Grievance Update: December 22, 2011
As the Grievance Committee updated both the pilot group and the BPR last week, unfortunately we did not prevail in the grievance pertaining to the restoration of pay rates for East pilots.
As reported, USAPA has requested an Executive Session to discuss the draft decision; however, as we also reported, the Arbitrator has been unable to confirm a meeting date because of health reasons. USAPA will respect the Arbitrators' health issues and that he is, for the time being, unavailable.
Due to the confidentiality of the process, which are the specifics surrounding the draft decision, we are unable to discuss any details. The Grievance Committee has received specific questions from both pilots and representatives regarding the precise details of the Arbitrator's draft decision, and while we understand and sympathize with these and other requests, the confidentiality of the process demands that we withhold from further comment at this time.
We can report, however, that all aspects of the East pilots pay at or after January 1, 2010 will be discussed during the Executive Session, and until that happens we are prevented, in order to protect the integrity of the process and USAPA's position therein, to discuss this issue any further.
Arbitrator Bloch has set January 23, 2012 as an Executive Session for what we anticipate will be the final remedy discussion pertaining to TA #10, failure to fly monthly minimum prescribed block hours. Once the System Board provides direction to the parties concerning the scope of the remedy, we will then have to identify the affected pilots and amounts they are owed and then publish the list for review. Therefore, it is unlikely that any monies will be distributed until spring, at the earliest.
We are diligently working to select an arbitrator and schedule the arbitration pertaining to the Company's refusals to include certain pilots in the Jets for Jobs remedy. The Company alleges that the grievance is not timely and, therefore, not properly submitted to the System Board of Adjustment. It is the position of the Grievance Committee, as well as our legal team, that until we were made aware of the Company's refusal we could not have possibly known to file a grievance. Additionally, if the Company alleges the grievance is not timely, they are free to make that argument before the Arbitrator. However, they cannot refuse to proceed to arbitration.
