This is getting better every day!
Isnt airline labor law governed by thr Railway Labor Act? And aren't union workers covered under such required to settle these type of things with the grievance process BEFORE submitting such claims to federal court? And if you are not a member of the union how can you presuppose that said union failed in its duty to represent you if you didnt even follow the required grievance process?
Yes, if you are fighting the company, the rla doesn't apply on pilot to pilot issues. usapa is allowing the ta to be violated by the company to the harm of west pilots, or do you think that allowing former west pilots to hit the street before new hires is ok?
I suspect that the judge in the Arizona federal court will throw out the suits for being in the wrong venue.
Maybe, maybe not.
Additionally, no matter who the judge is in whatever court may finally decide this the East guys still get to vote on any contract that may or may not contain the Nic. Guess which way the vote will go..........
Well the remedy we are seeking is that the Nic. be implemented immediately for furloughs, and that all future openings (remember the nmb , faa and the company says we are a single company ) be awarded via Nic, so you can vote no all you want.
Do you guys really think Parker did not ask the U S Airways corporate attorneys what the ramifications would be if the west guys did in fact call him on this?
Doug Parker and his legal team have been praying for this lawsuit, remember the seniority issue hasn't even come up in negotiations, we have no idea what the company's position would be, one thing is for sure Doug wants someone else to blame, so if a court rules for the west he can still look like the good guy, plus as you said, usapa will quit negotiating and you get to enjoy loa 93 for the rest of your career, it's a win win for doug.
Just keep handing your money to your attorneys......they have only begun to drain your pockets!
thanks for your concern, below I have a document that is part of the west's case that will give you a little insight into dougs position
JOINT STATEMENT OF LABOR PRINCIPLES
The management teams at both US Airways and America West Airlines recognize the anxiety
and uncertainty created among our valued employees since news of a potential merger surfaced in April,
and we sincerely regret that legal constraints prevented us from providing you with more details about our
discussions. Now that we have announced our planned merger, we can assure you that we have heard
your requests to be kept informed and we will be as open as possible as this transaction progresses.
The leading question is the obvious one: what will happen to my job if America West is ultimately
merged into US Airways? We’ll try to give you our best answer, but please keep in mind that it will take a
long time to complete an operational integration and, as we’ve already seen, there’s always the potential
for unexpected changes in our industry.
Even once we begin the process of integrating our operations, it’s still hard to say what will
happen to anyone’s particular job. For employees in work groups not represented by a collective
bargaining agent at either airline, our management teams will be fair to employees at both carriers. Every
employee is entitled to be evaluated individually, and there is no presumption that employees of one
airline will be favored over the other.
For employees in work groups represented by unions, the question of what will happen to your
jobs is even harder for us to answer because so much of what will happen is outside management’s
control. Our labor contracts contain different provisions governing how seniority lists will be integrated,
and depending on your specific contract, provide for integration in accordance with a particular union’s
merger policy or certain “Allegheny Mohawk†seniority integration provisions. We will honor those
contractual commitments, and the ultimate outcome of seniority integration will be determined by your
collective bargaining representatives as dictated by your contracts.
Although the seniority integration process will be handled by your union representatives, we have
every expectation that our unions will honor certain obviously fair and equitable protocols as they
implement their merger policies or Allegheny Mohawk provisions. Specifically, we would expect that no
employee who already had been furloughed prior to the merger would be permitted to bump an active
employee out of a job.
Likewise, we expect our unions will recognize a solution that simply “staples†all
employees of one airline to the bottom of the other’s seniority list as unacceptable and unconscionable.
To that end, because of seniority differences in some groups, straight seniority integration could have an
effect similar to that of stapling employees to the bottom of a seniority list, an outcome that is inconsistent
with a fair and equitable protocol. Therefore, some type of proportional integration would seem
reasonable. Given our experience working with your union representatives, we do not anticipate they
would advocate an integrated seniority list that violates the basic tenets of fairness and equity, and we
encourage them to help ease any uncertainty among their members as soon as possible by confirming
their intention to work toward seniority integration using these basic principles.
Lastly, although it is extremely important to go through the proper process of integrating seniority
lists, dragging seniority integration out for an unnecessarily long period of time is not in anyone’s best
interest. It is distracting to employees, and to customers who contemplate flying with the new US
Airways. A thoughtful, deliberate but timely resolution will help everyone move forward with greater
certainty, even if expectations are not always met.
We will provide updates about the proposed merger as soon as we can, while continuing to be
honest about what we can’t predict. We truly believe this proposed merger is in the best interests of
employees at both airlines, and we will work hard to provide you with information as we move towards a
combined airline that has a great future ahead.
Sincerely,
Doug Parker Bruce R. Lakefield
