Response to USAPA ad in USA Today

[Phoenix]

Are all of you such weak leaders that ANY of this actually causes you problems? No wonder the mentally weak Captain had to be escorted from the gate. If I'm not ready, I don't go. It is just that simple. That concept hasn't ever given me one second of heart burn. It's called being in Command. It's in the job description. If it's too hard. Leave. Mental frailty is not something you can simply MEL. The Company did the RIGHT thing in removing the hysterical, ranting lunatic.

Badmouthing every single East pilot on everything at every turn and opportunity while slurping on the company makes it awfully hard to avoid the conclusion that you have a touch of hysteria yourself. Just saying.

 

[freedom]

I haven't read the article by USALPA , but i think we can easily assume that if they were THAT concerned about saftey they would have gone to the FAA or another government agency rather than the general public ...


Everytime your union publishes something like this you drive away passngers , with a quarterly profit of only 92 million dollars and rising oil prices , do you honestly think this company has enough money to give you wonderfull new raises ?


We exist in a dying economy , and our industry which is dependant on the price of oil is in an extremely precarious situation ... should inflation rise , oil will rise with it ... as more jobs are shead each and everyday ( borders 10K ) there will be less passngers to pay for tickets ...

but hey if you want to shut us down a little bit sooner rather than later , i'm cool with that , sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride !

 

[nic4us]

When things start to go bad on the ground the best thing you can do is slow down in order to allow you to complete required tasks without rushing. Sad to say the boarding, servicing process has become more like nascar than an airline with speed being the main concern. One problem I have run into is that you get a late start due to the aircraft coming in late, or from the hangar late and things continue to go downhill from there, catering problems, fueling problems, aircraft cleaning, maybe a maintenance problem and an agent wants to close the door. When you tell the agent you are not ready to close then more than likely you have his boss, in your face asking you what your problem is and interrupting your flows and checklists thereby making you later.If the pilots tell an agent they are not ready to close that should be the end of the discussion at that point. If the CP wants to know why we were late he can call me later and I'll be happy to explain.


Regards,


Bob

I agree 100% and would go on to say that of the hundreds of times that I had to take extra time to make sure everything was in order, I have been called by the CP's office exactly zero (0) times. For my education, could you share how many times you have been called by the CP's office so they could question you about an operational decision that caused a delay? Perhaps the problem is not Tempe, but the east CPs.

I am completely baffled by this whole story. Either there are extenuating circumstances that compounded and escalated the drama involved in what would have otherwise been a non-issue, or this captain is under some sort of pressure I have never experienced.

I support this captain in her decision to exercise her command authority and refuse an airplane. However, I think the pressure she felt is self-induced from reading too many of usapa's propaganda articles, and I would not only disapprove of, but would also condemn her for any of the behavior it is rumored that she exhibited.

Further, I would condemn usapa for using the exact same tactic it appears this captain used, and try turn safety into a negotiating tactic.

 

[767jetz]

Response to USAPA ad in USA Today – A Message from COO Robert Isom

July 22, 2011

We will continue to work with USAPA to get to a joint contract, but as they well know, they must resolve their internal seniority dispute before that can happen. We are attempting to facilitate that effort, but expect it will take some more time.

In other words. We will not negotiate seniority. The courts will decide. Until then, enjoy LOA93. No contract for you!

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Article on the event: http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/11196015/1/us-airways-captain-escorted-from-airport.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

CHARLOTTE, N.C. TheStreet) -- The battle between US Airways(LLC) and its pilots over the airline's safety culture is continuing, this time focused on an incident in which a captain declined to fly a transatlantic flight.

On June 16, captain Valerie Wells, a 30-year-pilot, was scheduled to fly an Airbus A330, which can carry nearly 300 passengers, on a flight from Philadelphia to Rome. But she declined to fly because of failures of both the auxiliary power unit, a backup source of electrical power, and the "hot battery bus," a primary source of electrical power.

 

[No Land Green]

In other words. We will not negotiate seniority. The courts will decide. Until then, enjoy LOA93. No contract for you!

You sure do have a pulse on the issues at an airline you don't even work for, don't you? Or is this your "opinion" again?

I had the NAC Chairman on my jumpseat last month. I won't even waste my time and tell you what he told about what is going on at the negotiating table. I'm absolutely sure you will tell me it is all lies.

You are a hoot Jetz. Keep the entertainment coming.

 

[Res Judicata]

In other words. We will not negotiate seniority. The courts will decide. Until then, enjoy LOA93. No contract for you!

How can that be? Lee Seham said seniority was negotiable "just like crew meals". Are you suggesting that perhaps Mr. Seham wasn't being forthright?

 

[Phoenix]

You sure do have a pulse on the issues at an airline you don't even work for, don't you? Or is this your "opinion" again?

I had the NAC Chairman on my jumpseat last month. I won't even waste my time and tell you what he told about what is going on at the negotiating table. I'm absolutely sure you will tell me it is all lies.

You are a hoot Jetz. Keep the entertainment coming.

Jetz already knows there are no East pilots that ever tell the truth. We are wasting bandwidth reminding him/her.

 

[No Land Green]

Jetz already knows there are no East pilots that ever tell the truth. We are wasting bandwidth reminding him/her.

Agreed Sir!!!!

 

[No Land Green]

How can that be? Lee Seham said seniority was negotiable "just like crew meals". Are you suggesting that perhaps Mr. Seham wasn't being forthright?

In fact ENTIRE contract, even section 22 seniority, is negotiable. Seham got it right. The Courts know this too, as well as the Company. Some of you still don't get it.

 

[Crzipilot]

True the FAA said no Fars. Were broken. Yes an APu can be meld. If that's the directions the company wants to go. Then operate at far min all the time. Throw the fom out and get rid of all these or those policies which are more restrictive than the Fars. Even the aircraft limitations they have listed. Some are more restrictive than the manufacturer. So let's throw those out. Simple question. It's legal. But us it safe? The FAA doesn't care as long as no one is killed. And it's far legal

 

[767one]

I agree 100% and would go on to say that of the hundreds of times that I had to take extra time to make sure everything was in order, I have been called by the CP's office exactly zero (0) times. For my education, could you share how many times you have been called by the CP's office so they could question you about an operational decision that caused a delay? Perhaps the problem is not Tempe, but the east CPs.

I am completely baffled by this whole story. Either there are extenuating circumstances that compounded and escalated the drama involved in what would have otherwise been a non-issue, or this captain is under some sort of pressure I have never experienced.

I support this captain in her decision to exercise her command authority and refuse an airplane. However, I think the pressure she felt is self-induced from reading too many of usapa's propaganda articles, and I would not only disapprove of, but would also condemn her for any of the behavior it is rumored that she exhibited.

Further, I would condemn usapa for using the exact same tactic it appears this captain used, and try turn safety into a negotiating tactic.

I have been called into the CP's office 0 times also. One time I was called at home to explain why I would not stay on duty over 15 hrs. That being said I have had non-pilot supervisors either mtc or pass service attempt to intimidate me. Intimidation doesn't work with me it just makes me slow down because I don't intend to be part of the nascar scenario. I do think that too much pressure is put on all the employee groups and although I have never been called into the CP's office I think in todays environment it is more likely than not to happen to any of us.

As for the 330 captain I don't know her but I'm sure something made her uncomfortable. Perhaps something that had happened in the past made her leary of taking the word of mtc. This is not a knock on our mtc but they also are subject to on time pressure and mistakes. And since she was not the only crew involved in this incident it makes me a bit suspicious of the company's story. Not that they would ever intentionally tell us something that was untrue.........well maybe they would.

Regards,

Bob

 

[767one]

I haven't read the article by USALPA , but i think we can easily assume that if they were THAT concerned about saftey they would have gone to the FAA or another government agency rather than the general public ...


Everytime your union publishes something like this you drive away passngers , with a quarterly profit of only 92 million dollars and rising oil prices , do you honestly think this company has enough money to give you wonderfull new raises ?


We exist in a dying economy , and our industry which is dependant on the price of oil is in an extremely precarious situation ... should inflation rise , oil will rise with it ... as more jobs are shead each and everyday ( borders 10K ) there will be less passngers to pay for tickets ...

but hey if you want to shut us down a little bit sooner rather than later , i'm cool with that , sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride !

Freedom,

If you would like to give this company some more pay and benefits to help save it then I'm cool also with YOU doing the giving. If fact if you think things are so bad perhaps your should make the suggestion to the company, I'm pretty sure they will like your idea.


Bob

 

[767one]

Are all of you such weak leaders that ANY of this actually causes you problems? No wonder the mentally weak Captain had to be escorted from the gate. If I'm not ready, I don't go. It is just that simple. That concept hasn't ever given me one second of heart burn. It's called being in Command. It's in the job description. If it's too hard. Leave. Mental frailty is not something you can simply MEL. The Company did the RIGHT thing in removing the hysterical, ranting lunatic.
[/quote


RJ,

I don't where you got anything out of my post about weak leaders. Were you responding to my post or someone elses post or more likely just responding in the negative to anything posted by an east pilot.


Bob

 

[USA320Pilot]

Nic4us said: "Rumor has it, that the Captain was removed from premises, not for her refusal to fly the jet, but for her over the top rants on the A/C PA, followed by her similarly manic display on the gate PA once inside the terminal. That is why it seems odd. usapa is only telling a very small portion of the story, and they are only telling the part that fits into legitimizing their illegal job action."

USA320Pilot comments: Your comment is accurate. Wells was escorted off of the plane and out of the area for reasons other than her refusal to fly. Furthermore, US Airways' safety accolades are second to none in they eyes of IATA and the federal government. USAPA's "Think Safety" and "Be Onboard" program is bogus and is being executed by the union and their supporters because USAPA cannot deliver on their campaign promises. I believe you are going to see even more pilot terminations, possibly including USAPA officials, for violating the Company's Ethics Manual and SOPs.