Federal Court Grants US Airways' Request For an Expedited Hearing On A Preliminary Injunction Agains

[Claxon]

Of course, Dr. Lee used time series data! The break point was a study of operations from prior to May 1st and afterwards. He averaged the data into weekly numbers, and he examined trends comparing various metrics before and after that date. Still don't believe me? Look at Dr. Lee's dozen of graphs and what does the hortizontal axis represent? Time usually in weekly averages. That is prima facia evidence that time series data was used!

You would have a valid point if Dr. Lee was only saying "the average of X prior to May 1st compared to the average of X after May 1st", and he did that to some degree, but there were have been huge flaws to the study, insofar the number of data points prior to May 1st would have over the entire year vs. the data points after May 1st covering just a few months. As a consequence, Dr. Lee rightfully, included the vast amount of data points into time series data, and used a dummy variable to represent operations after the May 1st cut-off point, as such, the analysis of a Durbin-Watson test would have been required. (For all we know, the DW test could be a non-issue, but not reporting the number creates doubt.)



The main body of the study was not cross sectional data examining a very short period of time like a day, week or month, but rather well over a year and through several seasons. Don't think it matters still? Dr. Lee did, as he provided a chart demonstrating the change of US relative to other airlines performance and what a dramatic change over year-to-year, and during the time of his study. As we all know, much can happen to an airline's operations over the course of one year.





Yes we know what can happen to operations year over year. Ask Franke Air mgt. What happened to the operations when they failed to have enough de icing fluid in stock at the eastern CLT hub a year ago. Was that a pilot conspiracy also??? Did Franke Air conspire to skew quarterly earnings?


So Corrects Jester.

 

[Claxon]

Claxon inadvertently inserted in jesters post the fact Franke air has altered eastern operations by failing to ordering de ice fluid for the CLT hub, altering the data also. Apologies Jester

 

[USA320Pilot]

Earlier today Judge Conrad ruled against USAPA's motions to dismiss the Preliminary Injunction lawsuit and transfer the case to the U.S. District Court in New York City. US Airways is now cleared to to pursue the lawsuit alleging an illegal slowdown by its East Coast-based USAPA pilots, which will be heard this Friday, August 19.

Click here to read the news report.

 

[aquagreen73s]

Of course, Dr. Lee used time series data! The break point was a study of operations from prior to May 1st and afterwards. He averaged the data into weekly numbers, and he examined trends comparing various metrics before and after that date. Still don't believe me? Look at Dr. Lee's dozen of graphs and what does the hortizontal axis represent? Time usually in weekly averages. That is prima facia evidence that time series data was used!

You would have a valid point if Dr. Lee was only saying "the average of X prior to May 1st compared to the average of X after May 1st", and he did that to some degree, but there were have been huge flaws to the study, insofar the number of data points prior to May 1st would have over the entire year vs. the data points after May 1st covering just a few months. As a consequence, Dr. Lee rightfully, included the vast amount of data points into time series data, and used a dummy variable to represent operations after the May 1st cut-off point, as such, the analysis of a Durbin-Watson test would have been required. (For all we know, the DW test could be a non-issue, but not reporting the number creates doubt.)

The main body of the study was not cross sectional data examining a very short period of time like a day, week or month, but rather well over a year and through several seasons. Don't think it matters still? Dr. Lee did, as he provided a chart demonstrating the change of US relative to other airlines performance and what a dramatic change over year-to-year, and during the time of his study. As we all know, much can happen to an airline's operations over the course of one year.

So Corrects Jester

Time series analysis uncovers a time dependent bias to account for differences in output. Lee's analysis zero's out any time dependence by accounting for differences in taxi times on account for when the taxi data was collected, namely weather. What's more, a time series analysis, standing alone, would make the company's case look better, not worse. THink of it this way: taxi times are going to be longer in Winter rather than anytime else in the year. By including Winter as well as Spring Summer and Fall, and comparing that aggregate to the SUmmer of '11, they are actually reducing the significance of the East Summer '11 stats.
"When" the taxi times, standing alone, are collected can make a difference. All time series analysis does is identify to the statistician that "hey, there's a time dependence here." So the statistician then needs to account for that time dependence, which Dr. Lee does with his weather factors. As a professional pilot, I can't think of any other factors other than rain, snow and wind to account for whatever time dependence exists in taxi times.

One final note,time series analysis has no relevance in the comparisons between East vs West and East vs Express as the time of data collections are the same for all three subpopulaitons. The only possibility is when comparing before and after but as I've pointed out above, Lee identified the variables that might indicate a time dependence as between May June July taxi times versus aggregate yearly taxi times.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Earlier today Judge Conrad ruled against USAPA's motions to dismiss the Preliminary Injunction lawsuit and transfer the case to the U.S. District Court in New York City. US Airways is now cleared to to pursue the lawsuit alleging an illegal slowdown by its East Coast-based USAPA pilots, which will be heard this Friday, August 19.

Click here to read the news report.

Most motions to dismiss are denied. In and of itself it means nothing. It was clear with an expedited hearing that their was enough "meat" on the bones of US's complaint to warrant a full hearing on the matter.

 

[aquagreen73s]

Most motions to dismiss are denied. In and of itself it means nothing.

Except in the RICO case where USAPA's frivolous allegations were dismissed WITH PREJUICE.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Except in the RICO case where USAPA's frivolous allegations were dismissed WITH PREJUDICE.

I forgot about that one. My point was that people shouldn't try to read anything into it. The OP has a history of tea leaf reading and in this case there is no tea and no leaves, just lots of fresh red meat. Open question is who is going to be the main course.

 

[cleardirect]

You western pilots remind me of Nixons plumbers scrambling around with their discrediting campaign right before the boom was lowered in Watergate. You most likely engineered the texting campaign. You already stole the eastern data with the assistance of Franke Air insiders.

Thank you! You are giving me the best laugh I have had in awhile. Really keep it up I am enjoying this theory a lot.

So you are telling us that the east pilots are so weak minded and sheepish that some unknown number tells them to slow down the operation and they do. Next you know that you just admitted that the east pilots are indeed slowing down on purpose.

If anyone would have to prove a dumb ass theory that the west was really running this slow down would have to be usapa. Bring it, were is your evidence?

BTW no one stole anything. Again another false accusation. Also no one has ever said that cell phone numbers were included. Keep grasping at straws, a drowning man with lash out at anything before they go down.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Thank you! You are giving me the best laugh I have had in awhile. Really keep it up I am enjoying this theory a lot.

So you are telling us that the east pilots are so weak minded and sheepish that some unknown number tells them to slow down the operation and they do. Next you know that you just admitted that the east pilots are indeed slowing down on purpose.

If anyone would have to prove a dumb ass theory that the west was really running this slow down would have to be usapa. Bring it, were is your evidence?

BTW no one stole anything. Again another false accusation. Also no one has ever said that cell phone numbers were included. Keep grasping at straws, a drowning man with lash out at anything before they go down.

Help me on something please?

When did Bill Franke leave America West?
Why is he widely despised?

My only real knowledge of him is his hedge fund invested in Spirit Air and cashed out with a significant profit, leaving behind a company poised for growth, profitable with a stock that was performing well. Pilots that make more than some at US. I guess I need a history

 

[cleardirect]

Help me on something please?

When did Bill Franke leave America West?
Why is he widely despised?

My only real knowledge of him is his hedge fund invested in Spirit Air and cashed out with a significant profit, leaving behind a company poised for growth, profitable with a stock that was performing well. Pilots that make more than some at US. I guess I need a history

Bill Franke left September 1, 2001. 11 days prior to 9/11. Parker had to step up 11 days later and keep AWA in the air.

Franke was a micro-manger that had no regard for employees or people in a lower economic class than himself. About a week before Christmas one year he fired a bunch of MX people. He treated people as equipment not as humans. I met him once. A truly unlikable guy.

It is coming up on 10 years the Franke has been gone so for claxon to call us Franke air is just silly. A drowning man grasping at anything to keep himself above the waves.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Bill Franke left September 1, 2001. 11 days prior to 9/11. Parker had to step up 11 days later and keep AWA in the air.

Franke was a micro-manger that had no regard for employees or people in a lower economic class than himself. About a week before Christmas one year he fired a bunch of MX people. He treated people as equipment not as humans. I met him once. A truly unlikable guy.

It is coming up on 10 years the Franke has been gone so for claxon to call us Franke air is just silly. A drowning man grasping at anything to keep himself above the waves.

Well I won't comment on Claxon's aquatic skills, however thanks for the info. Apparently Mr Franke has learned to minimize his shortcomings and put his strengths where they do the most good. Dealing with money instead of people. He wasn't involved in the day to day at Spirit so that was good news for employees.

It also goes a long way toward explaining the current culture of the HP side of US, I think you'd agree that compared to Bill Franke, Doug Parker looks like the Second Coming,

Now contrast that to something like 20+ years of bad management at US. Most on the East wouldn't know a good executive if they trip over one. So good, Bad or Indifferent Doug looks like yet another uncaring bonus grubbing CEO

Take the above and the generally though not always inflated egos of both pilot groups and it's pretty easy to see why things are as they are. This is where I fault Doug. IMO he should have been personally, directly involved. This would have shown the East that it not "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" and maybe just maybe this thing would have been done before it's started. Now the whole thing is in the shitter and the only winners are the lawyers as they back up the Brinks truck to 1111 Rio Salada Drive.

Final question. Weren't all the mtc issues under Franke?

 

[Move2CLT]

I wonder what caused to DCA reps to start looking for cover. Interesting thing they just put out
Are there any east pilots here who can comment?

In accordance with a legal resolution the BPR passed last April, we had a conversation with two other Representatives and Lee Seham, USAPA's General Council. In our conversation with Lee, we learned of some issues related to the numerous legal challenges facing us, which we were not earlier made aware of. We both feel strongly that these issues need to be heard and addressed, in an urgent manner by your Board. Therefore, we are attempting to work in concert with our fellow Board members, and are calling for a Special Meeting of the BPR to be held in CLT in the very near future. It is also our intent to ensure that Lee be available to personally address the Board at this meeting. In the interest of transparency, we hope to be able to provide further details to you, shortly after we have had a chance to convene.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Washington Domicile Update: April 17, 2011

Fellow DC pilots,

On Friday August 12, a hearing was held in the CLT Federal District court on the company's request to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order, TRO, against USAPA for an alleged illegal job action. The TRO request relates to US Airways' "Complaint for Injunctive Relief" which was filed against USAPA on July 29th, 2011. No rulings were issued but another hearing and possible action was scheduled for Friday August 19th. Due to the increase in legal activities and the seriousness of the outcomes on our union we have been attempting some fact finding. In accordance with a legal resolution the BPR passed last April, we had a conversation with two other Representatives and Lee Seham, USAPA's General Council. In our conversation with Lee, we learned of some issues related to the numerous legal challenges facing us, which we were not earlier made aware of. We both feel strongly that these issues need to be heard and addressed, in an urgent manner by your Board. Therefore, we are attempting to work in concert with our fellow Board members, and are calling for a Special Meeting of the BPR to be held in CLT in the very near future. It is also our intent to ensure that Lee be available to personally address the Board at this meeting. In the interest of transparency, we hope to be able to provide further details to you, shortly after we have had a chance to convene.

In the meantime, we once again remind you of what we published a week ago:

"We condemn any illegal actions or operations not in accordance with company policies. We know that all of you see the problems with the constant push for on time performance and the pressure to overlook many safety related items. Please continue to do your job as you always have done, professionally and safely, while following company edicts of safety, passenger comfort, schedule and efficiency. Thank you for your continued professionalism."

We would also like to state, that neither of us have voted for, or approved, any concerted effort asking you to take part in any operational slowdowns or illegal activities contrary to our contract and the regulations of the Railway Labor Act. We ask, as always, that you conduct a safe operation for our passengers and crews, but stress that you stay mindful of any line between safety and perceived illegal actions.

Fraternally,

Captain Joe Stein

First Officer Pete Dugstad

 

[Move2CLT]

Most motions to dismiss are denied.

Interesting. What percentage would you say are denied when you say "most?". I assume you mean Federal courts? And with your legal expertise, why do you think the courts mostly dismiss them?

 

[Move2CLT]

USAPILOT320,

What were these reps not made aware of? I thought they were part of the decision process?