US Pilots Labor Discussion

[Pi brat]

For the umpteenth time it was an ACQUISITION by America West Holdings. You can stomp your feet and stand in the corner for all I care with GI.

It won't change the fact that US Air is gone and LCC now resides in Tempe, AZ.

US Air was gone under Stephen Wolf. US Airways has been around for a while, never went away, merged with AWA and is now based in Tempe AZ.

This was a merger and it should be clear by now that we all needed it. The holier than thou "we saved you" didn't go very far with me during US/PI, get goes less with this one.

 

[Pi brat]

HP and AWH did not contribute any cash, it was funded by Lutz raising the money and US' ability to utilize the ATSB money, I guess you forgot that I was on the NC during this process.

I've believed you on this 700.

 

[crazystnic]

Did you hear that Bill McKee, Steve Crimi, and DeWitt Ingram (The CLT Reps) have drawn up charges against the two primary founders of USAPA, Steve Bradford and Mark King? No, you haven’t.

We at the Compass Correction Coaltion wonder at the fact that the USAPA Membership haven’t heard about these charges being brought forward by the CLT Representatives or about the PHL election appeal. Why is news of this magnitude not immediately delivered through normal USAPA Communications?

The answer is simple. President Cleary cannot operate in the ways he prefers, when the Board of Pilot Representatives are actively controlling his power lust. Bradford and King, serving on the Appeals Board are also a check and balance. Therefore, Cleary gets his “friends” to do the dirty...and in this case, REALLY DIRTY work. He, Cleary, remains at arms length from the sewage.

Let’s take the tally, two Executives Vice Presidents, a Secretary-Treasurer, all of the outgoing PHL Representatives, and now the founders of USAPA are all in the opinion of Mike Cleary, idiots, and will destroy the union, unless we listen to Mike and only Mike. Why is it that the CLT Reps are so interested in the PHL Election anyway?

Steve Bradford and Mark King have something that Mike Cleary cannot understand; integrity. It is past time to get USAPA back to the cooperative functionality that we enjoyed when Bradford was THE FIRST PRESIDENT and Mark King, THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT.




Pilots say, “this is getting just like ALPA!” We say, elect the worst of ALPA and what else might one expect?

Below are the “charges” from the CLT Reps. Below that, you will find the OP-ED piece that the CLT Reps. found offensive; you decide. Also, ask your Reps. how come you have to hear this stuff from The Compass Correction, rather from your union?

CLT Domicile Representatives File Charges against USAPA’s Appeals Board Members Bradford and KingCharges against Steve Bradford and Mark King

By this notice to the USAPA Secretary Treasurer, CLT Domicile Representatives Captain Bill McKee, First Officer Steve Crimi and First Officer DeWitt Ingram, do hereby charge USAPA members Steve Bradford and Mark King with acts "contrary to the best interests of USAPA as an institution or its membership as a whole." (Article VI, Section I., USAPA Constitution and Bylaws)

These charges arise as a result of the ‘Compass Correction Coalition’ document entitled "What is the state of our Union today? In short, it's dreadful!" We believe the Compass Correction Coalition document authored by Bradford and King contains specific declarative statements that represent both slander and libel against individual officers and the association. (Please see evidence below). Clearly this letter emailed to unknown recipients is an effort to harm the association and is contrary to the best interests of USAPA as an institution and its membership as a whole. In addition in this document, Bradford and King proffer support of Jamie Weidner, a participant in the most recent PHL Domicile election. It is our understanding that that Capt. Bradford and Capt. King, serving as USAPA Appeals board members, are preparing a decision on an election appeal by their endorsed candidate Jamie Weidner. Specifically, Weidner has requested the Appeals Board to overturn and re-run the election.

Capt. Bradford and Capt. King have not recused themselves from consideration of the issues associated with the appeal of the PHL election. Considering the fact that Bradford and King have publicly taken a position endorsing the candidacy of Weidner, their failure to recuse themselves is inappropriate. Their refusal to remove themselves from the Appeals Board process represents a conflict of interest and is an act clearly contrary to the best interests of USAPA.

The CLT Domicile Representatives direct the USAPA Secretary-Treasurer to notify Captains Bradford, King, and the Appeals Board that these formal charges are hereby levied as outlined in Article VI of the USAPA Constitution and Bylaws. We request this notice be sent via U.S. certified mail, return receipt requested.

Requested Remedy

1. Captains Bradford and King be found conflicted in the matter of the PHL election appeal filed by a candidate who they have openly endorsed and should be removed from the appeal process and the investigation.

2. Captains Bradford and King be found guilty of violating the USAPA Constitution and By Laws by performing “acts contrary to the best interests of USAPA as an institution or its membership as a whole" (as evidenced below) and should be removed from any further appeals board duties.

Evidence attached on the following page.
__________________________________________________ ________________________________________

What is the state of our Union today? In short, it is dreadful!


Notice: This letter has not been endorsed by Jamie Weidner or Eric Jordan

Philadelphia USAPA pilots:

We are writing you to ask for your support of Jamie Weidner and Eric Jordan as your next PHL BPR Vice Chairman Representatives. They are good men without a lot of baggage from ALPA, and they bring fresh ideas and the spirit of volunteerism that our union needs.

We note the other two candidates Mike Gillies and Brian Pflanzer are in the President’s pocket. They haven’t got an original idea between themselves, nothing more than Mike Cleary rubber stamps. Jamie and Eric answer to nobody; they think for themselves and are ready and willing to do the work for our pilots.

What is the state of our Union? In short it is dreadful! Our president is acting like a dictator. As an example, it has now taken 5 meetings to move the offices in Charlotte. Mike Cleary has used delay, obfuscation and dilatory parliamentary procedures to stop the will of 2/3 of the Board of Pilot Representatives regarding a simple office move.

There have been at least two recorded physical attacks in our Union, both directed at Secretary Treasurer Rob Streble. The first involved Mike Cleary. He placed his hands around Rob Streble’s neck in an argument over a billing for liquor on a credit card, which is against the USAPA Constitution. The second incident and more recent, involves Vice President Randy Mowrey pushing Rob Streble into a metal door frame over an argument regarding the ability of the Secretary Treasurer to call a meeting at the request of 1/3 of the Board of Pilot Representatives. This duty is clearly described and detailed in the Union Operating Manual. The most recent event was reported to the Charlotte Police. The BPR is aware of BOTH these allegations, as is USAPA outside legal counsel. Our current VP has a history of physical confrontation. He was tried but not convicted in FL of an incident involving the threat of violence. He was arrested for this event. They say where there is smoke there is fire, we don’t need the likes of Randy Mowery bringing his physical confrontational style into our own offices. Both Cleary and Mowrey need to resign for the good our Union.

Our union’s communication policy fails to produce complete and accurate information. You, the line pilot are not getting an accurate picture. You are not hearing civil discussion or debate. Our current President says that this is divisive and reminiscent of the old ALPA. BULLSHIT! No democratic body can hold itself up as such without allowing and supporting vigorous and spirited debate. Our current BPR is not fulfilling their leadership role in telling you the line pilot about what is going on. First and foremost they must communicate to you to tell you what is happening at our meetings and they must speak frankly. They have not been doing this. They have been told that to speak against the “company line” from Mike Cleary is dangerous and divisive. I urge them to do so and in their own words describe what they think the state of our Union is and what the major issues facing our pilots are. Our pilots are in the dark.

The recent PHX update on the Office move that is posted on several web boards and available on the USAPA web site is titled “What does it take to move an Office.” It is an accurate and unbiased description of what has been transpiring in our union regarding the Office move. Please read it. It describes how the current leadership is manipulating the democratic process to attempt to thwart the will of 2/3 of the BPR.

We have a major difference with the West in the seniority issue. Jamie Weidner and Eric Jordan support Date of Hire as is specified in the Constitution. This is a guiding principle of our union and it is enshrined in the Constitution. However, absent the seniority issue we work with the West reps as members in good standing of USAPA. Brian Pflanzer and others have painted anyone who would cooperate with the West on issues other than seniority as traitors and supporters of the Nicolau award .It is a boldfaced DAMN lie. In fact, the mere act of not working with the West BPR members as equal members threatens our very charter. This cannot stand; they are a part of this Union and have the right to participate without any bias associated with outside litigation.

It is ridiculous to assume that any member who would call a West pilot friend or deal with him in a business like manner is somehow a traitor to the East. Brian Pflanzer has accused a PHL rep of being just such a traitor because West and East Reps have voted together on some issues unrelated to seniority. The word Union denotes coming together of those persons who labor in our craft and derive that Unity from our association. The seniority issue does divide us but there are many more issues that help unite us. Using idiotic words like traitor and painting any West pilot as the enemy is just plain stupid and shows a basic lack of understanding of the entire concept of a union.

We both worked quietly behind the scenes as Mike Cleary’s troubled behavior tainted everything we had worked for in starting this fine Union. He only left the ALPA nipple mere weeks before the election, and paid himself handsomely during his first year, often to the cap. We respected the will of the pilots and sat quietly for another year, knowing all well he was not the man to lead this group. We gave you our quick and dirty assessment last year during the EVP election, but apparently our words fell on deaf ears. This current leadership is out of control, and doing just what Mike Cleary always lectured to us in the beginning. “Power is never given it is always taken.” He is attempting to do just that now, by ghostwriting for the candidates of his choice. You will notice that we sign what we write. Not so with Cleary.

Philadelphia pilots, this election for BPR Vice Chairman has become a skirmish in a much greater debate about the course of our union. If you want pair of Presidential “rubber stamps” then vote for Mike Gillies and Brian Pflanzer. They are Cleary cronies, plain and simple. If you want independent and hard working representation then vote for Jamie Weidner and Eric Jordan. They are not in anyone’s pocket, ours or otherwise, and they will not toe the company line or an un-democratic union line if the current leadership attempts it.

Sincerely,

Steve Bradford and Mark King

Notice: This letter has not been endorsed by Jamie Weidner or Eric Jordan

\\


****************************

why do you continue to publish your diatribe?... You west guys continue to try to discedit and change the minds of the east. We are not going against USAPA ....and we support our leadership.. I just meet with the leaders in the CLT crew room today and am complete agrement wtih them... Why don't you stick to your own business. It's not changing our minds.. Reminds me of when a couple is gettin divorced. The more one side tries the more the other pulls away.

 

[700UW]

Thank you, your comment is appreciated, I cant stand when the West say they bought and saved US when they were going to be on the courthouse steps, it was a merger funded by outside investors who Seabury and Associates who worked for US got the money to fund it.

 

[BoeingBoy]

I will be the first to admit that you have more knowledge in these matters than I do, but I really don't understand the "In the end the AWH stockholders bought about 50% of the combined airline".

The AWH shareholders didn't put cash in the pot. But just like an acquisition by stock swap, the shareholders gave up something of value - their AWH shares - it get something else - LCC shares - that they thought would be at least as valuable. So,in effect, the AWH shareholders "bought" a portion of LCC with their AWH shares.

Take the DL/NW deal. IIRC, DL didn't put any cash on the line. But the stockholders accepted the issuance of more DL shares, which diluted the value of their shares, because they thought the combined company would would make their shares more valuable. So was that a merger in the technical sense or did DL acquire NW? The same as best as I remember for the UA/CO deal.

Remember that the merger was a hail mary pass by Lakefield. Apparently, according the the PIT newspaper article that 700 always brings up, no other airline wanted anything to do with US as a whole. Some assets, yes - assets and employees, no. So what I keep coming back to is that it doesn't matter what person sold the idea of a combined US/AWH, what matters is that there was the combination to pitch to them. If Parker hasn't been interested, there were no options left other than selling off assets to prolong the inevitable.

Jim

 

[CactusPilot1]

Please provide us with the proof that AWH raised and spent the money to by US then.

Oh wait you cant, because the facts are Lakefield approached DWI Doug and Seabury and Associates who was working for US Airways, not America West raised the money to fund a MERGER, do yoknow the difference between a merger and an acquisition?

US/HP, US/PI were mergers, AA/TWA was an acquisition.

Back at ya. Provide the proof bankrupt US Air had any cash or credit to buy America West.

When Us Air came to the rescue of HP, why did they relocate to Tempe and hire DP as the CEO?

Give me a break. <_<

Looking back at 2006 and the Delta fiasco:

Delta + US Airways: Who will pay?
Posted 11/17/2006 2:24 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print |


When America West announced its intention to acquire twice bankrupt US Airways last year, I thought it was one of the dumbest moves in aviation history. I questioned the wisdom of buying an airline still saddled with high operating costs, a mountain of debt and an array of service problems operating in markets under siege by low-cost competitors like Southwest and jetBlue.

But with the latest bid by America West/US Airways for bankrupt Delta Airlines, the bigger picture has finally come into focus and I now see that America West had a cunning strategy all along. America West/US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker is clearly on a bargain shopping spree, and I predict that business travelers will be forced to pick up the tab.

With the acquisition of US Airways, America West — a minor player little known outside the Desert Southwest — assumed the identity of the much larger acquisition target, and instantly grabbed a foothold in every major market along the Eastern Seaboard. There was little overlap between America West's hub operations in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and US Airways routes concentrated on the East Coast, so that merger had little impact on competition.

But US Airways and Delta Airlines have been bitter rivals for decades with a highly overlapping route structure from Maine to Florida. Taking Delta out of the equation would give the combined airline monopoly status on many lucrative routes in the densely populated Eastern U.S. By just about any measure, the combination will create the nation's largest airline.

Competition will be obliterated at major airports like Washington Reagan, New York LaGuardia and Boston Logan, where US Airways and Delta Airlines are the dominant players. Parker claims the new company will realize an annual savings of $1.65 billion, which will surely come from a reduction in service and higher fares on routes where competition will be eliminated.

Of course, the merger still faces many obstacles. Delta Airlines rebuffed several previous takeover attempts. Delta's chief executive, Gerald Grinstein, said he intends to bring his airline out of bankruptcy as an independent airline. But Grinstein's airline track record says otherwise: As the former chief executive of Western Airlines, he sold his airline to Delta in 1987.

Whether or not Delta cooperates, the deal will also have to pass scrutiny in the bankruptcy courts and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ nixed a merger of US Airways with United Airlines six years ago as anti-competitive even though United and US Airways have far fewer overlapping routes than America West-Delta-US Airways. But this is a different era, and the DOJ might permit a consolidation if it believes this could help resuscitate a battered U.S. airline industry.

Other interested parties include Delta's creditors who may also back the acquisition if Parker and company can raise enough cash to give those creditors more than they would receive if Delta exited bankruptcy on its own.

Other airlines will most certainly cry foul, and I don't blame them. The biggest loser in a Delta-US Airways combination is Continental Airlines, which provides the only other alternative to Delta and US Airways on many north-south domestic routes. Continental will have a mammoth struggle against a new airline that will likely be more than twice its size.

I have previously written that consolidation in the U.S. airline industry was unlikely because of the insurmountable problems incurred in combining two or more airlines with different cost structures, different cultures and different labor forces understandably trying to protect their seniority and other benefits, which are usually diluted in a merger. But if Delta-US Airways is approved, it increases the likelihood that the remaining four network airlines — American, Continental, Northwest, and United — will be forced into similar combinations to remain competitive. This could in turn leave travelers with three mega-carriers and severely reduced competition across the country and on many routes at international gateways. Once again, this translates into fewer alternatives and higher prices for business travelers.

Interestingly, America West and US Airways have yet to combine operations, effectively skirting labor and other painful issues that have been the bane of most other airline mergers. But competition will be adversely impacted even if the airlines continue to operate separately under the same ownership. In many ways this situation reminds me of the infamous Frank Lorenzo and his tiny Texas holding company which took control of Continental, Eastern and a handful of other airlines in the 1980s and proceeded to shuffle resources and assets between airlines like houses on a Monopoly board. The America West management team could simply emulate Lorenzo's tactic controlling capacity and pricing in hundreds of markets without actually combining the airlines at all.

Parker and company created a valiant public display on the airline's website to assure jittery employees that they will still have jobs, but history would indicate otherwise. Every major airline merger since deregulation has resulted in jobs lost as the combined airline jettisons excess airplanes, routes and other unneeded assets. If merged airlines didn't do this, there would be no cost advantage and therefore no reason to merge. It is certain that many assets from both Delta and US Airways, like one of the Northeast shuttles, will be auctioned off pre-or-post-merger to satisfy regulators, help finance the transaction and pay off Delta's huge debts.

Capacity will be taken down on many routes, but the biggest loser will likely be Charlotte, where US Airways operates a hub that has been a thorn in Delta's side for many years. Post merger there will be no need for two hubs so close together in the Southeast. The much larger Atlanta hub will almost certainly win that battle.

Another loser will probably be Salt Lake City, which is too close to Las Vegas and Phoenix to be of much use to the new airline. Charlotte and Salt Lake City will most likely suffer the same fate as St. Louis, which lost its hub status after American Airlines took control of TWA several years ago. With major hubs to the north in Chicago and to the south in Dallas, St. Louis was really an unnecessary connecting point for American Airlines, which acquired TWA for much the same reason America West-US Airways is pursuing Delta: to take a competitor out of the market.

American operates a much more scaled back regional jet hub at St. Louis today, with just enough presence to discourage other airlines from expanding or opening a new hub, without impacting its bread-and-butter operations in Chicago and Dallas.

In the longer term, business travelers may get some relief as low-cost carriers continue their incursion into the void left behind by the new Delta Airlines but it will take a number of years for those expansions to truly impact airfares.

Of course, one possible bright spot for frequent travelers is the prospect of a combined mileage program. Just as America West dumped Flight Plan in favor of the much larger US Airways Dividend Miles program, the combined airline would likely abandon Dividend Miles and convert everyone to Delta SkyMiles. Unfortunately for me, this merger comes just as I have finally spent the last of my Dividend Miles. But I will probably need every Delta SkyMile I can muster to avoid those higher-priced airline tickets after the merger.

 

[cleardirect]

\\


****************************

why do you continue to publish your diatribe?... You west guys continue to try to discedit and change the minds of the east. We are not going against USAPA ....and we support our leadership.. I just meet with the leaders in the CLT crew room today and am complete agrement wtih them... Why don't you stick to your own business. It's not changing our minds.. Reminds me of when a couple is gettin divorced. The more one side tries the more the other pulls away.

Try reading that a little closer. That entire thing was published by (wait for it) EAST pilots.

Yes those same leaders you met with today that you agree with filed charges against the "founders" Bradford and King.

 

[700UW]

All ready provided it, go read the article on how the funding was accomplished.

Having comprehension problems?

 

[CallawayGolf]

CG,

I have always believed it was an acquisition of US by AWA, but funded by outside interests because neither could raise the money on their own. I think the problem most of us have is the attitude that the east was "saved" and thus we owe something to the west. I believe you have to look at the whole package. We both needed something, maybe not in equal measure, and the merger brought that to ALL of us and in the last few years the east part of this equation has proved to be pretty valuable.

Then I think we are in full agreement. All I care about is seeing the truth prevail over the emotions that try to substitute preferences and wishful thinning for verifiable fact. Doug Parker and the multiple investors did save US from liquidation but that was out of self-interest and financial gain rather than some act of philanthropy. The rest of the employees are just along for the ride no matter which former company they came from.

 

[CactusPilot1]

\\


****************************

why do you continue to publish your diatribe?... You west guys continue to try to discedit and change the minds of the east. We are not going against USAPA ....and we support our leadership.. I just meet with the leaders in the CLT crew room today and am complete agrement wtih them... Why don't you stick to your own business. It's not changing our minds.. Reminds me of when a couple is gettin divorced. The more one side tries the more the other pulls away.

As a dues paying MIG, it is my business.

Any questions? <_<

 

[jetjok1]

Why (beyond pride) do the east employees have such a difficult time understanding the transaction that took place on 9/27/2005? It's not like the employees owned the airline and had to give up their stock to HP in the transaction. First off, read the SEC filings which state that the transaction was a "reverse acquisition" for accounting purposes. The rest of the transaction was treated as a merger of the two legacy companies.

Look at it this way. Who owns a corporation? The shareholders, at least for a solvent enterprise. An insolvent enterprise that goes into Chapter 11 is no longer "owned" by the shareholders whose stock effectively becomes worthless due to the insolvency. The unsecured creditors effectively take control of the company as those who now hold more claims against the assets of the corporation than any other group. So when US went into bankruptcy II the assets of the corporation were acquired by the creditors.

The creditors then sought to get the biggest return for their unsecured claims and entertained a proposal from the Barbell Acqusition Corporation which would exchange their unsecured claims for stock in a new entity. That new entity would fund the transaction that would provide a way for US to exit bankruptcy protection through an acquisition (reverse) by AWA Holdings. Thus the unsecured creditors acquired US in bankruptcy and then merged with HP stockholders into a new LCC corporation. The solvent stockholders of AWA Holdings acquired LCC stock as part of the same transaction thereby becoming the largest block of shareholders in LCC.

So the unsecured creditors and the shareholders of AWA most certainly acquired the assets of US via this transaction. Those stockholders who owned US prior to bankruptcy took precious little with them for their investment in the legacy airline known as US Airways other than perhaps a capital loss on their IRS-1040.

Those who owned the company left with nothing of value and those who now own the company invested their cash and stock to acquire the assets of the corporation. Sounds like an acquisition to me.

Why do we even continue to talk about this nonsense. It's old hat, it's water under the bridge, it's meanlingless at this point. Let's talk about something important.....letting the courts decide.....and regardless of the decision........MOVING ON from there. Geez, what a waste of bandwidth!!

 

[CactusPilot1]

US Air was gone under Stephen Wolf. US Airways has been around for a while, never went away, merged with AWA and is now based in Tempe AZ.

This was a merger and it should be clear by now that we all needed it. The holier than thou "we saved you" didn't go very far with me during US/PI, get goes less with this one.

Pi,

Welcome back. B)

 

[East Hole]

The AWH shareholders didn't put cash in the pot. But just like an acquisition by stock swap, the shareholders gave up something of value - their AWH shares - it get something else - LCC shares - that they thought would be at least as valuable. So,in effect, the AWH shareholders "bought" a portion of LCC with their AWH shares.

Take the DL/NW deal. IIRC, DL didn't put any cash on the line. But the stockholders accepted the issuance of more DL shares, which diluted the value of their shares, because they thought the combined company would would make their shares more valuable. So was that a merger in the technical sense or did DL acquire NW? The same as best as I remember for the UA/CO deal.

Remember that the merger was a hail mary pass by Lakefield. Apparently, according the the PIT newspaper article that 700 always brings up, no other airline wanted anything to do with US as a whole. Some assets, yes - assets and employees, no. So what I keep coming back to is that it doesn't matter what person sold the idea of a combined US/AWH, what matters is that there was the combination to pitch to them. If Parker hasn't been interested, there were no options left other than selling off assets to prolong the inevitable.

Jim

Maybe, but the future of this airline is east of the Mississippi basically. The merger was huge for Dougie because he was running out of options also. Dougie has to be interested!!!!!!!!

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

For the umpteenth time it was an ACQUISITION by America West Holdings. You can stomp your feet and stand in the corner for all I care with GI.

It won't change the fact that US Air is gone and LCC now resides in Tempe, AZ.

Archie and Jughead as you know are the founding members of the Doug Parker fan club. Their homes are plumbed with hot and cold running Kool Aid......

Your right about one thing, the old US Airways is definitely no longer, anyone whoever flew or worked for the former US Airways has known that for five years.

No matter how you spin it - or how you misinterpreted it,
This union of US and HP has been a train wreck of historical and epic porportions.

Acquisition- I can only hope you are indeed correct and it goes on record. If true, Change of control language will kick in faster than Parker and Tempe can divert the revenue. Be careful what you wish for.

Still comical, yet delusional.

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

For the umpteenth time it was an ACQUISITION by America West Holdings. You can stomp your feet and stand in the corner for all I care with GI.

It won't change the fact that US Air is gone and LCC now resides in Tempe, AZ.

Archie and Jughead as you know are the founding members of the Doug Parker fan club. Their home are plumbed with hot and cold running Kool Aid......

Your right about one thing, the old US Airways is definitely no longer, anyone whoever flew or worked for the former US Airways has known that for five years.

No matter how you spin it - or how you misinterpreted it,
This union of US and HP has been a train wreck of historical and epic porportions.

Acquisition- I can only hope you are indeed correct and it goes on record. If true That change of control language will kick in faster than Parker and Tempe can divert the revenue. Be careful what you wish for.

Still comical, yet delusional.