Company/financial Community Response

[ClueByFour]

Would any body care to comment on why a senior official of GECAS, who holds the RJ financing and is threatening to withdraw their funds from US Airways, talked to Bill Pollock, the NC, and ALPA's Advisors today?

Then why did Pollock abruptly interrupt the meeting, remove rank-and-file members from the room, and brief the MEC in closed session?

On the former: because Siegel is getting desperate now that he does not have the old MEC to kick around anymore and probably asked. The PHL MEC reps actually predicted this development some time ago. In a letter to Council 41 pilots on 3/29, the PHL reps wrote:

In the next few days or weeks you will likely see the “heatâ€￾ turned up. Our management may refuse to further negotiate the SJ scope issue, threaten themselves with not getting more SJ’s, park aircraft, furlough more, threaten to sell assets, and possibly even sell some assets. This is all part of negotiations. There is no move that the Company will make that can be caused by ALPA not capitulating. The only moves they will make are moves THEY PLANNED TO DO ANYWAY. They WILL attempt to blame any move on the pilot group, much like they blamed the shutdown and liquidation of Midway Airlines on the inability to negotiate a competitive agreement with their pilots. These Midway pilots earned only $38,000 per year flying as captain on the CRJ. Does anyone really believe that these “uncompetitiveâ€￾ salaries actually caused the demise of Midway Airlines? Or was it possibly another case of “let’s blame the pilots?â€￾

I'd say, in this case, that they are spot on. For those interested, you can read the entire thing at http://www.justplanesense.com/documents/Cn...l041_032904.doc . It's certainly different than what came out of the previous AAA MEC.

Regarding the latter point, Pollock is trying to bring pressure on the RC4/5. Given the heated situations surrounding the election of these MEC officers in PHL and particularly PIT, Pollack would probably be better DELETED

 

[TBONEJ4J]

Doom, doom, Liquidation and disaster. Otherwise known as a mangement negotiating position. Don't fall for it.

Further Scope relief to allow aircraft of up to 70 seats to go outside the group will guarantee the doom and disaster preached by management and it's friends at GECAS.

This company must be saved for the benefit of all the employees including furloughees, NOT for the benefit of Management and GECAS. Giving away the keys to the shop and the US Airways Brand Name will not benefit US Airways employees and Furloughees.

The Master Plan is all about the US Airways 'Franchise' and outsourcing the Brand to every bottom feeder who can lay their hands on an Airplane. Stop the Madness! No more giveaways! All assets must remain in the group. If absolutely necessary, short term relief only until Assets can be acquired by the group.