ALPA files suit against NWA for bonus program!

[Beetle007]

EXACTLY!!!

Oh yeah, another thing that unions help with: Not flying 90 seat airplanes for the same pay as your 50 seat airplanes. Thanks for helping the rest of the industry hold the line.

Have you seen the DC-9 replacement payscales? Not Compass, but the "100 seaters to be flown at mainline"? I don't think mainline will get them, but on paper it is pretty low.

 

[ERJpusher]

Sorry ERJPusher but you are a liar. There are no 90 seaters at SkyWest. In fact there are no 90 seaters anywhere. The maxed out seating capacity is 86 seats. At SkyWest we have the 70/76 seater. Nice try on your propoganda though. BTW we make more money to fly the 70/76 seater. You should at least use facts when trying to attack another group. We here at SkyWest are not interested in holding the line, simply doing whats best for us. Peace

I wrote exactly what I intended to write. Big game of semantics with you, apparently. I'll go ahead and call it a CRJ "705" if it makes you feel better. It's kind of like taking 50 seats out of an A320 and calling it an A318, though. Same size airframe, less seats. Why don't we just pull 100 seats out an A320 and call it an ARJ? Then some company can pay $60
an hour to fly that.

I really don't care if your company has a union or not, but believe it or not, they are a necessary evil in this industry. Without one, you make yourself an easy target.

I do take offense to your blatant disrespect for the unionized workers and the already-abused pilots at NWA. Do you really think that ALPA is doing this because they are opposed to a bonus check? They are trying to set a precedent for later talks. If they willingly accept this substandard offer with no protest, then later on, during negotiations, the company will fire back, "Well, that amount was good enough for you back in 2007, why isn't it good enough now?" Since ALPA is filing a formal complaint, they will honestly be able to state that the offer was never acceptable, which it is not in light of everything.

This is why you have unions, to cover the "big picture" stuff.

Also, unions will represent the wants and needs of the entire pilot group in negotiations, until an "agreement" is reached. This is so that you aren't "given" a 1% pay raise after years of talks, even though your company is making more money than it knows what to do with.

I still can't figure out why you are even in this discussion since you don't have a dog in the fight. It seems that you logged onto this thread just to take shots at these people. Almost like a company suddenly attacking its own non-union workers.

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

Occam,

For us slow pilots please explain what you mean about where the pref. shares go as far as our future.

 

[mdanno808]

Ya because turning down free money and wasting resources on getting them to stop giving the NWA pilots free money is really a good idea!! What are you going to do ask to give any free money that pilots got back? LOL if that is the case then ALPA really is as dumb as it seems.
Yes they are doing everything they can to keep a union away which is a good thing. So they give billions in concessions and now they turn down free money. Ya that really makes sense lol. BTW Thank you for your help. We are glad to take any help we can get at avoiding paying union dues.

You have no clue do you? You think the dinky x-mas bonus check outweighs the principal that ALPA is fighting for? ALPA is fighting for the most it can get out of management. They are trying to set a precedent of holding a company to the terms of the "good faith" collective bargaining that just occured. This is what ALPA is supposed to do. ALPA is not perfect, and leaves a ton to be desired, but they are necessary. They do what they can, and in a lot of circumstances, they are the only people who will fight for you and your job. The fact that you can't recognize this goes to show how much (or little) experience you have in this industry.

 

[Sedona16]

The union and its members agreed to the current terms correct? If so then there is no way to change what was agreed to until the contract is amendable. Unless of course management is willing to re open the contract, lol not gonna happen. Until then darn right you must think in the short term. When you agree to certain terms you think in the long term. Now is the time to think in the short term. Take the money and run and do not waste dues money/ resources to getting rid of free money. LOL oh the irony it would be if ALPA demanded the pilots paid back those bonuses. I would laugh my tail off!!!

Sorry ERJPusher but you are a liar. There are no 90 seaters at SkyWest. In fact there are no 90 seaters anywhere. The maxed out seating capacity is 86 seats. At SkyWest we have the 70/76 seater. Nice try on your propoganda though. BTW we make more money to fly the 70/76 seater. You should at least use facts when trying to attack another group. We here at SkyWest are not interested in holding the line, simply doing whats best for us. Peace

This guy is a tool. He has no idea what hes talking about so dont listen to him.

 

[accinelli]

ALPA has filed a suit against NWA for implementing a bonus program -- which has payouts scheduled to employees. How does this many any sense?

They got tired of milking the block times.

 

[Occam's Razor]

Occam,

In a previous post, you wrote this: "I saw that. Another case of an action that might not have legs...but I appreciate the move. CB is codified in the contract. The establishing LOA "expired" 9-months after we started using the system. That was several years ago. It could be tough to prove the system hasn't worked properly."

I think you should get off youir lazy butt and actually look up the LOA before you spout goofy stuff like this from memory!

(sigh)

The LOA, signed 11/17/95 has been largely superceded by subsequent LOA's and contract language...but at least one element of it might have survived:

11. Each party shall have the right to cancel this Letter of Agreement under the following
conditions:

a. In the event that a party who has opposed a proposed change in the computer bidding system is required by an interest arbitration award under Paragraph 5. above to implement such change, such party shall have the right to cancel this Letter of Agreement pursuant to subparagraph c. below.

b. Following the thirty-six (36) month period established in subparagraph 5.b.4 above, or receipt of the last outstanding arbitration award submitted under subparagraph 5.c. above, whichever is later, either party shall have the right to ca.ncel this Letter of Agreement pursuant to the terms of subparagraph c. below.

c. Following receipt of an interest arbitration award as described in subparagraph
a. above, or the later of the two events described in subparagraph b. above, the party intending to cancel this Letter of Agreement shall provide written notice to the other party of such intent within ninety (90) days after receipt of such interest arbitration award or the occurrence of such subparagraph b. event. The computer bidding system in effect on the date such notice is provided shall remain in effect for a period of three (3) full flying months, commencing on the fIrst day of the flying month following receipt of such notice. Effective at the end of such three (3) month period, the schedule bidding system (including schedule completion bid) in effect as of the date of signing of this Letter of Agreement shall replace the computer bidding system.

It's been more than 36-months, so that box is checked...but I dont' recall any arbitrations or awards from arbitrations...so the triggering occurence hasn't happened.

I could be wrong, though. As my previous post proves...

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Occam was wrong and Occam corrected him! Way to go Occam!!

 

[Occam's Razor]

Occam,

For us slow pilots please explain what you mean about where the pref. shares go as far as our future.

Preferred shares usually represent the governance of the corporation, or a higher status of payout positioning.

Example: In March, 1998, NWA bought 15% of the common shares of CAL from David Bonderman (Texas Pacific Group), and 51% of the Special Preferred Shares. The Preferred Shares controlled a simple majority of the Board seats based on terms established when they were given to Bonderman in exchange for investing in CAL during their re-org from bankruptcy.

Those shares held governance rights, but only a nominal redemption right.

Our FA's held Preferred Shares as part of the '93 concession deal and chose to retain them as Preferred because they liked the "guaranteed" 8% dividend contract on them. ALPA opted to convert to Common because we didn't trust our management to redeem the shares in the event something went wrong. ["What? ALPA thinking ahead!?"] Our Common shares were unlocked in '96, and with a strike price of $24.50, many of us doubled our money when the stock price ran up to $54 a year later.

Future NWA Preferred shares will indicate who is both "in deep" and "in control" based on the amount and terms. Since we've got a pilot on the BOD, our MEC will know that stuff before it happens.

Gary "Reefer" Wilson will try to keep as much control as possible, so that if/when somebody tries to merge/buy/acquire/etc NWA he will be in the catbird seat, and will receive a dumptruck full of loot for it.

Other management bandits will get a pile of loot too, and that announcement will probably be later this week...or early next week.

It'll be the same perverse type of deal that went down at UAL...money and huzzahs! as a reward for thrashing Labor.

I'm interested in seeing who signs up for the "long haul" and who opts for the cash-and-dash arrangement.

 

[michael707767]

Sorry ERJPusher but you are a liar. There are no 90 seaters at SkyWest. In fact there are no 90 seaters anywhere. The maxed out seating capacity is 86 seats.

actually, you are incorrect. According to the Bombardier website, the standard aircraft if configured with 86 seats, but it is certified for up to 90. In fact, the web site shows a 90 seat configuration.