National Mediation Board Certification
What's Next
With the National Mediation Board's certification of the Allied Pilots Association as the representative for the pilots of American Airlines, APA now has the legal duty to fairly represent all American Airlines pilots, including the US Airways pilots formerly represented by the US Airline Pilots Association.
The NMB's certification initiates the process by which US Airways pilots will become APA members and elect representatives at their new domiciles. With assistance from the APA Membership Committee and benefits department staff, the national officers will conduct a membership drive at CLT, PHL and PHX. During these briefings, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the advantages of APA membership. DCA-based US Airways pilots will receive their information from the existing APA DCA domicile.
In accordance with the APA Constitution and Bylaws, the APA Membership Committee is reviewing all applications for APA membership, with several hundred applications from US Airways pilots now pending. Once the committee concludes its review, each application goes to an APA domicile for a vote by its members. New applicants from US Airways will be represented on an interim basis by the geographically closest APA domicile (CLT: DCA, PHL: LGA, PHX: LAX), while US Airways pilots in DCA will be integrated into our existing DCA domicile. Voting on membership applications will take place at upcoming domicile meetings.
Once applicants receive approval as members, we will create new domiciles. The number of domicile members will determine the number of domicile representatives. Domiciles with 100 members or fewer will have one representative, the domicile chairman. Domiciles with 101 or more members will have a domicile chairman and vice chairman. These domicile representatives will serve as members of the APA board of directors when the board is in session. Initially, the APA president will appoint each domicile representative, who will serve until an election is held.
The NMB's APA certification date also serves as a trigger for the Merger Transition Agreement timeline. The timeline guides the completion of the joint collective bargaining agreement and the integrated seniority list process.
JCBA Timeline
30-Day Clock: JCBA negotiations continue for 30 days. If JCBA negotiations are not completed, the company can offer interest arbitration.
60-Day Clock: If interest arbitration is initiated, the arbitration decision shall be issued no later than 60 days after the close of the 30-day negotiation time period.
The integrated seniority list process continues in accordance with the seniority integration protocol agreement, with the MTA condition that the seniority integration arbitration will not begin until the JCBA is complete. The seniority integration arbitration must render its award within six months of starting and no later than 24 months after Dec. 9, 2013, the merger's effective date.
When the opportunity arises, we encourage you to extend a warm welcome to our US Airways brothers and sisters. We look forward to representing all of the pilots of American Airlines.
