PHX Domicile Update: April 26, 2012
Dear Phoenix-based pilots,
We appreciate your patience over the last few days and apologize for the apparent dearth of information from your representatives. You can imagine the workload as of late due to the change of administrations at USAPA and the recent high-profile announcement which has the industry abuzz. Frankly, there has been little time to write anything while each of us has been on the telephone almost non-stop over the last week. Look for more regular communications as things begin to settle down. In this update, we will briefly discuss a small handful of hot topics.
Potential American Airlines Merger:
No doubt you have read the latest USAPA update regarding the announcement from three American Airlines unions pertaining to a possible merger with US Airways. It goes without saying that this is really big news, and we humbly suggest that you keep up with the schedule of activities. Things could certainly get very interesting, very fast. A two-hour BPR Informational Conference Call was held Monday night. It was illuminating. It is clear that events are moving at a blistering pace, and the AA pilots on the call were well-educated, informed, and ready to move against American Airlines management preemptively. In short, our AA counterparts seem extremely focused and detail oriented. Please read the Communications' Recap for an overview of Monday evening's conference call.
Committee Appointments:
Your PHX Representatives have made a considerable number of recommendations for various committees as a result of the solicitation of President Hummel. We know you will be keenly interested to see those recommendations when acted upon. Things have changed so fast that we feel President Hummel should be afforded some latitude and just a little time to effect those changes. We are encouraged by his actions so far, and await further positive steps towards bringing this pilot group together. We do expect to inform you of more additions, and some other changes to the committee structure soon. During the next few weeks and months, we fully expect to have additional PHX pilots joining more committees.
Company:
We understand that there are many things that we collectively would like to change here at US Airways. We are not "company apologists," but we do feel there is a need to remind ourselves of the common interests we share with Management in many areas.
One example of common interest can be found in the Professional Standards Committee. The Company and USAPA have made great strides lately to ensure our Management pilots and our Professional Standards volunteers are skilled and will remain properly trained in dealing with our pilot issues. In a cooperative effort with your Union, the Company recently committed to paying a large portion of the costs in order to send our Pro Standards members and chief pilots to continuing education and skill development. This is a major investment by US Airways and we would like to thank Captain Hogg for his willingness to invest in this vital program. US Airways, and its pilots, should find this to be a worthwhile expenditure.
Another area of common interest with the Company is the HIMS (Human Intervention and Motivation Study) program. Our HIMS Committee, in conjunction with our Chief Pilot's Office, continues to do fantastic work. This only works as a COOPERATIVE effort, and it is working! Thanks to everyone involved. Without the continued efforts of our chief pilots and assistant chief pilots, as well as our outstanding volunteers, there would be many pilots left to fend for themselves and their families. It is probably the quietest and most discreet committee and is not often discussed, but it is literally priceless. I can attest from my time in the office, as well as my time doing UNION work, the Company has done everything in its power to empower our employees and provide them with the tools they need to deal with these types of personal issues. Be sure to stop by the office and say "thanks."
In addition, ASAP, Safety, and FOQA are all committees that are mutually beneficial to ALL the employees of US Airways and its Management. Pilot input is pivotal in identifying safety issues system-wide. As you know, our pilots are involved in almost every aspect of the airline's operation. ASAP, like HIMS, is one of the "silent" programs that affect all of us almost every day but is never out in the forefront.
So what is the point of all this?
To remind everyone that we have a mutual, intimate, and very important role in our destinies which is shared with Management. We should strive to work together and function as a team as much as possible. This does NOT mean that we have to agree on everything, but it still means we must function. This is no different than flying the plane. The stakes are too high and too important to allow differences to stifle these well-functioning committees.
On another note, we would like to commend the professionalism our PHX pilots continue to exude. It has been exemplary, and we believe many of our fellow employees have noticed. Please continue to maintain this positive and professional demeanor.
In closing, we would like to remind everyone there is a Special BPR Meeting planned to start this Monday, April 30, at the USAPA Headquarters in CLT. If you happen to layover at our new Four Points Sheraton Hotel, we encourage you to walk over to the USAPA offices. This will give you an opportunity to see the new office, attend a BPR meeting in person, and witness for yourself what few PHX pilots have seen.
Additional updates to follow soon as the fast moving changes occur.
Fraternally,
Chairman John Scherff
Vice-Chairman Roger Velez
Vice-Chairman David Simmons
PHL Domicile Update: April 26, 2012
Philadelphia Pilots --
As you know, on Monday the BPR conducted an Informational Conference Call with the Allied Pilots Association (APA) Vice President Tony Chapman and Negotiating Chairman Neil Roghair, along with our attorneys and key committee members. You can read Communications' Recap of that call by clicking here. Below you'll find our individual opinions of where we are in this process and what we thought of our initial contact with the APA.
Please contact us directly with questions and input as we work on your behalf during this time of potential opportunity.
Fraternally,
PHL Domicile Representatives
PHL@usairlinepilots.org
From Chairman Steve Szpyrka:
Pilots,
The USAPA Board of Pilot Representatives and several of USAPA's committees had a conference call on Monday evening with the Allied Pilots Association. Presiding over the meeting was USAPA President Gary Hummel. On the call were APA Vice President Tony Chapman and APA Negotiating Chairman Neal Roghair. This was the first of many meetings that will transpire. The meeting was very cordial and well received by everyone on the call. The tone was very positive and uplifting. Both Tony and Neal displayed a very positive tone throughout the call and they were very excited about the possibility of our two pilot groups working as one. The next meetings will take place in New York City between the respective merger committees, attorneys, negotiating committees, and Officers. We will keep you advised.
We've given some thought to a Philadelphia Domicile Meeting to be held soon, however, with the upcoming Vice Chairman Special Runoff Election, we feel the best course of action would be to wait until the election is concluded and then officially welcome the incoming Vice Chairman. Also, the timing would be better because we will be further along in the process of evaluating the situation with the APA and will have more to report. We will plan on having the key players from USAPA attend that meeting so you can hear it straight from the source.
I would also like to take this opportunity to comment on the large number of emails that I have recently received regarding a whole host of issues. The one issue that I would like to comment on is the perceived disunity in the leadership of USAPA. Fellow pilots, it is time for all of us to stop the divisiveness and focus on the goal which we all strive to achieve as professional airline pilots.
Wherever these early merger discussions take us, rest assured we understand the importance of making the best of any opportunity for the pilots of USAPA and perhaps joining forces with our friends at APA to become a world-class airline.
Fly safe,
Steve "Spike" Szpyrka
PHL Chairman
From Vice Chairman (DDR) Jamie Weidner:
After the BPR Conference Call of April 23, 2012 regarding the potential AA/LCC merger, I have a few thoughts that I would like to discuss here. First, the APA has been negotiating with our Management in earnest for about one month to come up with the Conditional Labor Agreement that could be the basis for a contract for the two combined airlines going forward. This was done without consulting or including any input from USAPA. We do not yet know all of the details that are in the document. This warrants caution on our part, as there are things in our contract that I am sure the APA is not aware of that we would not want to change. For example, they have agreed to preferential bidding but I have no idea what the parameters are, and I would think we would want to retain the bid sheet. This represents only one area that needs to be better defined in order to be able to tell what is in the agreement.
Second, we have some conditions of our own that must be met and they will need to be included in our Conditional Transition Agreement. We need to start working on that Conditional Transition Agreement ASAP. Hopefully, we will be well on our way to having a good list of conditions at the end of our expected BPR meeting next week.
I am cautiously optimistic that this potential merger will greatly enhance the careers of all of our pilots going forward. However, it will require exhaustive investigation, careful consideration of all of the facts, and thoughtful guidance as we manage through the process.
Respectfully,
Jamie A. Weidner
PHL Vice Chairman (DDR)
From PHL Vice Chairman Mike Gillies:
Philadelphia Pilots --
Monday's Informational Conference Call was an exercise in restraint. Hosting the Allied Pilots Association on this call represented an exciting opportunity for some of our membership, while others expressed directly to me their concern that we were meeting with a group who has been negotiating with US Airways management for months without our knowledge or input. Some went as far as to say that we shouldn't be discussing anything with the APA until US Airways management engages us directly by asking for our support. The opinions on this definitely run the range, and I thank each of you for providing your input.
As reported and as expected, the call was very cordial. Who would expect contention in light of the fact that American pilots are facing -- for the first time in their history -- Section 1113 proceedings to abrogate their contract? I've never seen the APA so intrigued by having a new merger partner. If you haven't done so, check out the APA Web site, which reveals a slide entitled "AA - US Airways: Our best alternative" with a picture of one of our 737-400's in front of an AA B757. Everything we heard on Monday from APA Vice President Tony Chapman and APA Negotiating Chairman Neil Roghair comported with this oddly affectionate view of US Airways. They said they felt that American had two choices: shrink into a niche carrier, or to merge with us and once again become a peer of United and Delta.
No pilot here should have any doubt that we will vigorously pursue the opportunities that present themselves over the coming months. However, it's important to note: Those opportunities must be beneficial to all US Airways pilots. Without providing detail, you should know that Monday's call exposed key areas in the "Term Sheet" -- the framework of the basic agreement that APA has reached in short order with our Management -- which make it obvious that we're only being told what they want us to know right now. Hundreds of details remain unknown, and as every US Airways pilot should know intuitively by now: The devil is in the details. Should this process eventually lead to bona fide merger negotiations, be assured we will only bring you an agreement that provides appropriate protections and appropriate compensation for our sacrifices. Without those painful sacrifices, our airline wouldn't be in a position to be throwing a lifeline to the pilots of American Airlines.
Fraternally,
Mike Gillies
PHL Vice Chairman
CLT Domicile Update Clarification: April 26, 2012
The April 23 CLT Domicile Update included the following statement that has been interpreted out of context in some recent Internet posts:
"For any pilot who thinks this is acceptable, please remember that it will not be the National Officers who will decide your fate and cast the vote should a merger develop, it will be the BPR. Therefore, we need to be kept informed, and we hope you agree."
Please keep in mind that just yesterday, the April 25 CLT Domicile Update contained the following commitment from your CLT Representatives as well:
"We look forward to and appreciate your feedback as this process moves forward and attempt to digest what will be in the best interest of our pilots as a whole. Never forget that whatever the final solution, any product that is produced will be sent to you for your review and ratification."
We would like to reemphasize that it is you, the line pilot, who will ultimately decide on any potential contract. Our point in the first quotation was that the BPR will be voting on issues important to you, and not the National Officers, so it is important that we be kept informed. We apologize for any confusion.
Also, in the April 25 CLT Domicile Update we mistakenly mentioned the Officers were scheduled to meet with US Airways management. We received this from President Hummel this morning: "There are currently no meetings scheduled between your Officers and US Airways management. However, we have invited Doug Parker and Tony Chapman to our BPR meeting next week to directly address our BPR.They are both attempting to coordinate their schedules."
Captain Bill McKee Chairman
First Officer Steve Crimi Vice Chairman
First Officer Dewitt Ingram Vice Chairman
