Scott Kirby's Letter to APA BOD: November 11, 2014

[MetalMover]

http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2014/11/pilots-response-to-americans-contract-proposal-overwhelming-negative.html
 
 First the FA's reject, and now obviously the pilots not too keen on their proposal.
Gee, I wonder what a potential IAM/TWU powerhouse alliance would negotiate for us.
All these IAM/TWU alliance cheerleaders are dreaming that we are going to get industry leading contracts and "bring them to their knees"
Sure, it seems that they might be offering comparable pay rates to all the work groups, but WE WILL HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING ELSE BACK IN EXCHANGE FOR THOSE PAY RATES!

 

[MetalMover]

Memories...............
 
https://public.alliedpilots.org/apa/ForTheMedia/PressReleases.aspx
 
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-airways-pilots-bankrupt-american-airlines-seek-creditor-approval-carriers-merge-amr-fighting-back
 
http://www.insidecounsel.com/2012/12/14/amr-pilots-back-aa-us-airways-merger

 

[AANOTOK]

http://blogs.star-telegram.com/sky_talk/2014/11/pilots-response-to-americans-contract-proposal-overwhelming-negative.html
 
 First the FA's reject, and now obviously the pilots not too keen on their proposal.
Gee, I wonder what a potential IAM/TWU powerhouse alliance would negotiate for us.
All these IAM/TWU alliance cheerleaders are dreaming that we are going to get industry leading contracts and "bring them to their knees"
Sure, it seems that they might be offering comparable pay rates to all the work groups, but WE WILL HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING ELSE BACK IN EXCHANGE FOR THOSE PAY RATES!

Unfortunately I was on the merger/Doug Parker bandwagon. Now I beleive it's time (past time) to jump off even if it cost me a broken leg (if not more). Something tells me there is gonna be plenty of things Mr. Parker and raiders will be trying to take...Happy employees my arse! Settling the prefunding fell right in his lap. Could have made a decision, made some employees happy and started out on the right foot. Blown save imho!

 

[psa8979]

WELCOME AAL Union Workers to LCC Rat Pack Management. The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY . Your choice ?

 

[FWAAA]

Although Kirby said that management was backing down from its 81 seat proposal and would not include it in the initial offer to pilots, what is the status of the huge fleet of non-compliant large RJs at US? Specifically, the 38 E-175s with 80 seats and the 38 CRJ-900s with 79 seats? That's the vast majority of the US Express large RJs.

The MOU grandfathered those 76 non-compliant airplanes (and their replacements). Will the APA require that Parker remove seats from those planes as part of the combined CBA or has the APA already caved on scope?

 

[MetalMover]

Unfortunately I was on the merger/Doug Parker bandwagon. Now I beleive it's time (past time) to jump off even if it cost me a broken leg (if not more). Something tells me there is gonna be plenty of things Mr. Parker and raiders will be trying to take...Happy employees my arse! Settling the prefunding fell right in his lap. Could have made a decision, made some employees happy and started out on the right foot. Blown save imho!

The union leadership wanted a change in management so badly, they bought into the "merger is gonna be so good" fallacy. For the merger to achieve smooth sailing, the new management team made it appear that the unions would get whatever they wanted to support the merger. Well guess what? The wedding day is long gone and the honeymoon is finally over and now it comes time to negotiate new contracts and there is no more wedded bliss.
When will some people learn that if they want comparable compensation, they will HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING ELSE UP IN ORDER TO GET THAT COMPARABLE PAY RATE?
We are not getting anything without giving up something.
 
I can't wait until the hard hitting TWU tries to talk tough with the new manamgement team.

 

[usfliboi]

What's so funny.....if you went back 30 years....we heard the same grumbling about ones contract..ones management and ones lack of lifestyle.....take a second...think about it...don't be offended when you figure it out lol!

 

[eolesen]

1) This *is* the airline management team you asked for
 
2) There's no jumping off, and there's no going back
 
3) The complaining has been going on since Charles Taylor didn't get his fifth week of vacation approved by Orville and Wilbur

 

[Rogallo]

I can't wait until the hard hitting TWU tries to talk tough with the new manamgement team.

 
They'll be squashed like a bug!!

 

[AANOTOK]

1) This *is* the airline management team you asked for
 
2) There's no jumping off, and there's no going back
 
3) The complaining has been going on since Charles Taylor didn't get his fifth week of vacation approved by Orville and Wilbur

1) This *or* continue with the Carty-Arpey-Horton era ( No different, but a few more cents in my paycheck)
2) I beg to differ. I can and will jump off the bandwagon at anytime. It may no bring a change in the cheifs, but it sure will bring a change in me. (and from labor, I'm sure you get it E)
3) OK...
 
And by the way, this being a pilot thread, you don't think they can cause the bandwagon to lose control if Kirby and Parker don't steer it right.

 

[usabusdriver]

Scott Kirby's Letter to APA BOD: November 11, 2014
 
To: APA Board of Directors

Today the Company passed a comprehensive joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) proposal to APA that does not include the anticipated request for adding five seats to our larger regional jets. We have excluded that request, even though we believe it is in the Company’s best interest, in an effort to build much needed trust into our labor-management relations at the new American.

Most of you know that I strongly believe adding five more seats to these larger RJs is in the best interests of American Airlines and our pilots. Allowing our RJ providers to properly configure those jets with 81 seats, rather than being constrained to 76 per the APA contract, would increase the number of passengers flowing onto the mainline. And we know that more passengers flowing to the mainline is good for everyone at American including our pilots. My own conservative estimate is that adding these five seats would mean tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue annually to American. Equally important to the additional revenue, though, is that those five seats greatly enhance our network feed to grow the mainline – particularly in international markets.

We know there is a lot of history and skepticism around this issue that causes our pilots to believe this change would harm the careers of mainline pilots. Over the last several weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with pilots and explained my macro-economic views about this issue. I’ve concluded through those conversations that most pilots, once they understand the economics today between RJs and the mainline, become more open to this change. However, economic rationale aside, given the prior history surrounding this issue, it is understandably difficult for our pilots to feel good about the request for five more seats today.

It seems the reason it is difficult to convince our pilots that this change is in their best interest – and not some nefarious scheme to harm them in some way – is because the pilots of American do not fully trust management. Given the history of labor relations at American and US Airways, we can appreciate why that feeling exists. But we want to change that perception and the entire leadership team at AA is working very hard to do so.

Trust is vital to our ability to move forward and build the greatest airline in the world – together. So, even though we believe the scope request is in the best interest of all involved, we believe that establishing trust with our employees is even more important. Today’s proposal omits a request to add five seats to the 76-seat jets as a sign of good faith to demonstrate the trust we want to build. Our proposal gives American pilots the highest pay rates amongst our large, network peers, and does so well before anyone could have contemplated. It is my hope that as we build a stronger, more trusting relationship that, together, we will be able to reach the best economic considerations for the 100,000 employees of American and the Company in the future.

So today we take an important step to jumpstart the trust-building process. We would ask each of you move forward in a similar spirit. Building the new American requires all of us to think differently about how we work together – your management team is committed to a new approach and we look forward to working with APA to restore American to greatness.

Sincerely,

/s/ Scott Kirby

 
Well dip$****, you have been president of US Airways for fricking 9 years, why the feeling that the pilots cannot trust management , YOU?
 
Unbelievable!

 

[jcw]

This is why the union thing is so hard both sides get so set in their ways - this looks like an olive branch and this thread has immediately turned into a thread of bashing mgmt

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

"It seems the reason it is difficult to convince our pilots that this change is in their best interest – and not some nefarious scheme to harm them in some way – is because the pilots of American do not fully trust management. Given the history of labor relations at American and US Airways, we can appreciate why that feeling exists. But we want to change that perception and the entire leadership team at AA is working very hard to do so."
 
Hmm...
1. Envoy "comaired"...
2. Concessionary contract at PSA
3. Embraer's to Compass...
 
I guess these are just a few steps the entire leadership team at AA has taken to change the "perception"....

 

[Mach85ER]

This is why the union thing is so hard both sides get so set in their ways - this looks like an olive branch and this thread has immediately turned into a thread of bashing mgmt

 
 
jcw,
 
You are totally wrong. The letter went on and on implying how he respected the scope clause and the new relationship. He knows the scope clause is a radioactive, 100,000 volt charged plutonium third rail that cannot even be touched by the Arbitrator and should even be played off during negotiations.
 
So what does he do? He writes the heartfelt letter, turns around and adds a bigger scope concession, and ties the other part (the raise) into the concession.
 
A union thing? It's being an arse on his part.

 

[Crash Pad DCA]

Head of Envoy Air pilot union warns that more cutbacks are coming at the carrier

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/11/head-of-envoy-air-pilot-union-warns-that-more-cutbacks-are-coming-at-the-carrier.html/
...“In our view, last week’s negotiations actually moved management and ALPA closer to—not further from—an agreement. The discussions were honest, direct, and businesslike. While the parties remained separate on some important issues, we agreed on a lot more,” he wrote.
 
“The talks revealed a number of areas where there had been some misunderstandings, and our hope was that with clarifications the parties could resolve all open issues. Needless to say, we were surprised by management’s ensuing silence,” Pool stated