed because in most cases, Management cannot seem to find any solutions other than "NO". Management’s behavior at the negotiating table reflects exactly the “value†they place on the job that our Pilots perform andyour Negotiating Advisory Committee takes issue with their assessment of our Pilots’ value. As we have proved before, our Pilots are in control of their own destiny.
"It’s not what Management says, it’s what they do", and they’re not doing much at the table!
airlinepilots.org
Or send to NAC@USAirlinePilots.org to reach the whole committee
A "union" without "unity" is like a body without blood. The company knows this beyond a shadow of a doubt. The East forcibly made the collective bed...now we all get to lay in it. At least we're not on LOA 93.