Aloha Airlines cargo pilots threaten April 26 strike

[Poahi]

The union files a motion requesting that a judge not block the action

David Segal
[email protected]

The Air Line Pilots Association said in a motion filed today in federal Bankruptcy Court that Aloha Airlines’ cargo pilots may strike any or all of the company’s operations just after midnight on April 26 if no labor agreement is reached.
ALPA said the union has been rebuffed and ignored by Aloha management and that the company’s actions over the past week have unquestionably triggered a “major dispute” under the Railway Labor Act. Aloha’s pilots said the strike would begin at 12:01 a.m. that day.

Aloha flies 85 percent of the state’s air cargo as well as all of the U.S. Mail to Maui and the Big Island.

The pilots union claimed in the filing that it has the legal right to strike immediately and has asked the court not to block the job action because Aloha has “repudiated its collective bargaining agreement with ALPA.”

Among those issues cited by ALPA are the company’s failure to follow seniority flying rights as called for in the agreement, failing to follow job security and successorship provisions of the agreement that would require the purchaser of Aloha’s cargo unit to hire Aloha’s cargo pilots, and the failure to make retirement plan contributions and maintain benefits.

Only about 40 cargo pilots remain after the company shut down passenger operations on March 31.

Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman said the company had no immediate comment.
Source:http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=6986


I'm guessing that nearly all of the 40 pilots about to strike would be out on the street if they were successful at a rebid.

 

[OB-CPO]

The union files a motion requesting that a judge not block the action

David Segal
[email protected]

The Air Line Pilots Association said in a motion filed today in federal Bankruptcy Court that Aloha Airlines’ cargo pilots may strike any or all of the company’s operations just after midnight on April 26 if no labor agreement is reached.
ALPA said the union has been rebuffed and ignored by Aloha management and that the company’s actions over the past week have unquestionably triggered a “major dispute” under the Railway Labor Act. Aloha’s pilots said the strike would begin at 12:01 a.m. that day.

Aloha flies 85 percent of the state’s air cargo as well as all of the U.S. Mail to Maui and the Big Island.

The pilots union claimed in the filing that it has the legal right to strike immediately and has asked the court not to block the job action because Aloha has “repudiated its collective bargaining agreement with ALPA.”

Among those issues cited by ALPA are the company’s failure to follow seniority flying rights as called for in the agreement, failing to follow job security and successorship provisions of the agreement that would require the purchaser of Aloha’s cargo unit to hire Aloha’s cargo pilots, and the failure to make retirement plan contributions and maintain benefits.

Only about 40 cargo pilots remain after the company shut down passenger operations on March 31.

Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman said the company had no immediate comment.
Source:http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=6986


I'm guessing that nearly all of the 40 pilots about to strike would be out on the street if they were successful at a rebid.

about time

 

[Cardinal]

The kind of potentially selfless action the usapians couldn't possibly understand.

 

[IronCityBlue]

This little known struggle could be the most important in decades for the airline pilot profession. The right to strike when your contract is torn to pieces in BK needs to be established with a precident all pilots can sink their teeth into in the future. Last round the judges danced around the issue and even slapped temporary injunctions on labor, but never really came out with a difinitive ruling. If the Aloha cargo pilots are allowed to strike, it will be a massive victory in labor's corner for a long time to come. We owe those guys a huge debt of gratitude for trying this. Even more so if they are successful.

 

[Poahi]

I don't get why it would be so expensive to retrain the pilots. It's the same type rating isn't it? Wouldn't they just need some additional ground school, hazmat training, etc.....?

 

[ultrarunner]

My guess is that the hauling of the mail wouldn't miss a beat.

 

[Hamburger]

My guess is that the hauling of the mail wouldn't miss a beat.

If somebody else hauls that mail, it will at least be refreshing to see people actually using the word "scab" correctly.

 

[YMICFI]

Huh?

If somebody else hauls that mail, it will at least be refreshing to see people actually using the word "scab" correctly.

So are you saying that if a former Aloha pilot is able to secure a job with a cargo carrier that carries the mail is a scab?

I don't see it that way.

 

[Freight Dog]

Strike ain't happening until at least Monday night...

 

[Hamburger]

So are you saying that if a former Aloha pilot is able to secure a job with a cargo carrier that carries the mail is a scab?

I don't see it that way.

I'm saying if they strike, anyone doing the struck work would be scabbing.

 

[tzskipper]

I'm saying if they strike, anyone doing the struck work would be scabbing.

Just to add a bit, I believe that "struck work" is defined by the ALOHA MEC.

TZS

 

[Ty Webb]

Good Luck, Guys . . . . Sorry for the way this has worked out so far, but we support you guys, and appreciate your show of strength in the face of such adversity. Real "Old School" stuff that many new pilots could learn from.

Regards,

TW

 

[suupah]

-----

 

[Andy Neill]

I'm saying if they strike, anyone doing the struck work would be scabbing.

and

Just to add a bit, I believe that "struck work" is defined by the ALOHA MEC.

I'm guessing that multiple airlines have had existing contracts to fly the mail over routes that Aloha does. It will be interesting to see how the Aloha MEC will identify which parcels are struck work. When a passenger carrier strikes, other airlines are not scabbing by virtue of flying a passenger origianlly intending to fly the struck airline. It is more common to identify struck work as changes to frequency or guage. Since I think the loss of capacity from Aloha can be absorbed into existing capacity (recently increased to make up for the non-struck loss of capacity from Aloha passenger operations), there would be no struck work.

 

[YMICFI]

Ok

Very good. I would agree with the thoughts. If the pilots were to continue flying during the strike that would be scabbing. I don't see that happening. The pilot group at Aloha is too strong and "union friendly" to do that.

 

[Hamburger]

I remember years ago when Comair stuck. I was working at Blueridge and we were watching very carefully to see if any 'extra' pairings showed up that used to belong to Comair. (A trip that left Dulles and worked Cincinnati for three days that wasn't there last month)...Because if it did, we weren't going to fly it.
It is, of course, up to the Aloha MEC to decide where the line is drawn.
My original statement was more along the lines of there actually being a strike involved when people throw the word 'scab' around.

 

[CopilotDoug]

what's the latest? Did they strike? Did management come to the table???

 

[Fubijaakr]

The latest is Aloha Cargo went Chapter 7 and shut their doors, so the whole debate is moot.

 

[go!ng for broke]

The latest is Aloha Cargo went Chapter 7 and shut their doors, so the whole debate is moot.

the debate is the reason for chap 7

 

[fly4surf]

Much respect for the AQ pilots.

You guys were getting dragged over the coals by people commenting in the paper for this.
But what they don't understand is....
just about everything.

Walk proud.