At this week’s ALPA MEC meeting Communications Committee Chairman Arnie Gentile reported the MEC passed “a resolution recognizing that US Airways pilots have faced multiple sequential months of 95 hour pay caps and 5 hour flexes for the majority of 2007 and the amount of time away from home that is required to fly such monthly schedules, creating hardships that our pilots' families endure during such high workloads. Since holiday months are traditionally time spent with family and friends, the MEC designates November 2007 as “SAP Awareness Month" so as to offer some relief from the hardships placed on the pilots' families. During November’s "SAP Awareness Month 2007,†the US Airways MEC members, officers, committee members and all ALPA members on AFB status, will limit their scheduled hours to the minimum allowed through SAP and any other legal means.â€
And, Arnie reported W.A.R. Item “Do not start an engine until pushback complete when aircraft is being directed by hand signals only.â€
Last summer the Northwest pilots took a similar action and the company cancelled hundreds and hundreds of flights because pilots flew minimum hours per the article below.
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The company’s response?
The pilots obtained an LOA outside of their 2006 bankruptcy restructuring agreement that provided contract improvements, per the following article:
See Story
Furthermore, Arnie indicated, “Several months ago America West pilots negotiated an agreement on Distance Learning Training that pays more in compensation then their current agreement allows, which was then made retroactive to the beginning of the year 2007. The East members of the JNC were never made aware by either management or their West counterparts that this negotiation of enhancements to their current agreement was taking place. This agreement, in addition to being an enhancement to their current agreement, far exceeds the compensation East pilots receive for DLT. To now say that the East pilots cannot negotiate enhancements to their CBA, except under the umbrella of the JNC pursuit for a joint agreement, is nothing short of hypocrisy. As we said before, the America West MEC has no say in the right of US Airways pilots to negotiate improvements to our contract, including equal pay for equal work, and there is nothing in the Transition Agreement or ALPA Merger Policy to prohibit those negotiations.’
In conclusion, the MEC has given the East pilots marching orders and they are leading by example. I recognize many pilots need money to pay their day-to-day bills, but SAP’ing down 15 hours is legal and authorized by the contract. If every US Airways pilots did this and the company cancelled hundreds and hundreds of flights during the last week of November, and this continued during the end of December, would Doug Parker follow Doug Steenland’s action at Northwest and provide pilot contract improvements or lose hundreds of millions of dollars?
Furthermore, the company has now moved away from the separate contract and separate operation and it does not want to provide pay parity because they say it would drive a further wedge between the East and West pilots.
Well…the company provided the West pilots more money than the East pilots outside of joint contract discussions for DLT. If the company can provide an LOA outside of joint contract talks that pays the AWA pilots more money can’t they do that for the East pilots too?
Regardless, I believe it is time to put up or shut up. Every East pilot must support one another, SAP down to 15 hours below the pay cap and take 3 days additional off at the end of November. Either the pilots will stick together on this issue or they do not deserve to complain.
In my opinion, this action will take 1 to 2 months to get a contract improvement/a resolution to the Nicolau Award or the East operation will crumble.
Regards,
USA320Pilot
Except in PHL, I don't think anyone would notice 
