Why the pilots lose at the table

[Ardenian]

East or West, you need to read this to understand why we have lost so much at the table over the past years.


1. Pilots who use management for references.

2. Pilots negotiating by themselves with management.

3. Pilots who do not even have a clue what the current MEC position is.


This is the stuff that kills the pilots at the table…the current version of "Let My Daddy Vote!"

And this moron still tries to blame it all on the RC4?

==================================================================

From: XXXXXXXXXXXXX <[email protected]>
Date: August 5, 2007 11:32:10 PM CDT
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: The right thing to do is to pay everybody the same


Doug,

I am writing directly to you because I am very concerned about the Company and my colleagues. In 23 year’s of loyal service to this company that I love, one that I would do just about do anything for, I have never been more disappointed in our situation.

I am not going to go into my background or pat myself on my back, but if you want to know about my company/pilot contributions or my reputation then simply ask Jack Stephan, Ed Bular, Lyle Hogg, Jim Gorman, or Ed Schmidt.

What is happening within the two ALPA groups in regard to the seniority integration and new contract(s) is ripping through the East pilot group. And, I truly believe the Company’s actions are only making the situation worse.

We have pilots who have committed suicide, who have gotten divorced, have filed for bankruptcy, emotional breakdowns, or had liens placed on their assets by the IRS. We have pilots working/commuting 23/24 days per month, they have constant and excessive fatigue, and even more disheartening they are not able to see their children grow up. And, as you know Aviation Safety experts would tell you this is a recipe for disaster.

Meanwhile, management and other employees keep getting pay increases, bonuses, and hefty incentive based contributions. And, during your second quarter earnings conference call with analysts and the news media you made the following points:

• The right thing to do is to pay everybody the same.
• We budgeted for $122 million at this time (for pilot contract improvements).
• You want to have people making the same money.
• None of the other labor groups have close to that cost discrepancy (as the pilots). Little cash is required for other groups to reach parity.
• Not running a good operation is extremely expensive.

Doug, the operation will never get better and the pilots who are conducting 3-engine taxi will never support you as long as the enormous angst/contract disparity exists. Moreover, the cockpit distraction is at an all time high and the last time I saw this US Airways had 5 accidents in 5 years. In my opinion, we are at risk of having the same type of accident situation occur aonce gain, which is something you and the Safety Department should be very concerned about.

Doug, I truly believe the vast majority of the East pilots will do whatever is necessary to prevent the Nicolau Award from being implemented and the only way this problem will be quickly resolved is for you to exercise strong leadership and intervene. Thus, I believe you have two reasonable options to improve the operation, increase safety, and get the East pilots on your side. These options are to “negotiate an equal pay for equal work†LOA with the East NC or negotiate a single contract with separate operations with shared growth and scope protections with the East NC.

If not, I believe you will never see the vast majority of East pilots support you and you will continue to contribute to the deep financial problems and emotional distress of a very talented pilot group that has never been more disillusioned.

Best regards,

[name deleted at request of moderator]
LGA A320 Captain

 

[flybynite]

Who would write a business letter without a proper salutation? :down:

 

[lynyrdskynyrd]

I've asked this before about old whats his name, and I'll ask it again. Is he begging or is he threatening? What a putz.

It matters not what the union is, that fellow is not a union pilot.

 

[TheLarkAscending]

Besides the unprofessional, far-too-chummy letter style, the glaring grammatical errors and the constant improper switching of tenses, the author should be advised that it is extremely unwise to always believe what the voices inside that head tells said author to do, and even more dangerous to believe those voices are right.

How very, very bizarre.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Ardenian,

Yes, the RC4 has a lot to do with the current problems. If they would have accepted the advice of every ALPA legal and financial advisor who told the MEC they should accept the company's bankruptcy opener of the AWA contract...then each subsequent offer would not have been worse and worse and this ALPA fight would not be happening.

The RC4 was the first group of people who controlled an MEC that negotiated a contract worse than the comapny's "ask". In my opinion, the only group of MEC leaders who have done a worse job of representing a pilot group is the current AWA MEC.

By the way, I would like to meet you. Do you have the courage to do that? I bet not!

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[nostradamus]

Besides the unprofessional, far-too-chummy letter style, the glaring grammatical errors and the constant improper switching of tenses, the author should be advised that it is extremely unwise to always believe what the voices inside that head tells said author to do, and even more dangerous to believe those voices are right.

How very, very bizarre.

Lower your dose.

 

[ussnark]

Yes, the RC4 has a lot to do with the current problems. If they would have accepted the advice of every ALPA legal and financial advisor who told the MEC they should accept the company's bankruptcy opener of the AWA contract...then each subsequent offer would not have been worse and worse and this ALPA fight would not be happening.

So wrong on so many points.

You imply there were more than one advisor for each "field". Sorry, there was only one financial advisor, Michael Glanzer, who was working for a fee for a deal, paid by the company (really the pilots). It was in his best interest to get a deal, literally, any deal (thanks Pollack). You bought into his bovine excrement. Fine. You wanna wear poo-poo on your face, your business.

The RC4 was the first group of people who controlled an MEC that negotiated a contract worse than the comapny's "ask".

Actually, ALPA Natl would dispute your numbers. Even the east negotiating committee disputes your numbers. What is wrong with you?

 

[Phoenix]

Ardenian, That letter has got to be a joke right? At least tell me he isn't a Captain!

 

[Ardenian]

By the way, I would like to meet you. Do you have the courage to do that? I bet not!

You have several times...you just need to open your eyes.

But that is about as likely as you admitting how scared you were as you were publicly clamoring for ALPA to give the Company whatever they wanted - and more.

Remember? The rest of us in the crew room do.

Did you ever wonder why there's so much snickering as you leave the crew room?

 

[Phoenix]

Mr. Courageous,

I gave you my phone number when you asked for it, but you never called me.

Phoenix

Ardenian,

Yes, the RC4 has a lot to do with the current problems. If they would have accepted the advice of every ALPA legal and financial advisor who told the MEC they should accept the company's bankruptcy opener of the AWA contract...then each subsequent offer would not have been worse and worse and this ALPA fight would not be happening.

The RC4 was the first group of people who controlled an MEC that negotiated a contract worse than the comapny's "ask". In my opinion, the only group of MEC leaders who have done a worse job of representing a pilot group is the current AWA MEC.

By the way, I would like to meet you. Do you have the courage to do that? I bet not!

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[Ardenian]

Ardenian, That letter has got to be a joke right? At least tell me he isn't a Captain!

Yes, unfortunately he is. That's one of the pitfalls of a seniority system vs. a merit system. Morons move up as quickly as smart folks.

This is the moron that to this day wanted to vote yes on a 23% paycut instead of the 18% he now works under..."Let My Daddy Vote!"

This is also the same moron that loved the ALPA advisors during LOA 93, but now is starting to realize that they do not have his best interests in mind.

Will he actually be able to figure it out on his own? Likely not, but one can always hope for him to awaken from his intellectual coma.

He is, however, eminently amusing when you watch him in person putting on his one-man show in the crew room - then realizing there is someone he is scared of entering the room. Picture Three Stooges or Buster Keaton out-takes; no grace, but plenty of pratfalls!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Come on guys!

The letter is a standard pilot form letter that gets circulated during every negotiation of any type. The names, stats and issues are fill in the blank.

If pilots divorced, killed themselves, abandoned their families, and worked themselves to death as much as this template letter suggests then we'd all be monitored for psychosis every medical check and check ride!

I'm sure it was meant as a joke. Any self respecting human, much less aviator, wouldn't be caught dead with the attitude of that letter any more than he'd carry a Hello Kitty flight bag!

Well, there are those....nahh..no?...really?...OMG!

 

[Junebug172]

In my opinion, the only group of MEC leaders who have done a worse job of representing a pilot group is the current AWA MEC.

And your MEC is tops. Let's see what they got you:

DOH - nope
Pay Parity - nope
LOA93 - yup
Nicolau award overturned - nope
baseless lawsuit that is a waste of money - yup

Ya, your guys rock!

 

[AWA320]

Ardenian, That letter has got to be a joke right? At least tell me he isn't a Captain!

Yup in fact have said his name in the past and it got me scarecrow time!!!

 

[700UW]

It is not a joke, he is serious, let me show you what he wrote in a false fact filled letter to the Charlotte Observer

From the July 26, 2002 Charlotte Observer:

UNIONS CAN SINK US AIRWAYS WITHOUT AGREEMENTS FROM ALL ITS UNIONS, AIRLINE'S FUTURE IS BLEAK

In recent days US Airways has made much progress toward ensuring that it will have a future. It has reached tentative contract restructuring agreements with its pilots, flight attendants and the Transport Workers Union, which represents the dispatchers, simulator engineers and flight crew training instructors, and with subsidiary PSA Airlines' pilots and flight attendants.

The International Association of Machinists (IAM) unit representing mechanics is close to a deal, and the IAM Fleet Service negotiators are making good progress.

But that's not enough.

The Communication Workers of America (CWA), which represents customer service and reservation agents, remains far from agreement with the company. US Airways is on the brink of court-ordered bankruptcy because its situation is "unsustainable." Failure to improve the situation will have devastating effects on employees, customers and companies that depend on US Airways.

The airline has received a "conditional" federal loan guarantee approval, but can't use those funds unless it gets restructuring agreements with all labor groups, in accordance with the business plan submitted to the Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB).

Needed for loan guarantees

Major obstacles remain in the way of a voluntary restructuring.

US Airways may not be able to reach agreements with lenders without tentative agreements with the remaining unions. Unless it has those agreements the company wouldn't get final ATSB loan guarantee approval, government sources believe.

How bad is the situation? The carrier continues to burn cash during what is historically the best-performing time of year. Ten months after Sept. 11, US Airways has not resolved its cost problems, the economy remains sluggish, revenue is off 20 percent and low-cost competitors are aggressively
attacking its market share. The industry has not recovered as expected. Domestic fares are at 15-year lows. Shifts in buying patterns and travel options indicate airlines may never get the revenue per available seat mile they previously enjoyed.

Disturbing reports

US Airways needs restructuring agreements for either a voluntary restructuring or successful bankruptcy reorganization. If the company gets union concessions and qualifies for government financing, then if it's forced into bankruptcy, it probably could get in and out of bankruptcy
quickly.

What's disturbing are reports that the CWA leadership is misleading its members. Last Friday, company negotiators asked the union to meet, to try and resolve their differences. The union said its negotiators couldn't meet, but its advisers would be available. However, I'm told that when management tried to schedule a meeting, they were told the advisers had other commitments. Meanwhile, the CWA issued a report telling its members the company met with the advisers last weekend - which management disputes.

Brinkmanship by any union could push the airline into bankruptcy. It's disappointing to see a relatively small group of employees risk the destruction of a viable company, with a devastating effect on 40,000 employees and their families.

No one can be sure what will happen in bankruptcy, but it's certain that if the company reorganizes and successfully comes out of bankruptcy, the labor groups that don't have tentative agreements with the company prior to bankruptcy will lose.

As in other union negotiations, the parties that reach savings targeted in the business plan will get a bankruptcy protection letter, which protects against even deeper salary and benefit cuts if the company enters bankruptcy.

Some may face pay cuts

If the company files for bankruptcy, workers in labor groups without that bankruptcy protection letter may face deep cuts in pay and benefits, loss of unused sick and vacation time, slashed retirement benefits and a crash in the value of common stock in 401(k) accounts. In addition, they'll work for a smaller airline that will hand out layoff notices at once with no severance pay, and will pay members of unprotected unions significantly less.

Each day the company moves nearer bankruptcy. New chief executive officer David Siegel has brought a breath of fresh air to management. US Airways' best chance to survive is for unions and creditors to bet on him and his team. Employees wanting to keep their jobs must impress upon union
rank-and-file employees the importance of ordering union leaders back to the bargaining table at once, to reach an agreement that is 85 percent of the targeted concessions.

The choice is simple: Either all stakeholders move past their anger, frustration and denial to obtain and ratify restructuring agreements, or the carrier will almost certainly enter bankruptcy.

History has shown only two major airlines have successfully restructured in bankruptcy - not good odds for this company to continue operation.

XXXXXX LGA Airbus Pilot is a US Airways captain

And ALPA's response:

MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE

July 26, 2002

This is Roy Freundlich with US Airways an MEC update for Friday, July 26, with two new items:
Item 1. Today the Charlotte Observer published an anti-union editorial from one of our pilots, titled "Unions can Sink US Airways," that aggressively promotes management’s objectives on achieving concessions from other labor groups. The editorial goes so far as to suggest that the CWA union leadership, who represent customer service employees, is misleading their members on their negotiating activity, and implies that management’s side of a dispute is more accurate.

This editorial does not in any way represent ALPA’s position, understanding, or sentiment, on other unions and their sincere efforts to represent their members. ALPA has received no reports, nor would it assign any value to reports, that suggest that any union is misleading their membership. The pilot author of the editorial holds no union position in ALPA. The anti-union public statements from one of our pilot-ALPA members is regrettable.

We urge all pilots to contact their reps or the Comm Center for accurate updates on restructuring negotiations and the activity of other unions. We also request that all pilots refrain from promoting any management anti-union propaganda or chastise other employees in the media. There is little to be gained from such activity other than embarrassment for yourself, your fellow pilots, US Airways, and ALPA.