2014 Pilot Discussion

[EastCheats]

1) Yes, coupled with incredible levels of infantile narcisissm and a wholesale disrespect for your fellow human beings. What kinder term than "Greed" exists for describing people who would cheerfully and "righteously" want themselves placed ahead of others who've already worked some 16+ years more than themselves?
 
2) That has the appearance of personal projection. Your "heroic" avatar, with all those impressive "medals and decorations" certainly does offer substance to some sad need for attention.
 
3) Thank God!

It appears you just wrote your own bio. I've read enough of your BS to know that you are full of it. The organization which you support says a lot about you. You support an LLC who's foundation is evasion. I, on the other hand support the concept if you agree to process, you should abide by it.

You remind me of those people who don't understand the function of a Grand Jury. The similarities are striking. The rioters disregarded the work of the Grand Jury much like your group disregarded the work of the arbitrators. If we let people like you and the rest of your malcontents have their way, it would be anarchy.

So, if the next arbitration doesn't go your way are you going to grab your signs, light the fires and burn the house down?

 

[end_of_alpa]

It appears you just wrote your own bio. I've read enough of your BS to know that you are full of it. The organization which you support says a lot about you. You support an LLC who's foundation is evasion. I, on the other hand support the concept if you agree to process, you should abide by it.

You remind me of those people who don't understand the function of a Grand Jury. The similarities are striking. The rioters disregarded the work of the Grand Jury much like your group disregarded the work of the arbitrators. If we let people like you and the rest of your malcontents have their way, it would be anarchy.

So, if the next arbitration doesn't go your way are you going to grab your signs, light the fires and burn the house down?

Spare us the "righteous indignation".  
 
USAPA: "You remind me of a man...."
 
AOL:  "What man?'
 
USAPA: "The man with the power..."
 
AOL:  "What power?"
 
USAPA; "The power of HOODOO.
 
AOL: "Who do?"
 
USAPA:  "You do...."
 
AOL: "I do, what?"
 
USAPA: "Remind me of a man...."
 
continue on through infinity!!!

 

[EastCheats]

Spare us the "righteous indignation".  
 
USAPA: "You remind me of a man...."
 
AOL:  "What man?'
 
USAPA: "The man with the power..."
 
AOL:  "What power?"
 
USAPA; "The power of HOODOO.
 
AOL: "Who do?"
 
USAPA:  "You do...."
 
AOL: "I do, what?"
 
USAPA: "Remind me of a man...."
 
continue on through infinity!!!

USAPA: The infinite victim

 

[Claxon]

"Oh brave new world............"
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXsrH2qT2O4

 

[EastCheats]

Claxon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAVEqND_Ns&sns=em

What's for dinner tonight?

Porky Borman?

 

[Claxon]

Claxon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAVEqND_Ns&sns=em

What's for dinner tonight?

Porky Borman?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JLbAePwoHQ

 

[Claxon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxaQFQC0MAY&list=PLB732AA4BB89DCF5C

 

[EastUS1]

You remind me of those people who don't understand the function of a Grand Jury. The similarities are striking. The rioters disregarded the work of the Grand Jury much like your group disregarded the work of the arbitrators. If we let people like you and the rest of your malcontents have their way, it would be anarchy.

So, if the next arbitration doesn't go your way are you going to grab your signs, light the fires and burn the house down?

 
Yes, yes indeed. Ever since the east told you where to shove the nic, thus preventing the sorry likes of yourself leap frogging over our junior coworkers of decades, by usurping their hard earned and actually worked for seniority by as much as nearly 17 full years, why heck!..The whole of western civilization has indeed fallen into anarchy!...?  Sigh...Enjoy the incredibly childish little part of Fantasyland "you'se" live in kid, which very thankfully, is limited to the confines of PHX.  Feel perfectly free to be as angry as you wish and rant away to your heart's content at the horrendous "injustice" served you by people of firmer moral fabric than yourself. It matters naught to anyone outside your imaginary "army" of supposed "spartans."
 
A gentle suggestion for at least potential growth is to look deeply into the night sky sometime, and at least contemplate the remote possibility that this 14+ billion year old universe wasn't created with the central idea of "you'se" ever being the center of it all, much less for having the earned efforts of others just handed to you for your selfish purposes. Any additional suggestion to grow up would be pointless, until at least attempting that first excercise.
 
Should "you'se" wish to claim some delusional notions of a moral high ground here; begin by explaining in depth just what makes YOU personally "worthy" of instantly achieved faux "seniority" over anyone else in your same working class and craft? That's not the sort of delusional fantasy I could ever personally share with you in even my most bloated moments of egotism, but I'm sure we could all use a good laugh here from any "explanation" you might attempt. I always believed that a person who's worked longer than myself deserves my respect for at least their service and experience. You clearly do NOT share that same moral compass (to say the least) so kindly explain your "thinking." Hint: "But, But!...The arbitrator thought I was cute!" simply fails to constitute even the smallest shred of a moral or even logical argument.
 
Aw heck. I'll throw the offer open to all "spartans." Explain to us all exactly why ANY of you, as individuals, are magically "worthy" of being artificially and instantly made "senior" to ANY others?...?...? If all that can referenced is some "process"/arbitration/whatever, then the "righteous" legs of your insanely selfish little high horses have nothing in the way of firm footing, and are indeed rather twisted, short and stunted.

 

[end_of_alpa]

USAPA: The infinite victim

Uhhhh...name me the LLC who LOST THREE COURT CASES and won't get a seat on the SLI??? (Hint, APA and USAPA has theirs).
 
Who's the "infinite victim"????

 

[end_of_alpa]

Dear Bob:
 
Here is the REAL REALITY of what we have at the New American.
 

Fellow Pilots,
 
In February of 2012 Scott Kirby met with Captain Bates, then President of the APA, about winning the unions support for a takeover of American Airlines from then CEO Tom Horton. During the secret talks that ensued over the next few months, the LUS senior management team convinced the APA leadership that they were the team that could change labor/management relations for the better and bring the New American Airlines out of bankruptcy with a new management ethic and shared wealth. Although the APA was leery at first, management convinced them to go along partly because of their extreme dislike of Mr. Horton, but mostly because the LUS management team was actually treating them with some respect. Negotiating sessions were cooperative and productive. There appeared to be real effort to address the pilots’ concerns not just lip service. At least that is what they thought. To set the stage for the environment at that time, the United/Continental merger was not going well. They had labor/management problems and were losing money. The Company needed to show the Unsecured Creditors Committee, regulators, investors and government agencies that they would not have labor issues. It was key to pulling off the deal! Without our support, the merger would not have happened!
 

 
If you recall the USAPA meeting where Bates and Roghair showed up to meet the USAPA pilots they were SCARED and willing to sell everyone and anybody down the river to save THEIR collective souls!  USAPA supported APA to support the Company.  And where did THAT get us?  The APA makes the "recall four" (hardline ALPA MEC reps) look like Saints!

Mr. Parker needed this deal. It was the last merger of any significance that was to be had in the industry. He had failed at Delta (the employees wanted nothing to do with USAirways management). He had failed at United. American was it; or he would have to continue to run USAirways and deal with the eventual merger of the East and West seniority list and release by the NMB for self-help. Both pilot groups were years past their amendable dates. He wanted it badly and so did the creditors and bankers. The APA recognized this to some degree and were able to salvage a lot of their contract from the 1113 bankruptcy process. During that time, management did not even try to win over the LUS side. The treatment of the LUS pilots during this process should have sent a strong message to the APA of just what kind of people they were dealing with. They are now learning that the hard way. 
 
 

Don't forget, Bob, APA wasn't listening to US EITHER!  As I said previously, they were looking out FOR THEMSELVES and let the FUTURE play out later.  Talk about CRISIS MANAGEMENT.  Don't forget the LUS pilots wanted out for LOA93 and to US IT WAS A GOOD DEAL.  REMEMBER?  LOOK WHO VOTED FOR IT!

In April of 2012 when USAirways and APA agreed to and executed Conditional Labor Agreement and Plan of Reorganization Agreement- (CLAII) oil was at a multi-year high. Furthermore, the pricing power and synergies of industry consolidation had not taken effect since the AA-US merger was the last piece of the puzzle. The industry landscape was totally different then. Management did what they always do. They locked in bankruptcy era working conditions and cost structure while they had the opportunity, all the while playing the role of the white knight. Remember, this was all done under the threat of the 1113 bankruptcy process alternative and the LUS pilots were dragged along with them. To highlight the lack of input afforded the LUS pilots, the APA (different BOD) negotiated away our profit sharing for a mere $12 million value. That is the equivalent of when the Dutch bought Manhattan Island from the Indians for $24 and a bunch of beads. The most appalling part was that the media was comparing Mr. Parker to Herb Kelleher!
 

The APA thought HE WAS THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!  HE SAVED THEM, BOB!  So the APA negotiated away the profit sharing.  Let me remind you again the history of Hummel and his backroom dealings with management for the money increase WE WERE GETTING over the NAC.  Remember??

Fast forward to today.  Consolidation is complete. Oil is at a five year low and forecast to go lower. Jet fuel prices are down almost 30% since August. Many analysts are modeling this trend to last at least through 2015 and represents an unexpected boost to earnings going forward in the billions of dollars.  In fact, Wolfe Research's airline analyst Hunter Keay has just forecast a full year 2015 drop in fuel expense for AAL mainline of more than $2.2 billion, with an 2015 pre-tax profit estimate of $6.6 billion and $7.1 billion in 2016. (2014 est.= $4.4 billion). This is a sustained recovery and the industry is the most profitable in its history.  The fall in oil prices has helped the airline industry twofold - most notably by reducing its number one cost of fuel and secondly, by the effect of lower energy costs on the overall economy thereby putting billions of dollars back into the pockets of consumers to spend on things like airline tickets. Earnings estimates are being raise significantly throughout the industry. JP Morgan just raised AAL (American Airlines) target price to over $80.00 from a recently revised $64.00.  That represents a $59 billion market capitalization! American Airlines will be swimming in money.   It simply does not get any better than this for the industry and it is certainly not the time to be locking in a bankruptcy imposed contract. 
 
 

All that money goes into the coffers for the FUTURE so if and when the pilots choose a job action in four-five years they will have their SHOCK TROOPS and you know exactly of WHOM I AM SPEAKING OF:  1,700 WEST PILOTS!

Throughout the JCBA process the company has essentially not engaged us in negotiations. While we have spent months attempting to get costing from the company for various contract items, the company has essentially left that to the union. When the 30 day MOU mandated JCBA timeline started, the company asked for an extension to allow for the Flight Attendants to vote on their contract. During that time the company did nothing to move our contract along. They waited until four days before the 30 day extension ended and handed us a mere notepad list of (7) concessions that they want for an hourly wage increase. They put absolutely no effort in any of our concerns or even to cost their own concerns! Although they color their pay proposal as “Industry leading” it is only salary and it’s only temporary, since both Delta and United will be negotiating new contracts. In addition, almost every other section of the contract is below our peers. Also, while both Delta and United have profit sharing, Parker has steadfastly refused to talk about it saying that he thinks we should get that in salary. We find this interesting considering that the value management gave to our profit sharing during the MTA negotiations with APA was only $12 million! 

 
You mean the Company has ALWAYS done that yet the magnificent APA didn't KNOW?  They knew, they just keep on doing the same ole same ole.

What is profit sharing really worth?
 
While management plays down the value of profit sharing to all the employees, let’s see what the Delta pilots get. This year Delta pilots will get 15% of W-2 earnings. That is $30,000 for a group 2 Captain and that number is expected to be significantly higher next year with the increased earnings from the collapse in oil prices. So just what have they offered us? Well for starters, ZERO for profit sharing and that puts us at a yearly deficit of $30K to $50K to Delta. They have offered us a pay bump to Delta’s current rate plus approximately 3%, but we lose the parity review in 2016. Doug says that he is paying us above Delta and that “it is the right thing to do” and that “he feels good about that” but refuses to insure that we stay above Delta with a parity provision. Since he is looking out for our best interests by not making us risk our earnings to things like Ebola and terrorism by giving the value in salary, he needs to back it up with a pay scale that reflects it. When considering the profit sharing W-2 formula, the most senior pilots are losing the most on this deal and it is a loss that continues year after year in contrast to a one time pay bump. With the recent analyst earnings upgrades, a Delta style profit sharing plan could potentially have a 787/350 Captain making in excess of $60K in 2015 alone. Now you know why they don't want us to have it.
 
 

Uh, are you FORGETTING SOMETHING BOB???  The company doesn't CARE about the "overpaid" most senior pilots, the West don't care about the most senior pilots IF IT ISN'T THEM and the new hires don't care about them because it's a long way off for them to make $450,000 a year.  Evidently NEITHER DOES THE APA (except their OWN in arbitration) and the West SHOCK GROUP (in arbitration)!!  Remember C-A-M-I?  It's CASTIGATE-ARBITRATE-MITIGATE-INSTIGATE for the union ALL OVER AGAIN!  The STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE of the New APA!!!

The rest of the story
 
Management is smart. They know that employee costs are more than just salary. They are playing a shell game with you. They want you to focus on the salary while they gut the other sections of the contract. They all cost you money. If you are paying more for your health benefits, working an extra day or two because of the duty rigs, or find yourself injured an on LTD unable to work, it costs you money. When you fly an airplane that carries the same amount of people as a 757, and generates as much revenue as a 757, it should pay as much as a 757. When your salary goes up, your LTD benefit should go up proportionally to cover the percentage of your wages. If you are a professional pilot, you should not have your LTD reduced because you’re qualified to perform non-flying type work. If you die, your family should get more than $70K in company paid life insurance benefits when they have been used to your $200K salary. Delta pilots get $650,000. If you are gone from your family for 3 days, you should receive 3 days of pay. If you are a reserve and have vacation, you should not lose your days off. If you live in a metropolitan area, you should not have to risk an auto accident to get to work within 2 hours. And if you have sacrificed your life for the company’s survival under furlough (some with multiple furloughs) you should get some consideration for this sacrifice. These are just some of the highlights that Delta pilots do not have to deal with. You should not either. 
 
 

NEWS FLASH, BOB.  We'll NEVER get up to Delta rates because our contract will ALWAYS be behind Delta negotiations AND most significantly they HAVE a unified pilot group unlike ours where seniority lawsuits, TWA seniority inequities and new hires who NEED JOBS AND PAY INCREASES who really can't feel the SENIOR guys "pain" with what their already making sets APA pilots up as the Company gift that keeps on giving.


 

So what do we do about it?
 
We have a choice before us. Admit defeat and bow to the company’s extortion, or say no more giving to a company that does not appreciate what we have done for them over the last decade and a half. For 15 years we have sacrificed to keep our respective companies alive. If not for the employees, and in particular the pilots, there would be no company for Doug to run or the investors to profit from. Doug would not have made $20 million this year. We made that possible; and what do we get in return? An industry bottom contract offer and an ultimatum. Legally the Company can proffer cost neutral arbitration. We would like to remind them that legally our respective heritage companies (American, USAirways & America West) did not have to open our contracts mid-cycle to give billions of dollars in contract relief when times were hard. In total hypocrisy, look what the company did to Envoy. Less than a month after agreeing to a horrendous contract during the American bankruptcy, the company said they want even more concessions from them! What we are witnessing is the beginnings of what we believe will be remembered as the most anti-labor management in airline history. 
 
We are representing the entire spectrum of our pilots. Let’s not be short sighted. Look what happened when the APA thought short sighted and sold our profit sharing for fractions of pennies on the dollar for a very small pay raise that is meaningless now. We’re looking at not just today, but tomorrow and five to ten years into the future.
 
What the company is trying to do to us will bring down the entire industry. Voting for a concessionary contact will send a message to both the company and the investors that we support our management. All they will see is that it passed, not that it passed but we don’t like it or them. There is a danger to simply sending out the company’s proposal to the membership to vote on. First, they will never improve the current offer if they know they can bypass the BOD. Secondly, if it fails there will not be a second shot at it. We feel it is much wiser for the Company and the Union to come to an agreement that we can both live with that also gets the unions endorsement. There are some BOD members that have the “take the money and continue to fight the company” attitude. Ron and I think it is better to have our fight now and support the company going forward. With that said we are prepared to fight another five years if we are forced into a bankruptcy negotiated contract. It is time to take a stand and demand to be treated like our peers. We are ready to stand up for you and the profession. Do we have your support? 
 
In unity,
 
Bob Frear
Ron Nelson
[email protected]
 

Bob, they're bypassing the BOD with the CREW NEWS!  You've been here longer than I have.  Look at the crew news where Jonnie Mac asked Parker for ways to report East pilots for three-engine and slow taxi.  HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT???
 
Bob, you would have MY support if I thought for one SECOND we could TRUST THE OTHER PILOTS TO PULL in the same direction but guess what:  PILOT UNITY IS LOST HERE AND THE COMPANY HAS THE WIND AT ITS BACK.

 

 

[EastCheats]

Yes, yes indeed. Ever since the east told you where to shove the nic, thus preventing the sorry likes of yourself leap frogging over our junior coworkers of decades, by usurping their hard earned and actually worked for seniority by as much as nearly 17 full years, why heck!..The whole of western civilization has indeed fallen into anarchy!...?  Sigh...Enjoy the incredibly childish little part of Fantasyland "you'se" live in kid, which very thankfully, is limited to the confines of PHX.  Feel perfectly free to be as angry as you wish and rant away to your heart's content at the horrendous "injustice" served you by people of firmer moral fabric than yourself. It matters naught to anyone outside your imaginary "army" of supposed "spartans."
 
A gentle suggestion for at least potential growth is to look deeply into the night sky sometime, and at least contemplate the remote possibility that this 14+ billion year old universe wasn't created with the central idea of "you'se" ever being the center of it all, much less for having the earned efforts of others just handed to you for your selfish purposes. Any additional suggestion to grow up would be pointless, until at least attempting that first excercise.
 
Should "you'se" wish to claim some delusional notions of a moral high ground here; begin by explaining in depth just what makes YOU personally "worthy" of instantly achieved faux "seniority" over anyone else in your same working class and craft? That's not the sort of delusional fantasy I could ever personally share with you in even my most bloated moments of egotism, but I'm sure we could all use a good laugh here from any "explanation" you might attempt. I always believed that a person who's worked longer than myself deserves my respect for at least their service and experience. You clearly do NOT share that same moral compass (to say the least) so kindly explain your "thinking." Hint: "But, But!...The arbitrator thought I was cute!" simply fails to constitute even the smallest shred of a moral or even logical argument.
 
Aw heck. I'll throw the offer open to all "spartans." Explain to us all exactly why ANY of you, as individuals, are magically "worthy" of being artificially and instantly made "senior" to ANY others?...?...? If all that can referenced is some "process"/arbitration/whatever, then the "righteous" legs of your insanely selfish little high horses have nothing in the way of firm footing, and are indeed rather twisted, short and stunted.

Victim

 

[EastCheats]

Uhhhh...name me the LLC who LOST THREE COURT CASES and won't get a seat on the SLI??? (Hint, APA and USAPA has theirs).
 
Who's the "infinite victim"????

Look in the mirror

 

[snapthis]

Uhhhh...name me the LLC who LOST THREE COURT CASES and won't get a seat on the SLI??? (Hint, APA and USAPA has theirs).
 
Who's the "infinite victim"????

 
Congrats on all those wins.
 
Where is the Jackass award displayed?
 
 
 
US Airways Pilots Union Earns a Long Overdue Cranky Jackass Award For Using Safety as a Negotiation Tactic
By CF on Jul 28, 2011  |  127 Comments
 



I’ve written many times about the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), and it’s never been in a good light. This week, the group which represents the pilots at US Airways has once again topped itself by taking out a full page ad in USA Today talking about how US Airways is unsafe. Though there are other groups in the running, I think USAPA has demonstrated that it is the most ineffective, poorly run union group out there.
 

For the misguided representation it provides its pilots, USAPA gets the Cranky Jackass award. This has been a long time coming.


You may already know the story. USAPA was created when the US Airways “East” (pre-merger US Airways) pilots didn’t like the seniority agreement that was decided upon in binding arbitration (yes, “binding” is apparently a loose term) with the US Airways “West” (pre-merger America West) pilots. So they marched off and voted in a new union, casting off the arbitration result. The West pilots didn’t like that (it’s been working its way through the courts), but they didn’t have the numbers to prevent the move. You can read more of the history here. In short, USAPA has done absolutely nothing good for its members, but it wrongly likes to blame US Airways management for its failings.
And that brings us to USAPA’s current strategy . . . try to burn down the company and apparently put all of its members out of a job.
The latest shameful tactic is the taking out of a full page ad in USA Today claiming that US Airways is unsafe. Let’s see. You work for an airline that pays your salary with revenue that comes in the door, and now you’re going to turn around and try to shut off that revenue by falsely claiming your airline is unsafe? Simply pathetic. It’s such a blatant negotiating tactic, but how will the general public react? That’s unclear, though this hasn’t received much press at all considering all the more important “real” news in the aviation world in the last week.
The ad itself used a single pilot incident that happened on June 16 to show the supposed danger of flying the airline. Apparently there was a flight scheduled to cross the Atlantic from Philly that evening and there were a couple of mechanical issues. There are some mechanical issues that aren’t considered crucial to be fixed, and that appears to be the case here, but the captain refused to fly the airplane and then, according to the union, she was escorted out of the airport by corporate security. The next crew refused to fly the airplane as well. Over the next couple hours, some maintenance work was done and the airplane went on its way with a third crew.
This is why the union says US Airways is an unsafe airline. It says the airline is intimidating its pilots and pushing them to fly even if it’s not safe. Then if they refuse, it has security remove them. Sounds bad, right? Too bad it’s a crock.
Now, regarding the mechanical incident itself, I don’t know whether the captain did the right thing by refusing to fly the airplane. I do know that the FAA found US Airways did nothing wrong. Here’s the statement:

The FAA manager assigned to the US Airways certificate reviewed the June 16, 2011 incident. The APU shutdown the aircraft experienced is a failure that pilots are well aware can happen and that they are trained to recognize. The battery apparently was depleted by attempts to restart the APU. Flying an aircraft with an inoperative APU is not an unusual event and normally poses no safety issues when proper limitations are applied. The Captain simply chose to exercise her pilot-in-command authority of not accepting an aircraft. Our information indicates that US Airways followed their approved MEL procedures, and all maintenance procedures were followed in accordance with the operator’s approved maintenance program. We found no violations of Federal Aviation Regulations.

That being said, if a captain doesn’t feel comfortable flying an airplane, then it’s his or her right to deny it. The problem arises when that privilege is abused just to delay or cancel flights without good reason. I’m not saying that happened here. I don’t know, and frankly, it’s not central to my point. I have no problem in theory with her walking away from the flight.
But why would security come escort the captain from the airport? USAPA wants you to believe it’s because she refused to fly the airplane. Not quite. According to US Airways, “the Captain was escorted out of the airport by corporate security (after being released from duty) not for her refusal to fly but for her comments made to customers regarding the safety of the aircraft.” Unfortunately, I don’t know details about what she said to the passengers, but it was apparently highly inappropriate. See more in this a.net discussion. I would have had her carted off the airplane as well.
In reality, there is nothing pointing to US Airways being unsafe but rather more evidence of the airline having good safety practices. It recently passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit, for example. But that won’t stop the union from trying to sully the airline’s reputation. (Get it? Sully? I crack myself up.)
In the end, USAPA simply wants to damage US Airways as if this will somehow convince the airline to throw a ton of money at the union and solve all its problems. Unfortunately, the union needs to solve its own problems regarding seniority before it can even be ready to talk to management, and it doesn’t seem any closer to doing so. I feel really bad for those pilots who never even wanted this union to represent them in the first place. This whole thing is simply pathetic and more than worthy of the Cranky Jackass Award.
[Thanks to Johosofat for the excellent Cranky Jackass Award]
 
http://crankyflier.com/2011/07/28/us-airways-pilots-union-earns-a-long-overdue-cranky-jackass-award-for-using-safety-as-a-negotiation-tactic/

 

 

[snapthis]

December 9, 2014

America West Merger Committee Update

   

As we previously communicated to you, the Preliminary Arbitration begins next week in Washington DC. Although attendance is open to all pilots, the arbitration hearing is being held in a space-limited law office conference room. Additionally, the law office is located within a secured office building, and the security guards will only permit registered visitors into the building. This necessarily means that we cannot guarantee that all who submit an RSVP will be permitted to attend due to space constraints, and the law firm has asked us to require RSVP of those wishing to attend. Therefore, each pilot planning to attend MUST RSVP as follows:

1. Email to [email protected]
2. Your name
3. Date(s) you are planning to attend

 
Once we receive your RSVP, we will forward it to the law firm so that they can place your name on the visitor list.
NO PILOT WILL BE PERMITTED TO ENTER THE LAW OFFICE BUILDING UNLESS THEY HAVE A CONFIRMED RSVP AND ARE PLACED ON THE VISITOR LIST.
We will send further attendance details to those with confirmed RSVPs.
A more convenient alternative to attending the hearings in person will be to review each day's hearing transcripts. The hearing transcripts from each day will be posted on our website the day after each hearing day. As a reminder our website address is:

www.west-merger-committee.com
​

 
As a reminder, the Preliminary Arbitration will consist of up to five hearing days, the first three of which are scheduled for December 15-17, 2014, approximately 9am–5pm each day.
Sincerely,
The America West Merger Committee

 

[Claxon]

Congrats on all those wins.
 
Where is the Jackass award displayed?
 
 
 
US Airways Pilots Union Earns a Long Overdue Cranky Jackass Award For Using Safety as a Negotiation Tactic
By CF on Jul 28, 2011  |  127 Comments
 



I’ve written many times about the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), and it’s never been in a good light. This week, the group which represents the pilots at US Airways has once again topped itself by taking out a full page ad in USA Today talking about how US Airways is unsafe. Though there are other groups in the running, I think USAPA has demonstrated that it is the most ineffective, poorly run union group out there.
 

For the misguided representation it provides its pilots, USAPA gets the Cranky Jackass award. This has been a long time coming.


You may already know the story. USAPA was created when the US Airways “East” (pre-merger US Airways) pilots didn’t like the seniority agreement that was decided upon in binding arbitration (yes, “binding” is apparently a loose term) with the US Airways “West” (pre-merger America West) pilots. So they marched off and voted in a new union, casting off the arbitration result. The West pilots didn’t like that (it’s been working its way through the courts), but they didn’t have the numbers to prevent the move. You can read more of the history here. In short, USAPA has done absolutely nothing good for its members, but it wrongly likes to blame US Airways management for its failings.
And that brings us to USAPA’s current strategy . . . try to burn down the company and apparently put all of its members out of a job.
The latest shameful tactic is the taking out of a full page ad in USA Today claiming that US Airways is unsafe. Let’s see. You work for an airline that pays your salary with revenue that comes in the door, and now you’re going to turn around and try to shut off that revenue by falsely claiming your airline is unsafe? Simply pathetic. It’s such a blatant negotiating tactic, but how will the general public react? That’s unclear, though this hasn’t received much press at all considering all the more important “real” news in the aviation world in the last week.
The ad itself used a single pilot incident that happened on June 16 to show the supposed danger of flying the airline. Apparently there was a flight scheduled to cross the Atlantic from Philly that evening and there were a couple of mechanical issues. There are some mechanical issues that aren’t considered crucial to be fixed, and that appears to be the case here, but the captain refused to fly the airplane and then, according to the union, she was escorted out of the airport by corporate security. The next crew refused to fly the airplane as well. Over the next couple hours, some maintenance work was done and the airplane went on its way with a third crew.
This is why the union says US Airways is an unsafe airline. It says the airline is intimidating its pilots and pushing them to fly even if it’s not safe. Then if they refuse, it has security remove them. Sounds bad, right? Too bad it’s a crock.
Now, regarding the mechanical incident itself, I don’t know whether the captain did the right thing by refusing to fly the airplane. I do know that the FAA found US Airways did nothing wrong. Here’s the statement:

The FAA manager assigned to the US Airways certificate reviewed the June 16, 2011 incident. The APU shutdown the aircraft experienced is a failure that pilots are well aware can happen and that they are trained to recognize. The battery apparently was depleted by attempts to restart the APU. Flying an aircraft with an inoperative APU is not an unusual event and normally poses no safety issues when proper limitations are applied. The Captain simply chose to exercise her pilot-in-command authority of not accepting an aircraft. Our information indicates that US Airways followed their approved MEL procedures, and all maintenance procedures were followed in accordance with the operator’s approved maintenance program. We found no violations of Federal Aviation Regulations.

That being said, if a captain doesn’t feel comfortable flying an airplane, then it’s his or her right to deny it. The problem arises when that privilege is abused just to delay or cancel flights without good reason. I’m not saying that happened here. I don’t know, and frankly, it’s not central to my point. I have no problem in theory with her walking away from the flight.
But why would security come escort the captain from the airport? USAPA wants you to believe it’s because she refused to fly the airplane. Not quite. According to US Airways, “the Captain was escorted out of the airport by corporate security (after being released from duty) not for her refusal to fly but for her comments made to customers regarding the safety of the aircraft.” Unfortunately, I don’t know details about what she said to the passengers, but it was apparently highly inappropriate. See more in this a.net discussion. I would have had her carted off the airplane as well.
In reality, there is nothing pointing to US Airways being unsafe but rather more evidence of the airline having good safety practices. It recently passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit, for example. But that won’t stop the union from trying to sully the airline’s reputation. (Get it? Sully? I crack myself up.)
In the end, USAPA simply wants to damage US Airways as if this will somehow convince the airline to throw a ton of money at the union and solve all its problems. Unfortunately, the union needs to solve its own problems regarding seniority before it can even be ready to talk to management, and it doesn’t seem any closer to doing so. I feel really bad for those pilots who never even wanted this union to represent them in the first place. This whole thing is simply pathetic and more than worthy of the Cranky Jackass Award.
[Thanks to Johosofat for the excellent Cranky Jackass Award]
 
http://crankyflier.com/2011/07/28/us-airways-pilots-union-earns-a-long-overdue-cranky-jackass-award-for-using-safety-as-a-negotiation-tactic/

Ask Auxier to make another Safety Football vid. He made a jackass of himself across the industry.