Negotiating Advisory Committee QRG Update
February 16, 2009
Fellow Pilots,
The Negotiating Advisory Committee (NAC) met with Management Wednesday and Thursday of last week, February 11 and 12th. Before we get into specifics, the Committee would like to pass along some information originating from the negotiating table that comes direct to you from our Management.
Management informed the Negotiating Advisory Committee that US Airways now defines itself as a unique carrier in a class of its own. US Airways is not a large carrier, and it is not a small carrier. We are neither a high-cost carrier nor a low-cost carrier. Incredibly, we were informed that we are a different type of hub carrier because our hubs are poorly positioned. PHL is too close to EWR; CLT is too close to ATL; PHX has very little business traffic, and it goes on and on. US Airways now officially designates itself as a predominately leisure traveling, “SMALL NETWORK CARRIER†-- a class of our own! And you guessed it, Management made the case that, as a result of its new designation, there is no “industry standard†to which we can be compared, and they cannot compensate their pilots as the industry does. Obviously, this concept doesn’t apply to our CEO, top executives or our management team. For example:
Source: Forbes
In addition to that line, Management stated that if they were to meet our proposal, the percentage increase of pilot costs would be too high. Using that line of thought, Management wants to punish us for the depth of our assistance when the Company needed it most and use that fact against us during negotiations. We are sure what the pilots' response will be here at US Airways.
If these latest spiels weren’t so pitiful, it would almost be funny. We’re not exactly sure why Management bothers with this type of hype, as it accomplishes nothing. Regardless what their reasons are, we’ll continue to pass the information on to you so that you will have no doubt about how Management values their pilots.
In our response, we informed them that the emergency is over, the industry is changing, and pilot contracts are headed north. We stated that we are not interested how they designate the airline or who the passengers are. Executive and management compensation is high and rising annually. Executive and Management bonuses are high. The US Airways pilots will achieve an industry-standard contract. As we said, pay us now, or pay us later. In addition to our pilots' demands relating to East pay parity and retroactive pay raises (which was achieved by the Southwest pilots), we are addressing the impact that the new Southwest contract will have on our previously-presented sections. We will negotiate in good faith, but the US Airways pilots will not sign anything less than an industry-standard contract. As we tell Management at every session, as time goes on and pilot contracts change, so will our proposals.
During the talks, we addressed the non-revenue pass issue, which is an important topic for West furloughed pilots. The NAC requested an extension to the 6-month limitation in the West contract on passes. Management denied the request stating any parity would need to be a part of a single collective bargaining agreement. Although not surprised, we are appalled at Management’s lack of sensitivity to those professionals that they put on the street and who may someday return.
At this negotiating session, USAPA bundled together a number of small items and, in the spirit of cooperation and negotiation, the items were a combination of give and take. It was disappointing that Management felt the need to extract the economic items from the bundle, stating that economic items need to be addressed globally. This limits the progress of negotiations.
Section 7, Vacation was discussed at this session. To start with, while pilots are furloughed, USAPA will not allow a “phase in†of vacation time, where money is paid for contractional vacation time. Another implementation issue is the monthly allotment of vacation time, which determines how many vacations are granted in the summer and holiday months. This issue is why very few pilots were awarded summer and holiday vacations this past year. There is a Grievance on this issue, so we will not go into great detail. But the bottom line is that what Management wanted at the negotiating table, they just simply took!
There was some resolution to the current issue of two pilots scheduled on a trip where both pilots are over age 60. This of course can be a thorny issue considering drops, SAP and the bid sheet. We are hopeful that the final language will be drafted shortly, and we will publish it as soon as possible.
For our instructor pilots, we did move some on the percentage of the override to secure a manageable work month for the pilots. We maintained a 15-event month, with an option to perform or to be assigned an additional event for a maximum monthly total of 16 events.
Section 12, Hours of Service took a step backwards at this negotiating session. Since Management sees no reason to protect reserve pilot pay when they flex a particular month, we pulled flex off the table at our last negotiating session. After all, flex is a benefit to Management, and that’s ok as long as our pilots are pay protected. In retaliation in this session, Management’s response was to go back to an unsustainable position of a 99/108 hour pay cap. We have written often of pay caps. Here are a few industry comparisons:
American
- Lineholders…83
- Reserves…….85
Delta………….....82
Continental......87.5
Alaska…………....85
Now let’s see, where does 99/108 hours fit in this table?
We wanted to end this update on a good note, and there is some good news to report. Sometimes being patient works for everybody. Whether a solid blockholder or a Reserve Pilot, we have all heard how bad it is to work under our current reserve system. In a collaborative effort with Management, we are pleased to report a conceptional agreement on how reserves are to be processed (the day prior). This conceptional agreement will reintroduce seniority back into reserves processing and will significantly enhance quality of life issues to our reserve system, thus guaranteeing flexibility and predictability. Language for this concept is still being developed, however it is an improvement over the current east and west reserve systems.
In closing, when Management is serious, negotiations will move forward. As for our pilots, we deserve a fair contract as gauged by our peers, and in proportion to the total compensation of our Executives and Managers.
For further information, please check the updated NAC Quick Reference Guide, which was emailed to all pilots and is available in the NAC section of the USAPA Web site.
Fly right, Fly safe,
