FREEDOM AIRLINES PILOTS CONSENT TO JETS FOR JOBS

[chipmunn]

FREEDOM AIRLINES PILOTS CONSENT TO JETS FOR JOBS
PHOENIX - Mesa Air Group today announced that the pilots at its subsidiary, Freedom Airlines, have unanimously consented to accept the US Airways ''jets for jobs'' program. The agreement would allow Freedom to operate regional jets in the US Airways Express system under a revenue guarantee agreement with the airline.
In an open letter to the chairman of the US Airways pilots union, the Freedom pilots stated Freedom Airlines and its pilots recognize the sacrifices of the US Airways pilots for US Airways furloughed pilots. We currently have opportunities and growth that will provide hundreds of pilot jobs for US Airways furloughed pilots.
Under the ''jets for jobs'' agreement previously reached between US Airways and its pilots, 50% of new regional jet jobs must be offered to furloughed US Airways pilots. In return, the US Airways pilots agreed to amend their contract to allow a substantial increase in the number of regional jets which can be operated by the US Airways Express carriers.
Freedom Airlines currently operates 64-seat CRJ-700 as America West Express and will be begin operating 80-seat CRJ-900 aircraft in the spring of 2002.
We are pleased to be able to offer job opportunities to the furloughed pilots at US Airways and at the same time create additional opportunities for our people at Freedom, said Michael Ferverda, President of Freedom. In addition, we are excited about contributing to the restructuring of US Airways. This is clearly a situation where all the parties involved come out ahead, and we are anxious to move forward.
We cordially invite the US Airways pilots and their union representatives to meet with Freedom Airlines pilot management to expedite the placement of your furloughed pilots into the cockpits of our airplanes.
Freedom currently has firm aircraft orders for 34 CRJ-700 and -900 aircraft. Mesa Airlines, Freedom''s sister company, has an agreement with US Airways for 70 additional regional jets. It is expected that these aircraft will create more than 1000 new pilot jobs.

 

[Sidelined_03]

[P]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 12/27/2002 1203 AM chipmunn wrote:
[P]FREEDOM AIRLINES PILOTS CONSENT TO "JETS FOR JOBS"[BR][BR]PHOENIX - Mesa Air Group today announced that the pilots at its subsidiary, Freedom Airlines, have unanimously consented to accept the US Airways 'jets for jobs' program. [BR][BR][FONT face="Comic Sans MS"]Unanimously consented? Why not tell it like it is. management said this is what is going to happen and the non union pilots said Okay.They have no choice but to unanimously accept.[BR][/FONT][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][BR][/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P][/P]

 

[flyin2low]

Don't the U pilots have to offer J4J to Freedom before they can accept. Typical of Mesa management to annouce news that they [STRONG]expect[/STRONG] to happen.

 

[dashflyer]

Wow, I can't wait to see how the Mainline MEC and ALPA backpeddle on this one!!!

Guess ALPA will have to change their front page picture "Say No To Freedom"

 

[cubfan02us]

I guess U learned a valuable lesson from Delta and Comair's
past labor problems.U will structure their express feeders
so that no one company will ever have too many a/c dedicated
to U.This allows U to retain leverage.Every week another
company signs up,last week Republic.

The pilot's group will benefit the most and that's good,
at least one of our groups has a chance for a "soft landing".

The rest of the labor groups well, keep waiting for
Mid-Atlantic,as soon as that outfit gets up and running
you'll get your soft landing too.Somewhere around 2005...

 

[Schwanker]

DIRECTLY FROM ALPA WEB PAGE!
SOUNDS TO ME A BIT HYPOCRITICAL!

Are you considering applying for a job with Freedom Airlines? If so, think again. Working for Freedom Air is bad for the piloting profession and it’s a gamble for your own career.



Are you considering applying for a job with Freedom Airlines? If so, think again. ALPA urges all furloughed pilots to consider the facts and their own futures before applying for or accepting a job at Freedom Airlines. Working for Freedom Air is bad for the piloting profession and it’s a gamble for your own career.

Accepting work with Freedom Airlines is detrimental to all Mesa Air Group pilots. ALPA’s position is that Freedom Airlines is an alter-ego, runaway shop carrier created by Mesa Air Group specifically to undermine the collective bargaining strength, working conditions, and career aspirations of Mesa Airlines pilots. Mesa Air Group is using Freedom Air to intimidate and threaten Mesa Airlines pilots with the transfer of work opportunities as a means of dictating pilot pay and working conditions.

BACKGROUND
Under Ornstein’s control, Mesa Air Group operates the three wholly owned subsidiary carriers, Mesa Airlines, Air Midwest, and CCAir. The Mesa and Air Midwest pilots work under a single contract and a single pilot seniority list. In other words, Mesa and Air Midwest are a single pilot group.

Mesa Air Group is attempting to establish Freedom Airlines as a non-union carrier operating 70- and 90-seat jets on a separate operating certificate. At the same time, the Mesa Airlines pilots are in contract negotiations, seeking much-needed improvements in their compensation, retirement, and working conditions. Contract negotiations have been stalled by management are going extremely slowly. In fact, ALPA has filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to compel management to bargain in good faith as outlined by the Railway Labor Act.

When you are considering your next career move, consider the following facts:

Freedom Airlines is a non-union airline. Freedom pilots will not have the protections and benefits of union representation or a union contract. Freedom pilots would be at-will employees subject to the whims of management’s decisions. Pilots would not have representation in disciplinary actions and would be subject to unilateral changes in their compensation, benefits, and working conditions.

The status of Freedom Airlines is subject to challenge in litigation brought by ALPA. The Association is alleging that Mesa Air Group’s use of Freedom Airlines to undermine the collective bargaining position of the Mesa pilots is a violation of the Railway Labor Act. In the ongoing lawsuit, ALPA is asking the federal court to enjoin Mesa Air Group from operating Freedom Airlines.

ALPA will also challenge Mesa Air Group’s ability to manage labor relations at Freedom Airlines separately from those of its other carriers. The National Mediation Board has already upheld the Association’s assertion that Mesa Airlines, Air Midwest, and CCAir are, in fact, a single carrier for collective bargaining purposes. If Freedom Airlines does begin operations, ALPA will seek a similar "single-carrier" ruling from the NMB as it applies to Freedom.

 

[oldcrow]

Well now isn't this interesting . The impression I got from the ALPA Home Page banner on Freedom Air was .......well you aren't a scab if you go to work there , you are more like a scab-lite .

 

[dashflyer]

Trade unionism went out the door when the "What's in it for me?" phrase was coined. It's no longer about what's good for the group. It's about what good is it for ME.

 

[algflyr]

From the Dec 18th mainline code-a-phone:

The MEC directed the MEC officers and Negotiating Committee to inform US Airways management that the MEC ... objects to any potential or contemplated code sharing arrangement with Freedom Air unless its pilots are represented by ALPA. The US Airways MEC supports the actions of ALPA International’s Executive Council and Executive Board in opposing the formation of Freedom Air as a non-union entity, and directed that all furloughed US Airways pilots be notified of the Executive Board, Executive Council and MEC’s opposition to Freedom Air. Any pilot on the US Airways seniority list that accepts employment with Freedom Air will lose all US Airways MEC-sponsored ALPA privileges, including but not limited to jumpseat, health insurance, web access, furlough administrator access, and ALPA-provided job search programs. If applicable, the US Airways MEC will file Article VIII charges against any US Airways seniority list pilot accepting or remaining in employment with Freedom Air after February 1, 2003, for engaging in action detrimental to the Association.

 

[dashflyer]

Below are excerpts from the ALPA Board of Director's Meeting in October. Let's see how well this holds up in the coming weeks.

"One Union, One Voice, One Mission," was the overall message delivered to nearly 500 delegates and attendees of ALPA's 39th regular Board of Directors meeting in the opening remarks of the Association's top officers. The BOD was held in Hollywood, Florida, October 21-25, 2002. The meeting's theme emphasized solidifying ALPA's position externally and internally as the global champion of airline pilots. The goal was derived from previous directives originally part of the ALPA Global Pilot Strategy. The 1992 BOD adopted to chart the union's future course and to focus efforts on core issues, and from the "pilot unity" campaign, the 2000 BOD approved.

ALPA wants to operate collectively on behalf of North American airline pilots — as a single union, not individual unions for each pilot group now part of the association, nor individual unions representing "independent pilot groups." ALPA wants to develop a clear course - a plan of action - that all airline pilots can endorse and collectively work to achieve. ALPA wants to present a single voice for North American airline pilots - not a myriad of voices that get lost in the babble - so that opponents cannot drive a wedge into pilot's ranks or divert attention from ALPA's core goals. Collective muscle, collective bargaining, collective action — these are the means to truly protect the airline pilot profession and to accomplish pilots' goals.

 

[ITRADE]

I'm starting to wonder if the pilots at the regional carriers will decide to break away from ALPA and form their own union - Regional Air Transport Pilots Association - RAPTA - or something like that.[BR][BR]The group could certainly encompass a huge number of airlines and pilots.

 

[N513AU]

Freedom is a scab airline. Just like contract maintenance is an oozing wound to our airline wages. They are all traitors to the cause.

RJ pilots, mechs and CSAs need to STAND UP and demand airline wages! The reason why our jobs and wages are under assault is because there are people willing to work for less. Whatever happened to trade unionism in this country?

 

[ONTHESTREET]

There is a huge stink happening in the pilot ranks about this. ALPA appears to have a small uprising going on about this subject and their hypocracy concerning Freedom, CCAir, Mesa, Republic, J4J etc.

 

[ClueByFour]

Of course, what ALPA does not tell you is that CCair is shutdown due to ALPA, not due to Mesa management. A bit of trivia in all this.

I find it funny that "Freedom is bad" up until the point when they provide jobs for furloughed _mainline_ ALPA pilots.

 

[b737gearboy]

[From the Dec 18th mainline code-a-phone:

The MEC directed the MEC officers and Negotiating Committee to inform US Airways management that the MEC ... objects to any potential or contemplated code sharing arrangement with Freedom Air unless its pilots are represented by ALPA. The US Airways MEC supports the actions of ALPA International’s Executive Council and Executive Board in opposing the formation of Freedom Air as a non-union entity, and directed that all furloughed US Airways pilots be notified of the Executive Board, Executive Council and MEC’s opposition to Freedom Air. Any pilot on the US Airways seniority list that accepts employment with Freedom Air will lose all US Airways MEC-sponsored ALPA privileges, including but not limited to jumpseat, health insurance, web access, furlough administrator access, and ALPA-provided job search programs. If applicable, the US Airways MEC will file Article VIII charges against any US Airways seniority list pilot accepting or remaining in employment with Freedom Air after February 1, 2003, for engaging in action detrimental to the Association.


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[/blockquote]

Gee all those priveleges have been sooo helpful since I have been furloughed. What a joke ALPA has become. Since Sep11th I have landed two flying jobs, both without ALPA's help.