[font=Calibri']Gentlemen,[/font]
[font=Calibri']“May you live in interesting times”. It sounds like a blessing, but it is actually a curse, supposedly a Chinese curse. However, the exact origin of the phrase is unknown. The MOU contains many good things to enhance our careers – a blessing. The money is nice. But…… there are parts of the MOU that concern me – a curse.[/font]
[font=Calibri']In reading some of the emails that are circulating concerning the MOU, I find that many of my fellow USAPA brethren express what I also feel. [/font]
[font=Calibri']Why do we not gain the benefits of the MOU immediately upon ratification as do our AA brethren. [/font][font=Calibri']Why do we have to wait until the ‘effective date’. Yes, we get retroactive pay but in the meantime, we stay at our bottom feeder bankruptcy wages with a 10% DC contribution instead of 14% at AA pay rates. When will the effective date occur, June or a year later?[/font]
[font=Calibri']Vague language within the MOU is concerning. [/font][font=Calibri'] For example, paragraph 4: “It is the intent of the parties…”; “Parties further understand that it will take some period of time for those items to be implemented.”; and “each term of the MTA shall be applicable to all USAirways pilots at the earliest practicable time for each such term”. What! We need specifics, not items that can be exploited. Haven’t we been beaten enough in the past with loopholes?[/font]
[font=Calibri']Paragraph 14: Signing away scope!, as of the effective date of the POR. Why would we do that especially without a JCBA (Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement) and merged seniority list?[/font]
[font=Calibri']A $40 million signing bonus. Really?!? That is all we are worth after years of operating under a bankruptcy contract and a terminated DB plan? $40mil is insulting. [/font][font=Calibri']The AA pilots were smart enough to get their DB plan frozen. For round numbers I am guessing each one on average has $½mil. We will never get anything close but $40Mil doesn’t adequately reward us for our sacrifices. We did a lot to get our company to be in a position for this merger. Plus, the AA pilots get 13.5% equity stake in the form of unrestricted stock! We get……..?[/font]
[font=Calibri']The big hammer. We are being led to believe that if we do not approve this MOU, the merger will proceed without us. In view of our existing Scope, I do not think so!!! Even the Flight Plan for a Merger in the ‘What happens if MOU is not approved’ section offers a big hint. Our advisors say we would have an arguable grievance. The AA guys did not settle for the first MOU offered. Improvements were made. We too need to have some gonads and we don’t even need big ones. We finally have some leverage guys. [/font]
[font=Calibri']There are areas of the MOU as it applies to USAirways pilots that need IMPROVEMENT! If we are going to be onboard with this merger, we need immediate equity with our AA brethren, not some future moving date along with vague intents and earliest practicable times.[/font]
[font=Calibri']Our NAC has done a great job so far. Let’s finish with some ideas for tweaking from the rank and file.[/font]
[font=Calibri']The MOU, as it stands, receives a “no” from me.[/font]