NPA BoD endorses last-minute T.A.

[Lear70]

Reduces hourly pay rates to get rid of Core Block and 4.5 hour average day?

*sigh*

President's Update


Tuesday, August 22, 2007

Dear NPA Member:


Yesterday, August 21, your NPA Board of Directors and your Negotiating Committee met along with the Company Negotiating Committee in Atlanta at the request of Mediator, Mike Tosi. After explaining the potential consequences from the National Mediation Board's perspective if the ratification vote fails, Mr. Tosi urged both parties to make one last attempt to arrive at a consensual agreement that was satisfactory to the Company and the NPA and one that would be endorsed by the NPA's Board of Directors. Early this morning at 2:00AM, the NPA reached a new T/A with AirTran. This new T/A supersedes the Company's "Last Final Offer" (LFO) that is currently being voted on by the pilot group and will be processed in accordance with the NPA CBL.


As a result, we will stop the current vote on the Company's LFO and start a new ratification vote once the new TA is finalized and sent out to the pilot group this week. However, the vote to recall the NPA President and Vice President is not affected by this change and will close on Wednesday, September 5 as scheduled.


This new T/A accomplishes two major objectives; it removes both "core credit" and the 4.5 hour average minimum duty period. These two issues alone is why your leadership recommended a no vote for the Company's LFO. The cost for completely eliminating the concept of "core credit" from the T/A was a small reduction in proposed hourly rate (a reduction significantly less than the Company was insisting on).


In addition we were able to achieve additional improvements to the Company's previous offer, including an additional lump sum payment to all pilots of 1.5 million dollars which includes money set aside for resolution of all non disciplinary grievances filed prior to July 1, 2007 and elimination of any age requirement for eligibility for insurance coverage for medically retired pilots.


I know that many of you are feeling frustrated by this process, and I don't blame you.
But, the fact of the matter is it was only because of your support and the NPA BoD's rejection of the Company's last offer that we were able to achieve this improved TA.


Consequently, based on all the circumstances, including on the Nation Mediation Board's position, and the improvements achieved, the NPA BoD decided it was in the best interest of the pilot group to unanimously endorse the TA and recommend its ratification.


Please check the website and watch your e-mail in the coming days for more information about the T/A and schedules for road shows.


Captain Allen Philpot
President, National Pilots Association

 

[Kharma Police]

Sigh........

 

[Ace McCoy]

Wait so that means the FO pay is even lower than before?

Sigh..

I hear Delta is hiring though.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

What is the PROPOSED FO pay under the new TA. Is this enough to get the 51% vote?

 

[Ace McCoy]

What is the PROPOSED FO pay under the new TA. Is this enough to get the 51% vote?

Not sure. But the previous TA's was waaay too low.

I wonder if the NPA still thinks we are gonna upgrade in three years when the company keeps deferring 737 deliveries.

 

[RadioClash]

deleted

 

[whymeworry?]

I just don't see why you guys and gals should get anything less than your competitor, SWA.

Vote no.

 

[ATLplt]

I'm think we're all getting really tired of this. I can't believe they'd endorse this unacceptable TA AGAIN!!! Let's concede more and more pay until we're back to 2001 rates. I don't even want to imagine what FO rates are now. Let's not forget scope as well. I can't wait to see (insert favorite regional here) flying 900's/190's with a big A on the tail...uke:

 

[TV9Driver]

sounds like they are angling for the "older" vote - those close to retirement. Increased lump sum and medical bennies... and all it costs is our paycheck for the rest of us.

What a chickensh#t manuever.

Now I have to go through the trouble of voting F##K NO!!! again.....

i

 

[RadioClash]

When can I vote no on this one?

 

[gt1900]

This is getting rediculous.... Loss of the door closed time is still in there, and now they wanna lower the FO pay even more??? Our own union is pushing for a 51% yes vote.... They just don't get it, and they still don't get it... Maybe AP should go work for the FO rates he is proposing... Screw him... Can I vote no twice??

 

[c9skytrain]

I think I will wait to see what it actually states before making up my mind. Or is that bad?

 

[gt1900]

1 cent less for fo pay is too much..

 

[twepilot]

its still block or better...the door thing is not an issue anymore (to me) now that core block is gone.

RV

 

[twepilot]

anyone have a scoop on how much we are talking about on the pay rates. Also, a comparison on 1st year at some other airlines would be helpful.

RV

 

[Eagle757shark]

Now past the smoke and mirror. I smell MERGER again! Hmmm.....go to the finance people....say....we need xxxx dollars to finance a new deal (and it must be kept absolutely quiet til the deal is done)....finance company ask.....have you got your pilot contract resolved.....oh...we will call the NPA to an all night session and get it done.....deal done....new TA on the table supported by BOD and NC....CLASSIC! (Airline merger 101 all the way)

Remember as of last night we were voting on a TA that was the companies final offer! Now a new deal...things that make you say.....HMMM!

 

[gt1900]

I can give you third year comparison.. AAI's TA'd rate before the new concessioned TA'd rate...

SWA.... $98 hr
AMR.... $89 md 80- $91 737-800
DAL..... $79 md 88 $88 737-ng
NWA... $69 DC9 $77 A320
CAL..... $66 SNB $86 Wide
UAL..... $73 737/320
ALA..... $73
FRNT.... $73
HWN..... $81 B717
JBL...... $67 320

AAI... $68.. And its sounds like thats going to be less now... Woohoo... Lowest payed third year FO's in the industry with the exception of Spirit and Midwest...

What a joke.. AAI has made money for the last 8 years and they want FO's to accept a rediculously low FO scale... What a slap in the face. This union doesn't give a rats @ss about the FO's.. Lets hope the CA's stand up for us and vote this new TA down as well... Screw the wheel movement time.. Door closed and nothing less than at least Frontier and Alaska FO rates.... BTW.. Don't forget that most of the airlines will be in negotiations very soon.. Alaska is looking for big pay raises as we speak... Lets vote this one down.. Then, maybe, we will get the last, last, last, last final offer...

 

[~~~^~~~]

You guys need a union, preferably ALPA, on the property. This is rediculous.

The chart above is helpful, but does not tell the whole story. Delta, for example, will have a 6% raise added to its number (I think) if the Company hits it's expected level of profitability this year and they get 11% put into a 401K / B Fund. The 737-700 rate is about $1 below the MD88 rate and the MD90 rate is slightly higher.

Anyho' the chart above indicates AAI's rates are 15 to 20% below their peers. AAI is a great airline (from a market perspective) and should pay its employees commensurate with their productivity and expertise.

 

[Big Iron]

How about a last and final chance to vote No! The FO rates where an insult before and now they are going to be worse? If a single FO votes to approve this warmed over TA they are crazy. Can't get rid of these NPA guys fast enough. At least the vote for the recall will count.

 

[twepilot]

since the stink is about 1st year rates I was curious about how our proposed rates jived with other airlines. I haven;t been on the job hunting band-wagon in a while so I haven't kept up with what the market rate is for 1st year guys at other airlines. I seem to remember that AA's was like 25 k a year but that was back in 1999 I believe.

RV

 

[Lear70]

anyone have a scoop on how much we are talking about on the pay rates. Also, a comparison on 1st year at some other airlines would be helpful.

1st year's bad enough with the pay cut for new-hires to "industry average" or $38.50, whichever is lower...

The big problem is years 2-6, where every F/O on property will fall during the duration of this Agreement. Here's the summary I did for negotiations in D.C. which included all Major Airlines except cargo carriers:

Year ........ Industry Average ....... AAI Proposed Rate

1 ................. $ 40.44 ................... $ 38.50
2 ................. $ 72.99 ................... $ 63.48
3 ................. $ 82.83 ................... $ 68.29
4 ................. $ 87.39 ................... $ 74.68
5 ................. $ 94.29 ................... $ 77.48
6 ................. $ 99.98 ................... $ 80.43

These rates are BEFORE any pay cuts in the new Last And Final Offer given in exchange for getting BACK "scheduled block or better" (core block). If you included cargo carriers, that "industry average" goes up by about $4 an hour 1st year, $7 an hour each year thereafeter.

Upgrade is now at 3 years. This time next year (2008) it will be at 3 1/2. The year after that (2009), 4 years. The year after that (2010), 4 1/2 years. The year after that (2011), 5 years. That's the amendable date (3 1/2 years), so by the time we get close to another agreement (2 years of negotiations), it'll be 2013, we'll be sitting on 5-6 year upgrades for guys hired this year.

All that assumes no large changes in aircraft delivery slots and/or mergers/acquisitions.

So, figure out whether you want to be an F/O on the industry's 2nd or 3rd LOWEST pay scale for the next 5 years of your career, and/or upgrade into some of the most draconian reserve rules you've ever seen at a major airline.

I'm not interested, is anyone else?

You never, ever, give up work rules... takes too much negotiating capital to get them back. Negotiations 101... a class our NPA folks evidently missed.

Yes, Yes, No. Still the way I'm voting without industry AVERAGE F/O rates and work rule changes back to AT LEAST current book.

 

[PCL_128]

You guys need a union, preferably ALPA, on the property. This is rediculous.

If this entire process over the last few months hasn't taught this pilot group that ALPA is necessary, then the entire pilot group is blind. An independent union simply can't do the job.

 

[Joey Bayonne]

This is crazy... Not only are they trying to take away quality of life and bring us to the botom of the pay scale list, but they are successfully taking away our right to vote. First the TA that we could never vote on, then the last and final offer that gets pulled, now this... Who knows what's next? We can't even get to vote on anything before it's taken away and amended!

 

[Pancho]

We need to start an immediate decertification drive for the NPA and push for ALPA to come on board. This latest round is over the top, wholesale insanity. We are paying the NPA huge bucks to work for the company, not us. That is all these last few rounds have been, pandering to management. The NPA is certainly not looking out for the best interests of the pilots who are paying out the a$$ to be at best misrepresented and at worst lied to, cheated and screwed over by our own "brothers!" I know there are many here who have been unhappy with ALPA in past lives, myself included. I feel the bulk of the problem rested with DW the previous leader. We should all be willing to listen to what the new regime at Herndon is saying and doing.

 

[PCL_128]

We need to start an immediate decertification drive for the NPA and push for ALPA to come on board.

Hold up a second. No need to decertify. Then you leave yourself unprotected while you try to bring on a new union. You can simply merge the NPA into ALPA. Lots of unions have done it before, including FedEx (FPA) and Continental (IACP).

 

[twepilot]

18 years 38 days till I can kiss this crap good-bye..

RV

 

[Lear70]

Hold up a second. No need to decertify. Then you leave yourself unprotected while you try to bring on a new union. You can simply merge the NPA into ALPA. Lots of unions have done it before, including FedEx (FPA) and Continental (IACP).

Correct.

Everyone needs to get a copy of the bylaws and download it - available from the NPA website. It's only 24 pages or so, not a hard read at all.

ANY member can bring a petition for vote by the pilot group, just like the recall petition. Get 15% of the pilot group to sign the petition and it goes to pilot vote. Period. Not like ALPA bylaws where the MEC (Bod) has to agree to put it to vote, you get 15% of the pilots to petition for it and it goes to pilot vote. Period.

Similarly, an ALPA drive would be accomplished in almost the exact same way, except the RLA has a set of rules used to accomplish that goal.

I'm not a big ALPA cheerleader, but something has to change. The lack of professionalism has me extremely aggravated, the 5th version of the T.A. in 3 months notwithstanding...

 

[JOEBOYPILOT]

I think this is a case of bait and switch.

Lets CNX the voting, during the voting, on the NEW OLD TA (???) OH! Then lets vote again on the NEW NEW OLD TA (????)

Why dosn't the NPA just make this more confuing then it already has to be! I forgot looks who's incharge. Hence the YES_YES_NO VOTE!

Can we just stop for a sesond let the dust settle and then continue negotations with a fresh new look (ie new BOD).

 

[MGT3]

Job one is to get AP recalled and stop the bleeding. Then we can have an open debate on whether to remain independent under new leadership going a new direction or to seek out a national union such as ALPA.

We need the opportunity to let our voices be heard and see where the membership is with an actual vote. Hopefully it will come back NO and we can see where the chips fall.

Every pilot in the bottom 75% of our senority list should vote NO on this TA (I can not speak for the top 25% but I hope they vote NO as well.) The FO rates are unacceptable, and no one can rely on a quick upgrade to ease the pain, so I would hope we have a 50% NO vote automatically.

GT

 

[Pancho]

On a different note, has anyone else noticed that the longer we hold out, the better the Last Final Offer(s) keeps becoming? We are working under a pretty good CBA that is amendable (a.k.a. remains in effect until we vote in a new CBA.) Why are we in any kind of hurry to jump on any of these ridiculous offers by the company? Especially, when the deal keeps improving with time. The company says the new agreement will increase their pilot costs by 15 million (or whatever the number of the week is.) If this is the truth, then why are they in such a big hurry to get us to sign this LLLFO instead of continuing to drag their feet as they have for so long and saving more money? ASA's negotiations have been in progress for around five years now. They have been begging to get released so they can enter into self-help but the mediator will not release them. It seems like management has overplayed their hand and time is now in our favor. We've waited a long time and are now impatient, management is counting on this and will use it against us if we (and only we) let them. We need to steal a play from SK's playbook and drag our feet a little. There is nothing JL, SK, KG, our mediator MT or anyone in the union can do about us slowing things down a little bit by continuing to vote no until we get what we originally set out to get in these negotiations. We cannot allow management or our own union to lower our extremely reasonable expectations with these insulting TA's and their threats and intimidation. There are so many airlines either negotiating or preparing to negotiate huge advances in their own contracts. It will suck big time to sign a concessionary POS and watch all of our brothers get big gains while we are stuck as bottom feeders (with a Mesa quality contract) for seven years (or more) and our management team takes huge bonuses and pay raises that should have been ours.