BYE BYE CHINA

[luvthe9]

Management's proposed AB 340/B767-300 "China Route" LOA is DOA. We received it last week, but decided not to distribute it until the NC had time to review it.

In any event, the assumptions made in this post on "U-Turn" are way out there in the Twilight Zone, and, as with many postings on "U-Turn," are solely designed to do the maximum political damage to the sitting members of the West MEC.

In fact, this was NOT a negotiated LOA, but was unilaterally proposed by Management. ALPA had nothing to do with it. And as I said, this proposed LOA is DOA.

Management has informed us that, after almost 2 years of us working at bottom of the industry, bankruptcy era, B Scale wages, 1 1/2 years after your MEC asked, in it's Dallas Resolution, for numbers to cross the JNC table, and 5 months after the JNC had passed our own "comprehensive proposal" across to Management, that they will finally "show us the money" on May 8.

If this Management generated AB 340/ B767-300 "China Route" LOA is any indication, their May 8 "comprehensive" will be equally DOA. In fact, if they really think we're going to fly these aircraft at these rates in our new contract, there may not be much left to talk about.

See you on the "Rolling Thunder" Picket Line for six consecutive days of picketing, CLT, LAX, DCA, PHX, PHL, and LAS starting on May 21st. Vacation or not, I'll be there for the entire week along with our Strike Preparedness Committee.

Time to send Parker a message he can't afford to ignore.

In Solidarity,

 

[ChrisUS]

Management's proposed AB 340/B767-300 "China Route" LOA is DOA. We received it last week, but decided not to distribute it until the NC had time to review it.



Management has informed us that, after almost 2 years of us working at bottom of the industry, bankruptcy era, B Scale wages, 1 1/2 years after your MEC asked, in it's Dallas Resolution, for numbers to cross the JNC table, and 5 months after the JNC had passed our own "comprehensive proposal" across to Management, that they will finally "show us the money" on May 8.

In Solidarity,

Ok, for us unenlightened as to your abreviations, what is LOA and JNC.

 

[EMBFA]

LOA- Letter of Agreement (usually something tacked on to your contract to void an important part of your contract)

JNC- Joint Negotiating Commitee. (a small group that negotiates contracts with the company, thinks not for the group as a whole but only themselves and thier friends).

Am I right?

 

[luvthe9]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MEC Chairman’s Message - May 1, 2007





This is MEC Chairman with a Chairman's message to the pilots for Tuesday, May 1st.



ALPA received a proposed LOA (letter of agreement) from management last week that describes their version of duty, flight time limits and pay for A-340 and Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The very fact that this proposed agreement was presented outside the JNC negotiating process—and at this time, while they are crafting their first economic proposal to give to the JNC in May—is a veiled attempt to have us chase the carrot. It’s inconceivable that management would think our pilots would take the bait. Our position is clear: no carrots, no A-340s, no promise of flying to China or Japan will take our eyes off the goal of a single, fair collective bargaining agreement. We are seasoned, determined, and will not quit until our goal is achieved.



After all the sacrifices the Coast-to-Coast pilots and their families have made, and the daily fight we are waging, we are not willing to fly around the globe—or anywhere for that matter—with fatiguing scheduling rules, and we most certainly are not willing to lead the industry in setting an all-new low in international widebody wages. Is that to be our legacy as the first post-bankruptcy ALPA carrier to negotiate in this new and highly profitable environment? We think not. The era of bankruptcy bargaining is over.



Negotiations for new widebody aircraft pay rates, and revised flag carrier rest and duty time limitations, belong on the negotiating table. Your leadership will not engage management in back-door negotiations. Furthermore, if the provisions in this proposed LOA are any indication of management’s first economic counter proposal that we are expecting on May 8th and 9th, they might as well save their breath. They need to understand that insulting proposals will not fly with our pilots.



Fellow pilots, I once again remind you of our three-pronged strategy. Consider the W.A.R. reports, and the “Do Your Own Job†campaign, and make your stand public on the picket line. This is the marathon we have prepared for. Our resolve is unwavering, and your participation is crucial to our success



The month of May will be a very busy month for SPC events starting with the America West Strike Prep Committee picketing on Tuesday, May 8th, at the annual Phoenix Aviation Symposium. On Tuesday, May 15th, US Airways Group will be holding its annual Shareholders Meeting in Philadelphia - there will be details to follow. Most notably is the week of Rolling Thunder, starting on May 21st. For six consecutive days, US Airways Coast-to-Coast Pilots will picket in six cities, alternating three East and three West locations. If you are as disappointed as we are with management’s proposals at the negotiating table, make your plans now for walking the line, and most importantly, follow all of the Three-Prong Strategy. I once again call on our Captains to lead the way.



Help your MEC and JNC deliver our message to management. We've had enough, and we are united in our fight for a fair, single contract.



Thanks for listening.

 

[zethya]

I'm curious as to the rationale for the 767-300ER. Was it stated on which routes it was intended to fly? PHL-PVG (Shanghai) is out of range and PHL-PEK (Peking) is barely reachable with some weight restrictions. This one is a mystery to me, unless the 767 is intended for Europe expansion (PHL-TLV, etc. and PHX-FRA) and possibly South America (unlikely). I think it's a great plan to use 767-300s as a Europe expander, but I hope they are not thinking of using it for Asia from PHL (instead of the 340) in the event the 787 is selected. There are at least 13 767-300ERs available for lease as of today. On a side note,767-300ERs would be an adequate replacement for the 332s, which would likely be canceled if the 787 is chosen.

 

[john john]

Management's proposed AB 340/B767-300 "China Route" LOA is DOA.

How much a hour ?

 

[jcw]

it would be nice if the alpa stops the asia expansion. hope this airline fails!

 

[legacy-to-LCC]

it would be nice if the alpa stops the asia expansion. hope this airline fails!

it would be nice if alpa accepts nothing less than compensation that is commensurate with our profitable company, loser.

 

[nycbusdriver]

JNC- Joint Negotiating Commitee. (a small group that negotiates contracts with the company, thinks not for the group as a whole but only themselves and thier friends).

Am I right?

Partly right.

I can't speak for the west part of the JNC, but on the east we are lucky enough to have a true pilot advocate on the committee, who is dedicated enough and intelligent enough to work tirelessly for the entire pilot group, including the west pilots, to get the best contract possible. Unfortunately, he is counterbalanced by his east associate who truly does negotiate for himself and, very often it seems, for the company.

 

[Non Rev]

it would be nice if the alpa stops the asia expansion. hope this airline fails!

What an Fin idiot!!!

 

[luvthe9]

How much a hour ?

11 dollars more than the 330 and 4 more than the 757. What a joke!!!!!

 

[SpinDoc]

What an Fin idiot!!!

ALPA rejecting a deal for Asia flights won't in and of itself cause a major problem for US Airways.... BUT.... it will continue to limit pilot progression and future widebody acquisitions. The best thing for US to do for the time being is to continue outsourcing Asia to UAL through the *A code share because it involves less capital expenditure and no headaches with stubborn ALPA members.

 

[A320 Driver]

ALPA rejecting a deal for Asia flights won't in and of itself cause a major problem for US Airways.... BUT.... it will continue to limit pilot progression and future widebody acquisitions. The best thing for US to do for the time being is to continue outsourcing Asia to UAL through the *A code share because it involves less capital expenditure and no headaches with stubborn ALPA members.

Stubborn! Your darn right we are. We want a contract, a whole contract and not just one piece of it. If the company would get serious about negotiations, this wouldn't be an issue. Nobody wants this company to grow and prosper more than the pilot group, but it will not be at our expense. Bankruptsy is over and it's time to receive at least industry average wages and benefits for our work. It's not excessive and we DO NOT expect to get top of scale anything, but we will not allow the company to make side deals until they sign a contract.

Every labor group should expect the very same...fairness. The slop was erased from the contracts in bankruptsy, so lets get on with winding up these labor issues.

A320 Driver B)

 

[Pylit]

Its always the same at contract time...dangle airplanes, growth, routes, la dee da....
Guys, don't get upset over something you never had. Believe it when you see it on the gate.
This is a 'divide and conquer' strategy, and is designed to make ALPA look bad.
Its all a game and they are blinking now that the pilots have not taken the bait.
Its nice to dream, but hey, it'd be nice to win the powerball, too...

 

[pilot]

Doug Parker won't get Asia routes. The DOT will laugh him out of the room. He is running a cut rate international operation on a shoestring that crumbles when 2 jets go down with maintenance issues. He has the balls to try to get a serious airline like DAL and to apply for serious routes to Asia but he doesn't have the intelligence, infrastructure, operational expertise, or employee support to do anything he wants to do. All he has is bankruptcy benefits. And he does not know how to run an airline without leaning on a BK judge or law to cover his ineptitude.

His ego is writing checks his operation and intelligence cannot cover.

ALPA isn't going to bite this time either. If he wants low cost then he's going to get low quality. Lowest paid equals lowest on time performance and customer satisfaction. And sooner or later the competition will have LCC for lunch.

When these cretins realize the most important asset of their company maybe this will change. Until then Parker and Kirby are just kids playing a game they cannot win.

pilot