will fix for food
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 664
- 50
Way to lower the bar.
Congratulations PSA!
- Thread starter will fix for food
- Start date
OP
will fix for food
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 664
- 50
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #3
They voted in a contract with pay cuts and freezes and additional out of pocket expenses in return for the chance to get 30 airplanes.
This will be the new low that every other airline will be demanding be beat in order to be "competitive"
This will be the new low that every other airline will be demanding be beat in order to be "competitive"
USA320Pilot
Veteran
- May 18, 2003
- 8,175
- 1,539
PilotAction Merger News for US Airways & American Airlines: September 27, 2013
US Airways Express PSA Pilots Ratify Agreements Guaranteeing the Placement of Large Regional Jets at PSA
See Story: http://www.alpa.org/...-13_13.PSA2.htm
USAPA, APA, & New American Airlines MOU Paragraph 9
Nothing herein shall prevent placement of the "US" code on flights operated by American or New American Airlines (or by any other airline when displaying the "AA" code), or placement of the "AA" code on flights operated by US Airways (or by any other airline when displaying the "US" code), immediately upon the Effective Date, and it is expressly agreed that US Airways and American or New American Airlines may do so. Subject to the provisions of this Memorandum, immediately upon the Effective Date, US Airways and New American Airlines or their successors (if any) may move forward with obtaining and utilizing a single operating certificate, and otherwise combining the operations of the two carriers, except for those measures that are dependent upon implementation of an integrated seniority list.
American Eagle ALPA MEC Chairman Letter: September 6, 2013
Fellow American Eagle pilots,
This is another disappointing week. We have now read the tentative agreement that PSA has reached with their management and with US Airways management and it is ugly. Here are a few lowlights. First and most significantly, it limits their Captain pay scales to year twelve and limits their First Officer pay scales to year four. In addition, this TA will extend their existing contract for an additional five years, until 2023 with no interim contract amendments. It limits their per diem to $1.75 for the duration of the agreement and the only pay raises PSA pilots will see for a decade will be the annual cost of living calculation that is already in their contract. By year three, the deal also raises their pilot medical benefit contribution from 27% to 35% of the annual cost with no language on deductibles and co-pays.
In exchange for these concessions, the PSA pilots might receive 30 of American Airlines’ future CRJ-900 aircraft (assuming the AA/US Airways merger occurs). Amazingly, it appears that the company is only contractually required to place one of these aircraft into service at PSA by 2016 in order to fulfill its obligation and to make this new agreement binding on the pilot group. On the other hand, if ratified, pilot concessions begin this January. These 30 aircraft are for American feed and are part of the same aircraft order over which we were negotiating with US Airways.
The PSA pilots will also receive an “enhancement” to their current guaranteed interview at US Airways.
Interviews will be offered to PSA pilots in PSA seniority order but US Airways is under no obligation to offer employment to any particular PSA pilot. A pilot who does not receive an offer of employment from US Airways can interview again but if he is declined again, his longevity at PSA is immediately frozen for the remainder of his career. The “enhancement” to the guaranteed interview provision is that US Airways must hire four per month, rather than three PSA pilots. It also appears however, there are multiple scenarios where US Airways can determine they have met that obligation without actually hiring anyone.
This tentative agreement represents the direction the American Eagle MEC was unwilling to go. As you know, your MEC has been committed to finding an agreement that does not gut the regional industry only to further the careers of senior Eagle pilots at the expense of everyone that will follow us. The MEC could not have been clearer on this position when it elected to end negotiations with US Airways and pushed for all of the ALPA-represented regional carriers to sign the “No B-Scale” letter. Although, this PSA deal does not contain a “B Scale” it is a massive step backwards for existing and future regional pilots.
If ratified, this new paradigm will be used against our brothers and sisters at ASA/ExpressJet, Republic, and SkyWest, all of whom are currently in challenging negotiations, not to mention it being used against us when management returns for additional discussions on future aircraft. Along with the Pinnacle (Endeavor Air) bankruptcy contract, the new PSA agreement will become management’s new “target”.
There are additional distasteful elements to this TA, not the least of which is the fact that this negotiation is over future AA feed at the exact time that the Department of Justice is opposing the merger of AA and US Airways. AA made it overwhelmingly clear that “large” RJs were an essential component of their restructuring plan, whether merged or stand alone. Now, AA’s future feed has been promised to a pilot group who will have to wait an indeterminate period of time to see if the merger will ever be approved, which is a precursor to AA’s regional aircraft being placed at PSA. During that delay, these essential aircraft will be withheld from AA’s feed operation, where it is already significantly behind its competition in “large” RJ deployment. This further confirms our position that AA needs to order large regional aircraft now and place them at American Eagle, the only constant irrespective of the mainline merger.
Additionally, by removing all Captain pay scales above step twelve, PSA’s tentative agreement eviscerates all the gains made over the last twelve years focused on making regional airlines a viable career choice for experienced pilots.
Both American and US Airways’ managements clearly know that withholding replacement aircraft from American Eagle works in opposition to cost savings elements that management committed to, making it more challenging for Eagle to compete.
Lastly, we are stunned by the lack of resistance exhibited from ALPA’s national officers, with the sole exception of Vice President of Administration and Eagle Captain Bill Couette. Our National Leadership has not led the way in this effort to “Stop the Whipsaw”.
With months to go until new flight time and duty time regulations that will result in a five-to-ten percent increase in pilot staffing to cover existing schedules, and despite months of regional airlines missing hiring targets industry-wide, it is absurd that our national leadership has not supported the outcry from regional MECs to collectively set a higher bar and simply say, “no” to this last ditch effort by US Airways’ management to drive this industry into compensation models from twenty years ago when we were piloting Metroliners, rather than aircraft significantly larger and more complex that what used to be entry-level aircraft at mainlines.
We all know that airlines need to compete based on costs. Eagle, as well as other MECs, have proven time and time again a willingness to work with management in a mutually agreeable way to rein in costs and find better and cheaper ways to do business. But it is one thing to decide to place aircraft at an airline because they are cheaper, it is another for an already inexpensive pilot group to voluntarily accept decade-long concessions to facilitate it. We hope the PSA pilots will realize that the race to the bottom simply is not worth the carrot and that ALPA’s national officers will ultimately agree that regional pilot jobs are worth protecting with the same vigor as mainline jobs. There will be another meeting next week with all the MEC Chairmen and I am confident your new MEC Chairman will carry this message.
I cannot describe how disconcerting it is that this is the last hotline I will likely send to you. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I closed without stating that I am proud of the Eagle MEC. Along with tremendous pilot support, we have weathered the proposed divestiture of American Eagle, the AMR bankruptcy, and a vicious negotiation with another company’s management, which as of now, has resulted in a bleak future for American Eagle employees. Despite record profits and a healthy parent company, ready to exit bankruptcy except for the current DOJ dispute, the $43 million that the American Eagle pilots conceded under a mutually agreeable negotiation is apparently not enough to satisfy management’s need to achieve “cheaper” labor before it can feel that it has wrestled enough from the expert workers who actually perform the job being purchased by our customers.
It has been a great honor to serve you in this capacity and I look forward to continuing this battle alongside you on the flight deck.
Fraternally,
Captain Tony Gutierrez
ALPA President Letter: September 16, 2013
Fellow Pilot,
On September 6, you received a letter from your former MEC Chairman on his final day in office as the EGL MEC Chairman. His letter expressed many concerns, but focused most on recent negotiations at PSA and on ALPA’s response to your company requests for concessions.
I will not respond to his letter point-by-point; however, I feel that it is important for you to understand the Association’s perspective with regards to the future of the regional industry.
It is my belief that our approach should be to always deliberately discuss and understand the world we live in, carefully weigh all the facts and alternatives, and respond thoughtfully and without emotion to ensure that we protect existing work and build career paths for the future of our members.
Today, the Fee-For-Departure (FFD) pilots and their companies are facing intense industry pressure similar to that faced by legacy pilots in the last decade following 9/11. The external factors present during that period resulted in downward modification to collective bargaining agreements. Mainline contracts are returning more closely to an appropriate standard for pay, benefits, work rules and job security provisions.
Prolonged economic downturn, consolidation, high fuel prices, and an increased focus on capacity discipline has led mainlines to constrain affiliate capacity, focus on larger more fuel efficient jets, and reduce the overall costs they pay to FFD carriers. This includes an increased focus on FFD pilot block hour costs. With stagnation in the industry increasing longevity costs at some carriers, there is a wide disparity in pilot block hour costs.
The economic factors listed above, along with an increase to the regulated retirement age, have limited career growth opportunities as well as slowed hiring. This resulted in increased longevity among FFD pilots during the past 10 years. At some airlines — Eagle and Endeavor (formerly Pinnacle), for example — higher average longevity has been one of the biggest cost drivers in those contracts. Pilot longevity also played a huge role in making Comair financially uncompetitive.
While actual Year 15 rates between two carriers may only be as little as 2% apart, one carrier will have much higher average longevity than the other and this longevity component can raise pilot block hour costs from approximately $275 to $350 per hour.
Consider these current realities:
· Mainline carriers are now re-equipping their FFD affiliates where large capital expenditures are needed.
· We are in a bargaining cycle where overcapacity exists and mainline airlines have choices over where to allocate this flying.
· Mainline carriers don’t need our help to achieve lower block hour costs; they can achieve this simply by using existing lower cost partners to do the flying.
I’m confident that consolidation at FFD carriers, an improving economic picture, and more fuel efficient and larger jets will improve our negotiating leverage in the next few years. We will again be in a stronger bargaining position in the near future, just like at mainline carriers and like the robust and favorable bargaining during FFD negotiations between 1999 and 2004.
Normal turnover, increased hiring at mainline carriers as a result of increased number of retirements, and new hiring at the regional level, will eventually lower longevity costs. But what do we do in the meantime?
We have tough choices to make about how to protect our members’ work at existing carriers, and where necessary, to provide soft landings for pilots at FFD carriers that may not survive rather than force fellow pilots to start over at the bottom of someone else’s seniority list. We also need to continue to pressure the brands to take more responsibility for their affiliates as well.
ALPA pilots have never been afraid of tough choices or hard work to protect our profession. We discuss the issues, weigh the pros and cons, and make decisions that are deliberate and thoughtful rather than emotional.
FFD carrier representatives gathered a few weeks ago and again last week to discuss these issues, and they’ll meet again in November to make collective decisions. As always, they will have the support of my office and the Association’s resources to carry out their mission.
Fraternally,
Capt. Lee Moak, President
US Airways Express PSA Pilots Ratify Agreements Guaranteeing the Placement of Large Regional Jets at PSA
See Story: http://www.alpa.org/...-13_13.PSA2.htm
USAPA, APA, & New American Airlines MOU Paragraph 9
Nothing herein shall prevent placement of the "US" code on flights operated by American or New American Airlines (or by any other airline when displaying the "AA" code), or placement of the "AA" code on flights operated by US Airways (or by any other airline when displaying the "US" code), immediately upon the Effective Date, and it is expressly agreed that US Airways and American or New American Airlines may do so. Subject to the provisions of this Memorandum, immediately upon the Effective Date, US Airways and New American Airlines or their successors (if any) may move forward with obtaining and utilizing a single operating certificate, and otherwise combining the operations of the two carriers, except for those measures that are dependent upon implementation of an integrated seniority list.
American Eagle ALPA MEC Chairman Letter: September 6, 2013
Fellow American Eagle pilots,
This is another disappointing week. We have now read the tentative agreement that PSA has reached with their management and with US Airways management and it is ugly. Here are a few lowlights. First and most significantly, it limits their Captain pay scales to year twelve and limits their First Officer pay scales to year four. In addition, this TA will extend their existing contract for an additional five years, until 2023 with no interim contract amendments. It limits their per diem to $1.75 for the duration of the agreement and the only pay raises PSA pilots will see for a decade will be the annual cost of living calculation that is already in their contract. By year three, the deal also raises their pilot medical benefit contribution from 27% to 35% of the annual cost with no language on deductibles and co-pays.
In exchange for these concessions, the PSA pilots might receive 30 of American Airlines’ future CRJ-900 aircraft (assuming the AA/US Airways merger occurs). Amazingly, it appears that the company is only contractually required to place one of these aircraft into service at PSA by 2016 in order to fulfill its obligation and to make this new agreement binding on the pilot group. On the other hand, if ratified, pilot concessions begin this January. These 30 aircraft are for American feed and are part of the same aircraft order over which we were negotiating with US Airways.
The PSA pilots will also receive an “enhancement” to their current guaranteed interview at US Airways.
Interviews will be offered to PSA pilots in PSA seniority order but US Airways is under no obligation to offer employment to any particular PSA pilot. A pilot who does not receive an offer of employment from US Airways can interview again but if he is declined again, his longevity at PSA is immediately frozen for the remainder of his career. The “enhancement” to the guaranteed interview provision is that US Airways must hire four per month, rather than three PSA pilots. It also appears however, there are multiple scenarios where US Airways can determine they have met that obligation without actually hiring anyone.
This tentative agreement represents the direction the American Eagle MEC was unwilling to go. As you know, your MEC has been committed to finding an agreement that does not gut the regional industry only to further the careers of senior Eagle pilots at the expense of everyone that will follow us. The MEC could not have been clearer on this position when it elected to end negotiations with US Airways and pushed for all of the ALPA-represented regional carriers to sign the “No B-Scale” letter. Although, this PSA deal does not contain a “B Scale” it is a massive step backwards for existing and future regional pilots.
If ratified, this new paradigm will be used against our brothers and sisters at ASA/ExpressJet, Republic, and SkyWest, all of whom are currently in challenging negotiations, not to mention it being used against us when management returns for additional discussions on future aircraft. Along with the Pinnacle (Endeavor Air) bankruptcy contract, the new PSA agreement will become management’s new “target”.
There are additional distasteful elements to this TA, not the least of which is the fact that this negotiation is over future AA feed at the exact time that the Department of Justice is opposing the merger of AA and US Airways. AA made it overwhelmingly clear that “large” RJs were an essential component of their restructuring plan, whether merged or stand alone. Now, AA’s future feed has been promised to a pilot group who will have to wait an indeterminate period of time to see if the merger will ever be approved, which is a precursor to AA’s regional aircraft being placed at PSA. During that delay, these essential aircraft will be withheld from AA’s feed operation, where it is already significantly behind its competition in “large” RJ deployment. This further confirms our position that AA needs to order large regional aircraft now and place them at American Eagle, the only constant irrespective of the mainline merger.
Additionally, by removing all Captain pay scales above step twelve, PSA’s tentative agreement eviscerates all the gains made over the last twelve years focused on making regional airlines a viable career choice for experienced pilots.
Both American and US Airways’ managements clearly know that withholding replacement aircraft from American Eagle works in opposition to cost savings elements that management committed to, making it more challenging for Eagle to compete.
Lastly, we are stunned by the lack of resistance exhibited from ALPA’s national officers, with the sole exception of Vice President of Administration and Eagle Captain Bill Couette. Our National Leadership has not led the way in this effort to “Stop the Whipsaw”.
With months to go until new flight time and duty time regulations that will result in a five-to-ten percent increase in pilot staffing to cover existing schedules, and despite months of regional airlines missing hiring targets industry-wide, it is absurd that our national leadership has not supported the outcry from regional MECs to collectively set a higher bar and simply say, “no” to this last ditch effort by US Airways’ management to drive this industry into compensation models from twenty years ago when we were piloting Metroliners, rather than aircraft significantly larger and more complex that what used to be entry-level aircraft at mainlines.
We all know that airlines need to compete based on costs. Eagle, as well as other MECs, have proven time and time again a willingness to work with management in a mutually agreeable way to rein in costs and find better and cheaper ways to do business. But it is one thing to decide to place aircraft at an airline because they are cheaper, it is another for an already inexpensive pilot group to voluntarily accept decade-long concessions to facilitate it. We hope the PSA pilots will realize that the race to the bottom simply is not worth the carrot and that ALPA’s national officers will ultimately agree that regional pilot jobs are worth protecting with the same vigor as mainline jobs. There will be another meeting next week with all the MEC Chairmen and I am confident your new MEC Chairman will carry this message.
I cannot describe how disconcerting it is that this is the last hotline I will likely send to you. Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I closed without stating that I am proud of the Eagle MEC. Along with tremendous pilot support, we have weathered the proposed divestiture of American Eagle, the AMR bankruptcy, and a vicious negotiation with another company’s management, which as of now, has resulted in a bleak future for American Eagle employees. Despite record profits and a healthy parent company, ready to exit bankruptcy except for the current DOJ dispute, the $43 million that the American Eagle pilots conceded under a mutually agreeable negotiation is apparently not enough to satisfy management’s need to achieve “cheaper” labor before it can feel that it has wrestled enough from the expert workers who actually perform the job being purchased by our customers.
It has been a great honor to serve you in this capacity and I look forward to continuing this battle alongside you on the flight deck.
Fraternally,
Captain Tony Gutierrez
ALPA President Letter: September 16, 2013
Fellow Pilot,
On September 6, you received a letter from your former MEC Chairman on his final day in office as the EGL MEC Chairman. His letter expressed many concerns, but focused most on recent negotiations at PSA and on ALPA’s response to your company requests for concessions.
I will not respond to his letter point-by-point; however, I feel that it is important for you to understand the Association’s perspective with regards to the future of the regional industry.
It is my belief that our approach should be to always deliberately discuss and understand the world we live in, carefully weigh all the facts and alternatives, and respond thoughtfully and without emotion to ensure that we protect existing work and build career paths for the future of our members.
Today, the Fee-For-Departure (FFD) pilots and their companies are facing intense industry pressure similar to that faced by legacy pilots in the last decade following 9/11. The external factors present during that period resulted in downward modification to collective bargaining agreements. Mainline contracts are returning more closely to an appropriate standard for pay, benefits, work rules and job security provisions.
Prolonged economic downturn, consolidation, high fuel prices, and an increased focus on capacity discipline has led mainlines to constrain affiliate capacity, focus on larger more fuel efficient jets, and reduce the overall costs they pay to FFD carriers. This includes an increased focus on FFD pilot block hour costs. With stagnation in the industry increasing longevity costs at some carriers, there is a wide disparity in pilot block hour costs.
The economic factors listed above, along with an increase to the regulated retirement age, have limited career growth opportunities as well as slowed hiring. This resulted in increased longevity among FFD pilots during the past 10 years. At some airlines — Eagle and Endeavor (formerly Pinnacle), for example — higher average longevity has been one of the biggest cost drivers in those contracts. Pilot longevity also played a huge role in making Comair financially uncompetitive.
While actual Year 15 rates between two carriers may only be as little as 2% apart, one carrier will have much higher average longevity than the other and this longevity component can raise pilot block hour costs from approximately $275 to $350 per hour.
Consider these current realities:
· Mainline carriers are now re-equipping their FFD affiliates where large capital expenditures are needed.
· We are in a bargaining cycle where overcapacity exists and mainline airlines have choices over where to allocate this flying.
· Mainline carriers don’t need our help to achieve lower block hour costs; they can achieve this simply by using existing lower cost partners to do the flying.
I’m confident that consolidation at FFD carriers, an improving economic picture, and more fuel efficient and larger jets will improve our negotiating leverage in the next few years. We will again be in a stronger bargaining position in the near future, just like at mainline carriers and like the robust and favorable bargaining during FFD negotiations between 1999 and 2004.
Normal turnover, increased hiring at mainline carriers as a result of increased number of retirements, and new hiring at the regional level, will eventually lower longevity costs. But what do we do in the meantime?
We have tough choices to make about how to protect our members’ work at existing carriers, and where necessary, to provide soft landings for pilots at FFD carriers that may not survive rather than force fellow pilots to start over at the bottom of someone else’s seniority list. We also need to continue to pressure the brands to take more responsibility for their affiliates as well.
ALPA pilots have never been afraid of tough choices or hard work to protect our profession. We discuss the issues, weigh the pros and cons, and make decisions that are deliberate and thoughtful rather than emotional.
FFD carrier representatives gathered a few weeks ago and again last week to discuss these issues, and they’ll meet again in November to make collective decisions. As always, they will have the support of my office and the Association’s resources to carry out their mission.
Fraternally,
Capt. Lee Moak, President
gabby
Senior
- Jul 24, 2006
- 306
- 48
Well, this will send a shiver through a number of pilot groups at regional airlines.
PSA Aviation pilots have ratified a tentative agreement that exchanged concessions primarily for new-hire pilots for a promise that parent US Airways would add larger regional jets to the PSA fleet, the pilot union said Friday.
A deal along the same lines was rejected this summer by the leadership of American Eagle’s pilot union, the Air Line Pilots Association. ALPA’s Master Executive Council at American Eagle said they couldn’t agree to set up a “B-scale” that paid pilots hired in the future less than what current pilots were getting.
ALPA’s MEC at PSA decided to take the deal and submitted it to members. The union said 61 percent of those voting voted yes.
“These agreements secure substantially enhanced opportunities for our pilots to progress to our mainline partner and job protections for them here at PSA, while also protecting the core of our compensation and work rules, which fosters a better environment for PSA to attract new-hire pilots,” said Capt. Jesse Coeling, chairman of the PSA’s MEC.
Here’s what ALPA at PSA said the deal included, and we quote with some editing for length:
– A commitment by US Airways Group to place a minimum of 30 large regional jets on the PSA operating certificate.
– PSA pilots will also be granted seniority-based interviews and guaranteed additional job offers at US Airways.
– In exchange, PSA pilots agreed to pay adjustments, changes to medical premiums, and an extension of their contract to 2023.
– The agreements also provide PSA pilots with greater job security at PSA, furlough protections, and opportunities for first officers to upgrade to captain positions more quickly.
The regional airline world has been roiled since Pinnacle Airlines pilots agreed to a concessionary contract earlier this year. (Pinnacle, now a Delta subsidiary, has been renamed Endeavor Air.)
Delta Air Lines then said it has agreements with its regional partners to reset their rates over time to the second lowest rate paid to Delta’s set of partners.
That situation at Delta set the bar when US Airways president Scott Kirby and other executives brought their proposal to American Eagle, in advance of the planned merger of US Airways and American.
When American Eagle pilots turned the deal down, the executives took much the same proposal to PSA, one of US Airways’ two regional carriers.
PSA Aviation pilots have ratified a tentative agreement that exchanged concessions primarily for new-hire pilots for a promise that parent US Airways would add larger regional jets to the PSA fleet, the pilot union said Friday.
A deal along the same lines was rejected this summer by the leadership of American Eagle’s pilot union, the Air Line Pilots Association. ALPA’s Master Executive Council at American Eagle said they couldn’t agree to set up a “B-scale” that paid pilots hired in the future less than what current pilots were getting.
ALPA’s MEC at PSA decided to take the deal and submitted it to members. The union said 61 percent of those voting voted yes.
“These agreements secure substantially enhanced opportunities for our pilots to progress to our mainline partner and job protections for them here at PSA, while also protecting the core of our compensation and work rules, which fosters a better environment for PSA to attract new-hire pilots,” said Capt. Jesse Coeling, chairman of the PSA’s MEC.
Here’s what ALPA at PSA said the deal included, and we quote with some editing for length:
– A commitment by US Airways Group to place a minimum of 30 large regional jets on the PSA operating certificate.
– PSA pilots will also be granted seniority-based interviews and guaranteed additional job offers at US Airways.
– In exchange, PSA pilots agreed to pay adjustments, changes to medical premiums, and an extension of their contract to 2023.
– The agreements also provide PSA pilots with greater job security at PSA, furlough protections, and opportunities for first officers to upgrade to captain positions more quickly.
The regional airline world has been roiled since Pinnacle Airlines pilots agreed to a concessionary contract earlier this year. (Pinnacle, now a Delta subsidiary, has been renamed Endeavor Air.)
Delta Air Lines then said it has agreements with its regional partners to reset their rates over time to the second lowest rate paid to Delta’s set of partners.
That situation at Delta set the bar when US Airways president Scott Kirby and other executives brought their proposal to American Eagle, in advance of the planned merger of US Airways and American.
When American Eagle pilots turned the deal down, the executives took much the same proposal to PSA, one of US Airways’ two regional carriers.
Wow! You actually posted that with a presumably straight face? "ALPA President" = "Fellow Pilot"? Whew! Thanks for the Joke of the Day.
USA320Pilot
Veteran
- May 18, 2003
- 8,175
- 1,539
​PilotAction Merger News for US Airways & American Airlines #2: September 27, 2013
PSA Airlines' Pilots Ratify Letter Of Agreement To Amend Collective Bargaining Agreement
See story: http://finance.yahoo...-175700479.html
PSA Pilots Ratify Agreements Guaranteeing the Placement of Large Regional Jets at PSA
See story: http://finance.yahoo...-180400691.html
USAPA BPR Regular 3rd Quarter Meeting Recap - Day 1 (President Report): September 27, 2013
President Hummel briefed the Board on an issue with the PSA proposed Contract's Scope Language, and he has spoken with the President of the PSA pilots' union. Basically, their proposed contract language says they can fly 70-90 seat aircraft, but our contract says a maximum of 76 seats. Although 76 seats are within the 70-90 range, a clarification that there is a 76-seat maximum was needed. A letter has been sent to the V.P. of Legal Affairs at US Airways and a copy sent to ALPA (PSA’s bargaining agent) to confirm these aircraft will meet our Scope restrictions contained in the MOU.
AMR Eagle MEC Chairman Letter: September 27, 2013
Fellow Eagle Pilots:
It is with profound disappointment that we learn of the ratification of the concessionary TA at PSA. While we respect the right of the PSA pilots to determine what is best for them and their families, we believe it was a colossal mistake to unnecessarily drive the industry standard to such a miserable level. This deal in some ways mimics what was negotiated by Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle Airlines Inc.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, during their effort to avoid liquidation in bankruptcy. One significant difference is that the Endeavor pilots were compensated for many of the concessions they provided. The only potential gain for the PSA pilots in this deal is the possibility of new aircraft.
It is unclear whether this deal is contingent upon the pending lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the merger, but it appears unlikely to occur without one. The next step in the process is for the ALPA President to decide whether the agreement conforms to the direction and goals of the Association membership. Our MEC strongly encourages him to be deliberate in his examination of the agreement prior to signing it. If it takes effect, this new low bar will make it more difficult for other pilot groups, including us at Eagle, to have fair and livable pay and work rules. Everyone likes shiny new jets, but they must not be financed by cutting the pay and benefits that we have worked so hard to achieve. We believe this is exactly what the PSA pilots have signed the industry up for.
Please try to keep your efforts and actions positive, constructive and oriented toward drawing us together as a team. It is critical that we stand together as a unified group while we navigate the difficult road ahead. Please communicate all ideas, suggestions and offers of assistance to your local reps as one of our strengths is having the perspective and experience of 2900 airline pilots.
We remain open to any reasonable proposal from management which could bring airplanes to Eagle to replace the ones we’re retiring and ensure Eagle’s viability. We look forward to an earnest discussion with management about how best to proceed.
Sincerely and in unity,
Bill Sprague, MEC Chairman
Matt Rettig, MEC Vice-Chairman
PSA Airlines' Pilots Ratify Letter Of Agreement To Amend Collective Bargaining Agreement
See story: http://finance.yahoo...-175700479.html
PSA Pilots Ratify Agreements Guaranteeing the Placement of Large Regional Jets at PSA
See story: http://finance.yahoo...-180400691.html
USAPA BPR Regular 3rd Quarter Meeting Recap - Day 1 (President Report): September 27, 2013
President Hummel briefed the Board on an issue with the PSA proposed Contract's Scope Language, and he has spoken with the President of the PSA pilots' union. Basically, their proposed contract language says they can fly 70-90 seat aircraft, but our contract says a maximum of 76 seats. Although 76 seats are within the 70-90 range, a clarification that there is a 76-seat maximum was needed. A letter has been sent to the V.P. of Legal Affairs at US Airways and a copy sent to ALPA (PSA’s bargaining agent) to confirm these aircraft will meet our Scope restrictions contained in the MOU.
AMR Eagle MEC Chairman Letter: September 27, 2013
Fellow Eagle Pilots:
It is with profound disappointment that we learn of the ratification of the concessionary TA at PSA. While we respect the right of the PSA pilots to determine what is best for them and their families, we believe it was a colossal mistake to unnecessarily drive the industry standard to such a miserable level. This deal in some ways mimics what was negotiated by Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle Airlines Inc.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, during their effort to avoid liquidation in bankruptcy. One significant difference is that the Endeavor pilots were compensated for many of the concessions they provided. The only potential gain for the PSA pilots in this deal is the possibility of new aircraft.
It is unclear whether this deal is contingent upon the pending lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the merger, but it appears unlikely to occur without one. The next step in the process is for the ALPA President to decide whether the agreement conforms to the direction and goals of the Association membership. Our MEC strongly encourages him to be deliberate in his examination of the agreement prior to signing it. If it takes effect, this new low bar will make it more difficult for other pilot groups, including us at Eagle, to have fair and livable pay and work rules. Everyone likes shiny new jets, but they must not be financed by cutting the pay and benefits that we have worked so hard to achieve. We believe this is exactly what the PSA pilots have signed the industry up for.
Please try to keep your efforts and actions positive, constructive and oriented toward drawing us together as a team. It is critical that we stand together as a unified group while we navigate the difficult road ahead. Please communicate all ideas, suggestions and offers of assistance to your local reps as one of our strengths is having the perspective and experience of 2900 airline pilots.
We remain open to any reasonable proposal from management which could bring airplanes to Eagle to replace the ones we’re retiring and ensure Eagle’s viability. We look forward to an earnest discussion with management about how best to proceed.
Sincerely and in unity,
Bill Sprague, MEC Chairman
Matt Rettig, MEC Vice-Chairman
GorgeousGeorge
Senior
- Apr 29, 2008
- 326
- 357
Why would the President of ALPA sign this? Shouldn't he with hold his signature?
It looks like a lot of vague language for some possible job security and some strong language on the negatives in the contract. It looks a lot like typical USAirways stuff. I was hoping that all pilots would learn a lesson from the contract USAirways east pilots have been living under.....don't throw away your career just to save your job. The company will take your lack of conviction to heart and use it against you as long as they remain in business.
OP
will fix for food
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 664
- 50
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #15
I take it you didn't actually read the agreement.
