MAA Flight Attendants Drop Suit Against US Airways

[Hula Girl]

To whom it may concern:

Why are people always trying to start trouble on this forum? Your information is inadequate and hearsay. If you are an active member in this lawsuit you should know the status and validity of this case. You should be careful on what you post on this forum because of the caliber of our attorney's integrity, corporate knowledge and character. He does have every right to take legal action for sabotaging the integrity of our lawsuit. Those of you who are ACTIVE plaintiffs on this lawsuit and have further questions please contact your committee for the REAL answers. The letter posted is from someone who has contributed minimal to the lawsuit and therefore is not getting current information.

Are you this attorney's girlfriend? Or are you the attorney?
Just askin'.

 

[xoxo]

Piney,

The answer to all those questions are yes. There are certain people that STILL want to start trouble. They must be bored and this is there way for a little excitement. If these plaintifs dont want to be invovled and pay money...they dont have to. The committee isnt making anyone pay a dime..its not the mafia. They simply let everyone know when they are behind and let them know by how much. What seems strange to me is...noone bashes the pilot group for their lawsuit...which by the way have nearly every single pilot still paying into that too. They pay everymonth too. Do you honestly think that if this lawyer was such a big crook that they would still be paying him? So...whatever those crazy f/a's want to do...thats their business. To the haters....give it up all ready.

 

[xoxo]

XOXO,

I've no idea as to the attorneys integrity or lack thereof. I already know more about this lawsuit then I ever wanted to know.

If there is an "Agenda" on my part it's this: I don't want to see decent hard working people get shafted by an attorney, union or company anymore than they have to date.

If the suit has merit I hope those wronged prevail in their efforts.

If the attorney is a fee grubbing scum bag, then I hope the Bar Association is notified and he is dealt with.

The fact that the F/A and pilot lawsuits work their way through the courts without dismissal leads me to believe that both suits have at minimum some merit.

What I have no idea of is what remedies are out there? Money? Job Reinstatement?

Its not money or job reinstatement..its all about that MAA was NEVER made seperate as they said it was to be. They kept it on the same certificate. It was actually mainline...those f/a should have been paid their true mainline wages. And they should be credited with ALL of their time they put in at MAA. What is also strange is there are PRE merger f/a's that are working as f/a's on the west side...and they combined their time together and are paying them for the combined time at both airlines. Example...1 years at U and got layed off September 11 at U. Went and applied at AWA and were hired June 2003. That f/a has a combined time at both airlines of 4 years. 1 at U and 3 1/2 at AWA. They combined both times even though we are still seperate contracts...How is that possible? You tell me. I have no idea.

 

[Mrs. Doubtflier]

Its not money or job reinstatement..its all about that MAA was NEVER made seperate as they said it was to be. They kept it on the same certificate. It was actually mainline...those f/a should have been paid their true mainline wages. And they should be credited with ALL of their time they put in at MAA.

Please understand that I agree that it would have been great if US could have credited the MDA for their time and avoided all of this when a seperate certificate couldn't be approved. But there may be the reason that they couldn't even if they wanted to and why terms that you agreed to come to work for MDA stand with the court.

If they changed the terms of employment (seniority and longevity and pay) they would have created problems with the furloughed flight attendants that turned down the MDA offer. They could then say that "if they had known that it was a mainline job they would have taken it" So now the company had recalled out of seniority order. Now the whole offer to work for MDA would have had to be redone or they would have had to give credit for time served at MDA to anyone who had gotten an invitation to MDA and turned it down. I don't think you would have liked that much.

What I am trying to say is that the MDA flight attendants agreed to come to work under certain conditions and the court has said that US did perform their contractual duty. Again, if you really think that the AFA did or did not do something regarding their contract with you that's OK but if they had won mainline status for you then they had a duty to the furloughed F/A's as well. Could be that your jobs got protected by US and AFA "inaction" and that both organizations were truly in a Catch 22 position. I don't like what happened to all of the MDA personnel, pilots and F/As, but it was a very complex situation during some very dire times for both the company and the employees.

I know this sounds like a grandmotherly Mrs Doubtflier cliche but choose your battles wisely (without the whole outrage and victimization mood) and don't throw good money after bad.

 

[xoxo]

Mrs. D. Fire,

I agree with you on everything...but..when we signed on for MAA it was told to us the certificate would be Patomic Air..and it never turned out to be so. We all signed up for what we thought it was sapposed to be...then they (U..AFA) never did their part...so thats their own fault. We all worked for Usairways..thats what my taxes were...my paycheck...ect..I never went to reccurent training when I returned to mainline in June..Why? well...because I was already trained on ALL the aircraft. So..I went straight on duty at midnight June 1st. If I worked for another airline ..than how could that have happened? I still to this day have not gone through reccurrent with mainline..because I already was trained at the "phony" MAA..which was mainline. Someday..hopefully sooner than later everyone will finally see and get it what we went through and I truly beleive everyone at the "MAA" will finally get what they deserve..wether it be longevety...or backpay...or just a straight up admission from ALL involved that they lied and tried to pull a fast one.
And for those that turned it down to be apart of "MAA" that is their own fault they did so. They had a chance to go and turned it down.
If U would have put it on a seperate certificate, we wouldnt be sitting here discussing this.

 

[PITbull]

Unfortunately, I think alot of folks were seduced by the propaganda that there would be some big, huge punitive damage award to pay off their houses and such. That was never going to happen. This was not that kind of lawsuuit and was never going to be. It was not a wrongful death negligence suit, it was a contract issue and folks, if you thought there was a deep pocket to go after... looks like that is off the table.

The real facts with MAA is that the f/as were all furloughed from Mainline after 9/11. When MAA started up with concession money from labor in concession #1, the furloughed folks were offered jobs. They could either accept the job with American Eagle workrules and pay, OR....they could remain furloughed and wait for recall to mainline in the future (hence what is taking place now at mainline). This is the reason why many of these MAA f/as stopped paying the attorney and his cronnies. I think most of them finally had an "epiphany".

NO MAA F/A GOT ANY ADVANTAGE OVER ANOTHER FURLOUGHED F/A WHO REMAINED ON FURLOUGH, TO ACCEPT THE JOB. The f/as who took the job with MAA knew they were considered "furloughed" from mainline, whether they took a job at MESA, SW, DL, MAA or Walmart. There was no advantage beyond "furlough recall rights"....PERIOD!

Somewhere in the MAA equation, the f/as had some delusion that MAA was their airline and it gave them some kind of "entitlement". Remember, these are the same fa/s that really didn't care what the wages were. They accepted the job knowing the pay was lower than their wages at U. Also, remember these were 5 year f/as or less in seniority from mainline who were furloughed. They weren't receiving BIG wages at U before they left either.

These f/as were suckered into believing they were entitled to some type of compensation from either AFA or U/ or both for taking employment at MAA, and working under a different contract than mainline. This is what was negotiated when these f/as were furloughed and couldn't not have engaged in discussions regarding workrules and wages for MAA during concession 1 or 2...they were furloughed and therefore inactive from AFA as the constitution outlines for any furloughee.

 

[PITbull]

Its not money or job reinstatement..its all about that MAA was NEVER made seperate as they said it was to be. They kept it on the same certificate. It was actually mainline...those f/a should have been paid their true mainline wages. And they should be credited with ALL of their time they put in at MAA. What is also strange is there are PRE merger f/a's that are working as f/a's on the west side...and they combined their time together and are paying them for the combined time at both airlines. Example...1 years at U and got layed off September 11 at U. Went and applied at AWA and were hired June 2003. That f/a has a combined time at both airlines of 4 years. 1 at U and 3 1/2 at AWA. They combined both times even though we are still seperate contracts...How is that possible? You tell me. I have no idea.

MAA was not mainline. THat is your confusion, and those who were convinced to believe otherwise. MAA was on the same certificate which was on a temporary basis from what until the company received a separate certicate or used one of the wholly ownes that were eliminated. We were told in negotiations by the company. With regard to the negotiations for all of labor was to have a separate contract for MAA. Whether you like it, lump it, or not, you could have elected NOT to take the job, as many on furlough did. There was NO reverse flow through for mainline f/as to go to MAA. Mainline f/as could not bid into MAA, or bump MAA f/as, and vice versa.Again, MAA was not mainline regardless of sharing the same flying certificate to satisfy FAA and get the carrier operating as the EMB were coming in.

The history is that subsequent to starting MAA, the company was desparate for cash and sold off MAA the second year it was flying. $100 million was the ticket price. A damn steal, being that Labor paid $1 billion in concession 1, and 500 Million in concession #2.

The corporation can do anything to survive while in bankruptcy, and that is how MAA was created and operated by the company NOT AFA. The labor grouops did not think up MAA, and then decide to take 3 concessions to pay for it, and throw in all our pensions for good measure for a GD "division" to house slave labor...with a risk of taking mainline routes to feed the damn thing, and lower the "bar" in the industry, my friend.

 

[EMBFA]

LOL... I'm not a lawsuit person, can't afford it and it seems disorganized. Let the folks in on it do what they want though and I wish them every success. Cant really comment on that side of things, but I must say the LAST person you want to hear "MAA facts" from is Teddy "I have no time for furloughees, MidAtlantic, or anyuone under 15 years seniority" Xidas. Notice how dismissive anyone from AFA gets anytime it's brought up... always manage to throw in Mesa and Wal Mart, and poverty wages THEY agreed to with the gun to the head blah blah blah. They sure were willing to take our $40 a month we paid to MAINLINE AFA for two years.

P.S. The Embraer division of US Airways Inc, as was its official name, flew from April 2004 to May 2006. Two years. Not one year. Two.

And theere were 25 (TWENTY FIVE) E170s, plus three more that sat in Brazil and were later delivered to Republic. Isnt it great that the union president underestimates a fleet by MORE THAN HALF!!! Not 12, 25.... more E170s than B757s, B767s, A321s, and A330s at the time. But who's counting!

I guess she stopped paying attention after one year and twelve jets? That's alot to miss.

The "contract" was negotiated under the guise of a wholly-owned division, not "temporary mainline certificate".

Cue the "I was there at the negotiating table, its wasnt mainline but a magical airline on the US Airways certificate, the FAA and everyone who worked there is wrong, MAA F/As are young and poor and should work at WalMart" And "in-house slave labor"! Lovely way to refer to your own. It's so much better now that those 28 jets are flown by OUTSIDE slave labor I suppose. Where was the outcry about slave labor when the first contracted RJs hit the property? And the resulting "lowering of the bar"? Who allowed them... the mainline unions!!! Does anyone at US AFA or ALPA know what scope means? Doesnt seem like it. US is the most regional and short haul of all the major carriers, but has the most liberal scope and most express carriers.... and the most senior workforce, the biggest mainline capacity reduction, the most furloughees (only?), longest reserve........ durrr ya think the two are related?

We've seen this same post over and over for years.....

The only "epiphany" is that the union is as or more crooked than the company, and that airline employees will eat thier young and then complain about the carcass thier company becomes. Yawn!

 

[PITbull]

LOL... I'm not a lawsuit person, can't afford it and it seems disorganized. Let the folks in on it do what they want though and I wish them every success. Cant really comment on that side of things, but I must say the LAST person you want to hear "MAA facts" from is Teddy "I have no time for furloughees, MidAtlantic, or anyuone under 15 years seniority" Xidas. Notice how dismissive anyone from AFA gets anytime it's brought up... always manage to throw in Mesa and Wal Mart, and poverty wages THEY agreed to with the gun to the head blah blah blah. They sure were willing to take our $40 a month we paid to MAINLINE AFA for two years.

P.S. The Embraer division of US Airways Inc, as was its official name, flew from April 2004 to May 2006. Two years. Not one year. Two.

And theere were 25 (TWENTY FIVE) E170s, plus three more that sat in Brazil and were later delivered to Republic. Isnt it great that the union president underestimates a fleet by MORE THAN HALF!!! Not 12, 25.... more E170s than B757s, B767s, A321s, and A330s at the time. But who's counting!

I guess she stopped paying attention after one year and twelve jets? That's alot to miss.

The "contract" was negotiated under the guise of a wholly-owned division, not "temporary mainline certificate".

Cue the "I was there at the negotiating table, its wasnt mainline but a magical airline on the US Airways certificate, the FAA and everyone who worked there is wrong, MAA F/As are young and poor and should work at WalMart" And "in-house slave labor"! Lovely way to refer to your own. It's so much better now that those 28 jets are flown by OUTSIDE slave labor I suppose. Where was the outcry about slave labor when the first contracted RJs hit the property? Or does anyone at US AFA or ALPA know what scope means? Doesnt seem like it.

We've seen this same post over and over for years.....

The only "epiphany" is that the union is as or more crooked than the company, and that airline employees will eat thier young and then complain about the carcass thier company becomes. Yawn!

Hey stupid! Every carrier and every f/a whether the airline has 150 f/as or 10,000 f/as pays $39 a month. Get it straight!

And, the first plane flew on March 2, 2004. You can't read...there were 12 deliveries the first year. Go back and read what is written, or go back and get some education. Personally, I don't think any furloughee should have taken that job. THe point was IT WAS SLAVE LABOR, and its entire ceation lowered the "bar" for the entire profession.

Or, don't you get it yet.

By accepting the job, you fostered the entire concept FOR the company. No labor group including AFA promoted any f/a to take such a low wage job, and NO labor group would have accepted anyting close to it if there was no BK for the compoany to hide behind.

You have no concept of what went on, as you were furloughed and are clueless and never took the time to get educated on the process before inception. And obviously, the only thing you focused on is that you were some kind of victim of the company and the union.

I don't think anyone put a gun to your head to take that job, and I don't want to hear the same blah, blah, blah, as many furloughees SENIOR to you and junior to you refused.

 

[EMBFA]

OK, lets "get it straight."

You say... it started on March 2 2004. (By the way, nearly 10 years after the first RJ was delivered to Comair.... the regionals lowered the bar- YOU"RE the morons who agreed to the same wages for mainline employees on a mainline plane on the mainline certificate... who's the stupid one?)

OK, so getting it straight.... YOU SAY we flew 12 jets for one year? Ok, so what was I doing from March 2 2005- May 30 2006? It must have been a dream!

And only twelve jets! I must have dreamed up 813, 814, 815, 816, 817. 819. 820, 821, 822, 823, 824 and 825!

It all seemed so real though! It was in color! And there were happy people... And we were in Kansas.... City, alot. There was a good witch, and a bad witch.... you were there!

Oh Toto, it seemed so real, really it did. I guess it was was all just a dream!!!!!!!!!!

Theres no place like home... back in the drab black and white....

 

[PITbull]

I know all about how many small jets there were when the company sold the damn thing.

AGain, there was nothing to gain by taking the job with MAA, unless you were thinking some how you could disadvantage those furloughees who did not take the job.

You have an obvious issue with it being sold...take it up with the company. The mainline labor paid for the division so you could take a job if you elected to...and now you sit and #### about the unions and the leadership.

 

[EMBFA]

Of course people are going to #### about the union. Like it or not, you AGREED to the division. We were there, and we were paying your dues, and it was your job to represent us. You did not, and your attitude now shows it for all too see... "the damm thing" "GD division"... you slam it and your own membership every chance you get. Clearly I'm not stupid and obviously I can read. I can also back my facts up with something other than "you dont know you werent there"..... woooooooooo ignore the man behind the curtain!

And there was nothing to GAIN from reurning for MidAtlantic? Aside from it being a fabulous flying experience (way better than bring an antidepressant/ dont dare enjoy your job or engage the customers mailine mainline) ... you don't think it was a step in the right direction to bring flying BACK in house? I'm asking a serious question. Is it not he unions job to protect and yes promote as many jobs for thier membership as possible? You seem happy that those jobs are now with low(er) paid Republic flight attendants, and indirectly Mesa and PSA. Not to mention mainline US Airways starting wages, east and west, are far lower than what anyone in the MDA division was making.

Do you seriously think that bringing jobs back on the property instead of outsourcing (especially when nearly HALF of the workforce is furloughed) instead of outsourcing is... stupid?

Do you seriously think that creating sub-classes in a single work group to pit different seniority levels against each other and have multiple contracts is not something that should be fought to the death, even after the fact?

My whole concept of what a labor union is supposed to be must be completely wrong. I'm baffled.

 

[PITbull]

Earth to EMB, Earth to EMB...helllloooo....


The ONLY opportunity the furloughees will have to be recalled back to mainline was getting rid of MAA. Otherwise, the company would have insediously routed the flying to MAA, and increasing and growing the tin bucket with low wages, rather than grow mainline.

If you think because you may have held a "line" for the moment, that would have changed as the company was moving to furlough MORE f/as from mainline, and those furloughees would have taken jobs at MAA just to stay in PIT and CLT, instead of being furloughed or transferred.

The oppoortunities for growing are back with the new U, as you can attest with the merger of AWA and possibly DL.

Your not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

 

[700UW]

Funny how the IAM and ALPA also had seperate CBAs for MAA.

It was not part of mainline, plain and simple, but I guess some folks cant get that through their heads.

 

[EMBFA]

Earth to EMB, Earth to EMB...helllloooo....
The ONLY opportunity the furloughees will have to be recalled back to mainline was getting rid of MAA. Otherwise, the company would have insediously routed the flying to MAA, and increasing and growing the tin bucket with low wages, rather than grow mainline.

If you think because you may have held a "line" for the moment, that would have changed as the company was moving to furlough MORE f/as from mainline, and those furloughees would have taken jobs at MAA just to stay in PIT and CLT, instead of being furloughed or transferred.

The oppoortunities for growing are back with the new U, as you can attest with the merger of AWA and possibly DL.

Your not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

OH

MY

F-ING

GOD

ARE YOU AN IDIOT?????

THE FLYING IS STILL GOING TO THE EMBS!!!! WE"RE JUST NOT FLYING THEM!!!!!!!

YOU DO REALIZE THESE PLANES ARE STILL FLYING IN THE US SYSTEM? YOUR TIN BUCKET IS MOST CERTAINLY..... FLYING WITHOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES!!! AND ITS GROWING!!!!


The planes were transferred to Republic and they are getting 30 more of them. 30 more airplanes... 175s this time... they are not going to be flying to Altoonas or Hilton Head. Where the hell do you think they'll be going? 30 new cities? THEY WILL REPLACE MAINLINE ROUTES AS THEY ALREADY HAVE. Those 60 aircraft would have been 800 jobs for YOUR MEMBERS!!!! Pretty significant for a workforce thats dwindled down to 5000 from 10000!!!! Youare rigt about the plan to shove off the flying to a lower cost entity.... you allowed it, first they did it in -house, and now they are doing it without a single US Airways employee! Do you not even comprehend what Republic does? They fly the airplanes as US Airways Express.... did you think they were an airline? Or that they were in the desert?

OK, so GETTING RID of MAA was the only way to bring furloughees back? WHAAAAAAAAAAATTTT????? Ok, so when can the 2001 hires be expecting a call? When will there be a recall? The mergers have created LESS of a chance of recall.

Those planes should have been mainline from the start, no division, whether they caused a recall or a furlough. They should never have been allowed to be treated differently than any other plane. THe idea of one airline cerificate with two contracts for different seniorities is something that should never have happened. Now there is basically an alter ego contract carrier on the property, growing by leaps and bounds while we continue to shrink or stagnate.

You know what? I had tons of respect for you but your cluelessness here is astounding!!!! Its not worth arguing! I've met customers who understand the MidAtlantic/Republic thing better than you do judging by your last few bizarre posts!