Alpa Update

[USA320Pilot]

At today’s MEC meeting some of ALPA’s advisor’s answered questions and spoke to the MEC. Here are some key questions and answers:

Question to ALPA’s legal counsel Mike Abram’s from Cowen Weiss, & Simon (who holds a law degree from Harvard and has 30 years of labor law experience): What could happen if the MEC sends the TA out for vote prior to the October 7 S.1113(e) hearing?

Answer: “The company will NOT ask to impose the 1113(e) on the pilot group. The company will let the process play itself out as far as
a pilot ratification is concerned. If the MEC DOES NOT send this out to the pilots prior to October 7 the company WILL ask the judge for 1113() relief on Thursday, Oct 7.â€

Question: Is the best deal you are going to get?

Answer: “Yes, it will get worse from as time goes on.â€

Question to ALPA National E&FA economist Bob Christy, a former Eastern Airlines pilot. Is the best deal you are going to get?

Answer: “The rate of failure in bankruptcy is very high. The job of the judge is to try and get a company out and he will do what it takes. If you do not send this out for ratification we will have to defend you for all the contract items that the company wants - i.e. 23%. The company will not be interested in negotiating any more. I am living proof that bankruptcy does not work. I will stay in this room but you have got to get this done - there will not be a better tomorrow (Note’ there was a loud applause and standing ovation from the crowd of about 45 pilots). I LIVED WITH THE DEVIL (LORENZO) - I SEE THE COMPANY NOT BEING ANY WHERE LIKE HIM - THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE THIS AIRLINE WORK. The company has not over asked from us. The mount we are giving are very marginal at best - with respect to making this company survive. They probably need more, “Christy said.

Question to Negotiating Committee Chairman (NC) Doug Mowrey: Do you see the ask going up if we turn this down?

Answer: “There is no time - they will just let the judge do it and the “ask†will be higher. Then NC members Jack Greenhall and Ted Schott basically agreed with Mowrey’s comments.

After the MEC had exhausted their questions, Chairman Bill Pollock recessed the meeting at 1:47 p.m. and will reconvene on Tuesday, October 5, at 10:00 a.m. at the Pittsburgh Airport Hyatt Hotel.

MEC CODE-A-PHONE UPDATE - October 2, 2004

This is Jack Stephan with a US Airways MEC update for Saturday, October 2nd, with one new item.

The MEC reconvened this morning at 10:00 a.m. at the Charlotte Marriott Executive Park. They continued their discussion of the Tentative Agreement (LOA 93) in open session and received briefings from our legal counsel and advisors. At the request of some MEC members to have more time to review the document and to have another opportunity to ask questions of all our advisors, the meeting was recessed at 1:47 p.m. to reconvene in PIT on Tuesday, October 5, at 10:00 a.m. at the PIT Airport Hyatt Hotel.

All pilots are encouraged to attend this meeting, at which time the MEC will take action on whether or not to send the TA out to the membership for ratification.

In anticipation of the possibility that the MEC may elect to send the TA out for ratification at the PIT meeting, the following tentative roadshow meetings have been scheduled:


Tentative LOA 93 Road Show Schedule

10/7 PIT Crowne Plaza Hotel 10:00 A.M.
10/8 CLT Renaissance CLT Suites 10:00 A.M.
10/11 PHL Renaissance PHL Airport 10:30 A.M.
10/12 BOS Holiday Inn Logan Airport 10:00 A.M.
10/13 DCA Crystal Gateway Marriott 10:00 A.M.
10/14 LGA LGA Airport Marriott 09:30 A.M.

Please remember we have 1,879 pilots on furlough.

Thank you for listening.

Every key ALPA advisor will attend this meeting and pilot’s will be able to hear with their own ears what the advisor’s have been telling the MEC for months.

Membership ratification can take as little as 7 days and the membership could vote on the TA as soon as October 14 and possibly October 15, based on the road show schedule listed above, if the MEC elects to send out the ballot and conclude the road shows per the schedule listed above.

Listed below are the key dates:

October 5 – Special MEC meeting reconvenes
October 7 – S.1113(e) hearing
October 12 – S.1113(e) hearing expected to conclude
October 14 – First Omnibus hearing
October 15 – ATSB interim financing ends

IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT EVERY PILOT ATTEND THIS MEETING. DO NOT BE APATHETIC AND BELIEVE THAT YOUR PRESSENCE DOES NOT MATTER OR THAT YOUR VOTE DOES NOT COUNT. THIS IS IT PRIOR TO "IMPOSITION". SEE YOU AT THE MEETING.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[cavalier]

Glad I am not a pilot at U, it's like choosing between what type cancer you want and choose you must.

 

[Phoenix]

It was agreed to enter negotiations for the purpose of reducing the cost of operations. Several items in the so called TA do not in any way address the true "costs" of the airline but rather are merely vehicles to further facilitate the elimination of Mainline with prejudice in preference for the establishment of Express operations while continuing to charge customers for fantasy mainline tickets.

- Pay cut = 18.25%
-DC plan contribution max 10%
-Pay cap adjustable to 95 hours
-Rolling cap for reserve pilots = 285 over 3 month period
-Deadhead is 50% P/NC
-Eliminate negative bank
-FRAGMENTATION RIGHTS DO NOT APPLY DURING CH 11 AND 1 YEAR AFTER.This is not designed to keep the company flying by reducing costs, this is designed to sell A330s to North West, 757s to UPS, 737s to FedEx, and furloughing the pilots that fly them.-Equity
-Profit sharing = 3.6% min.
-Min a/c - void during Ch 11 and out till 1 year after Ch 11 exit.
This is not about costs, this is about elimination of Mainline
-Outstanding grievances - company agrees to discuss settlement.
-Training ReliefThis means pilot wave their right to exercise their seniority to choose a different aircraft and be trained on it.
-No MDA displacement rightsThis once again means that pilots wave their right to exercise their senioriyt rights to choose another plane, even if their plane is sold to another carrier without them and they are then furloughed because they cannot exercise their seniority rights (that they have waved in this so called TA)
-Expanded VLAs (with no right to return unless fuloughs are also returning)
-Eliminate domestic crew meals
-Limited ERIP for pilots 55 and older
-Sick bank max 60 hours
-Vacation - 15 or more years service = 21 days @ 3.45hr/day
-EMB 190s to MDA with a max of 60 a/c

disclaimer: I have never knowingly posted false information. I have never invented secondary or tertiary screen names to falsely post "different" opinion to buttress my own opinion. Neither have I ever claimed to have insider knowledge or contacts in privileged circles of the aviation industry, nor have I ever posted yahoo message posts as proof of such.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Phoenix:

ALPA's advisors and Bruce Lakefield told the MEC before bankruptcy in "open session" that if the company entered bankruptcy without agreements in place, the scope items listed above would be lost. Why? The ATSB and the creditors committee are driving the requirements.

Guess what" The RC4 bet wrong and the advisors were wrong. How could that be?

Investment bankers are "bean counters" and they do not care if employees have a livable wage or not. They only look at spreadsheets and mathematical formulas. It's all about big business and turning a profit.

Separately, maybe the company would prefer "imposition" with the Judge preventing "self help". That way there will be less money for labor and more for the corporation. If you're mad be mad at the RC4 and their NC who brought this TA to the pilot group.

The other 8 MEC members did not negotiate this deal, the RC4 directed the negotiations and obtained this deal.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[ojxux]

With IAM winning that Airbus ruling I think the cuts from the pilots will have to be much greater than what is already listed. Better start getting ready to ante up some more scratch. Keep bending over and saying "Thank you sir may I have another? Thank you sir may I have another?"

 

[N924PS]

Phoenix:

ALPA's advisors and Bruce Lakefield told the MEC before bankruptcy in "open session" that if the company entered bankruptcy without agreements in place, the scope items listed above would be lost. Why? The ATSB and the creditors committee are driving the requirements.

Guess what" The RC4 bet wrong and the advisors were wrong. How could that be?

Investment bankers are "bean counters" and they do not care if employees have a livable wage or not. They only look at spreadsheets and mathematical formulas. It's all about big business and turning a profit.

Separately, maybe the company would prefer "imposition" with the Judge preventing "self help". That way there will be less money for labor and more for the corporation. If you're mad be mad at the RC4 and their NC who brought this TA to the pilot group.

The other 8 MEC members did not negotiate this deal, the RC4 directed the negotiations and obtained this deal.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

[post="186930"][/post]​

Wrong edited It was the weak sisters led by Jones and Comany that brought this on the pilots at U. Half of them like you, are management shills who have finally brought a deal at any cost to the good pilots of USAirways.

I believe you personally have complicity in these events and have done more to harm the pilots than you will ever know. Several months from now, when you are on the street as a result of the loss of Frag Rights, you will face up to the reality of what you have had a hand in doing.

Now you are just along for the ride too.

 

[unit4clt]

Phoenix:

ALPA's advisors and Bruce Lakefield told the MEC before bankruptcy in "open session" that if the company entered bankruptcy without agreements in place, the scope items listed above would be lost. Why? The ATSB and the creditors committee are driving the requirements.

Guess what" The RC4 bet wrong and the advisors were wrong. How could that be?

Investment bankers are "bean counters" and they do not care if employees have a livable wage or not. They only look at spreadsheets and mathematical formulas. It's all about big business and turning a profit.

Separately, maybe the company would prefer "imposition" with the Judge preventing "self help". That way there will be less money for labor and more for the corporation. If you're mad be mad at the RC4 and their NC who brought this TA to the pilot group.

The other 8 MEC members did not negotiate this deal, the RC4 directed the negotiations and obtained this deal.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

[post="186930"][/post]​

Guess what? The investment bankers have said they would have a better chance of getting their money back if the company remans open for business. They may ask the judge along with the Labor to replace the entire BOD and get a competant management team to run the company. Then maybe the pilots could get a t/a that may be acceptable!

 

[USA320Pilot]

N924PS:

Garland Jones did not negotiate this TA. The NC did and they had orders via "roll call" from the RC4.

The advisors said it would be worse in bankruptcy and they were right. You were warned and now have to take this contract or have it even worse via "imposition".

It didn't have to be this way, but the RC4 did this to the pilot group and regardless of whether or not this deal is ratified, the RC4 will be held accountable and will pay. I suspect they will become personally bankrupt, lose their homes, and maybe end up in jail.

It's gonna happen, guaranteed.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[AAviator]

Translation: SAVE A CERTAIN CAPTAINS JOB!

 

[AAviator]

oy

 

[USA320Pilot]

AAviator:

You're to late, it's already been done to the RC4 via multiple emails. By the way, it's not a threat, it's a warning.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[AAviator]

It's gonna happen, guaranteed

 

[Phoenix]

N924PS:

Garland Jones did not negotiate this TA...

Jones injected himself into the negatiating process quite effectively by making a public statement that effectively gave mgt everything they needed. In regard to the charging resolution that the NC was operating under when they negotiatied this TA:

Jones said "I told the MEC, the Negotiating Committee, and our legal and financial advisors that the intent is to immediately engage in negotiations with the company "in order to reach a Tentative Agreement," wherever that agreement may lie, with absolutely no restrictions or limitations whatsoever, either stated or implied, being placed on them by this MEC. I also addressed the Negotiating Committee specifically in saying that this MEC, and this pilot group, has faith and trust that they are up to the job before them, that they will close this deal with the company, and that in order to strike a deal we will have to go to 100% of the company's ask." End of Grland Jones quote.

Garland Jones was the Kryptonite. With directions like that the NC became powerless.

It's gonna happen, guaranteed.

OK.

Respectfully,
Phoenix

 

[Oliver Twist]

N924PS:

I suspect they will become personally bankrupt, lose their homes, and maybe end up in jail.

It's gonna happen, guaranteed.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

[post="186944"][/post]​

I am curious about something. I can see the first two as possible, even plausible., but Jail? Under what conditions could their actions be considered criminal? What laws did they violate?

Mind you, I didn't agree with the brinkmanship of it all, especially now that it appears it was worse than it needed to be, but "jail"? I'm not so sure of that one.

Just curious... luck to all.

 

[N924PS]

I am curious about something. I can see the first two as possible, even plausible., but Jail? Under what conditions could their actions be considered criminal? What laws did they violate?

Mind you, I didn't agree with the brinkmanship of it all, especially now that it appears it was worse than it needed to be, but "jail"? I'm not so sure of that one.

Just curious... luck to all.

[post="186972"][/post]​

With this TA more than just the RC4 could enter personal BK and lose their homes.

And I still support the efforts of the RC4. If the rest of the MEC had thrown their support to them instead of acting like management clones, the result could have been significantly different.

By the way, why is it that the company finds it necessary to be vindictive and exceed the previous ask? As if the employees haven't already sustained enough of a spanking last go around. There are no words to describe the antipathy I hold for Bronner, Glass and their minions.

Some day they will be in a higher court than Judge Mitchell's and when they face that Judge, they will be sent to purgatory.