ALPA Mag./ 02-04 / Duane on Fee for Dept

[FurloughedAgain]

Sending the following letter to the editor at ALPA's rag. Doubt it'll ever see the light of day though.

January 21, 2004

Captain Woerth appeared to finally recognize (Fee for Departure, Again – Feb 04), that the fee for departure carriers and “portfolio concept” have created an environment in which ALPA carriers are underbidding other ALPA carriers and furthering the race to the bottom.

He spent an entire page defining the problem, but suggested no solutions. How could he? The association represents carriers on every possible side of the conflict!

ALPA represents the traditional “main-line” carriers who are only now scrambling recover the regional jet flying that they gave-away during better times. These so-called Jets-for-jobs programs force affiliate and wholly-owned carriers to participate and allow furloughed mainline pilots super-seniority at their carriers in clear violation of their PWA and in violation of ALPA’s own bylaws! Carriers that have refused Jets-For-Jobs have been threatened with downsizing and liquidation.

ALPA represents the wholly-owned “regional” airlines who are restricted from seeking flying other than that provided by their parent company. These pilots are fighting the pilots of their mainline partners who now are trying to take-back flying that was given to them years ago. They are also having their contracts and working conditions attacked by other ALPA (and Teamster) regionals who are aggressively bargaining in a bidding war for new and existing flying.

ALPA represents several fee-for-departure “regional” airlines that are providing their services to a variety of different mainline partners. They codeshare with two or more major airlines and, at least lately, are greedily accepting substandard contracts with the hopes that massive growth will result. Worse yet, ALPA has signed these agreements as a means of accomplishing its own political goals. (The elimination of Freedom Air, the approval of Jets-for-jobs, etc.)

So yes, Captain Woerth. We have a problem. The problem is that literally THOUSANDS of airline jobs are being outsourced to the lowest possible bidder. Major carriers have furloughed thousands while regional partners have enjoyed unprecedented growth. At the same time though, large jet carriers (such as Comair, Mesaba, and Air Wisconsin) who have stood up and tried to maintain a reasonable standard of living for so-called “regional” airline pilots are being attacked by even LOWER cost providers!

Why is this happening? ALPA dropped the ball. Every single airplane – from the Beech 1900 to the Airbus 330 -- flown under US Airways (or United, or American, or Delta) colors should be flown by pilots on that carrier’s seniority list. Unfortunately the association has chosen to give away “undesirable” flying and in doing so created a second-class group of pilots. ALPA created the whipsaw.

Captain Woerth said that the only way to halt the cycle is for every pilot group inside an “air transportation brand” to develop a common coordinated strategy to protect wages and share job security. How do you intend to do that Captain Woerth? Since the vast majority of the airlines of which you speak do not OWN any flying, but rather exist at the whim of their mainline partner it seems that the association has created a system by which there is no bargaining power at all for any carrier but the few major-airlines with scope language in their contract.

You are part of the problem, Captain Woerth but at least you have finally identified that a problem exists. Now what do you, and the association, intend to do to move down the road towards a solution?

Maybe it is time that we redefine “single transportation system” and bring back ALL of the flying under a single livery to a single seniority list. Anything less is the wasted effort of a dying union.

Respectfully,
XXXXXX
Furloughed US Airways

 

[satpak77]

Good post

I will add more opinions

I personally think the "airline career" that arguably existed in the past is coming to an end. We have seen again and again legal salary contracts re-bargained or voided in the name of Ch.11 and or percieved future financial health. Some majors have severely cut back on retiree medical benefits. Some retiree's have seen their pensions be cut back.

I am talking Pilots, F/A's, others.

If I had a teenage child looking for advice, you think I would tell him that "flying the friendly skies" till you are 60, then having no pension, no medical benefits, and 3 furloughs in your career, is a good career choice? For what? To be gone from home 14 days a month, work on Christmas, and missing your kids soccer games?

That 777 captain or MD-11 captain does not suffer from these problems, but lets wake up, those guys are not the majority.

And how does one articulate the pay disparity between commuters and majors? Really? Come on now.

The commuter guys are flying thru the crap all day long, multiple turns a day, eating lunch out of a vending machine, and making $20,000 to do it. "Yes, but look what it leads to. A road to the majors."

It costs XXX dollars per hour to operate 2 MD-80 flights a day DFW-MAF. It also costs XXXX dollars to pay the crew. OR, major airline management can send 4 SAAB flights a day, at XXX dollars per hour for both plane and crew.

Hmmm, this is not rocket science. And the general pilot industry suffers.

The notion that the major pilot "deserves" more than the commuter guy is laughable. It is also ballsy to negotiate that a laid off mainline guy "deserves" to be bumped back into an RJ cockpit, which back-bumps everybody else, resulting in some poor, unknown mope being laid off at the other end. Yeah, I call that fair.

 

[N2264J]

Re: ALPA Mag - Duane on Fee for Dept

ALPA created the whipsaw...the association has created a system by which there is no bargaining power at all for any carrier but the few major-airlines with scope language in their contract.

Your dues dollars at work.

Not coincidentally, that handful of major airlines with the scope are also running every aspect of the union! It's structured that way. Union democracy in ALPA is an illusion.

Excellent letter but I too will be very surprised if it gets published.

Good job.

 

[TonyC]

Sending the following letter to the editor at ALPA's rag. Doubt it'll ever see the light of day though.

He spent an entire page defining the problem, but suggested no solutions.

He DID suggest a solution, in broad terms, but you apparently are too angry at him to listen. I can understand your anger, don't get me wrong. I've been there - - angry, that is. It makes it difficult to remain objective.

In fact, the solution he suggests is set in a type face three times the size of the remainder of the article, and appears in a different color. If you were just skimming through the magazine, you could easily read both the statement of the problem (the title of the article) and the suggested solution (in the highlighted text) in a matter of a very few seconds.

Originally posted by FurloughedAgain

ALPA represents the traditional “main-line” carriers who are only now scrambling recover the regional jet flying that they gave-away during better times.

I think you left out a "to" - - as in "... who are only now scrambling to recover..."

Originally posted by FurloughedAgain

These so-called Jets-for-jobs programs force affiliate and wholly-owned carriers to participate and allow furloughed mainline pilots super-seniority at their carriers in clear violation of their PWA and in violation of ALPA’s own bylaws!

For standard spelling some pairs of words work sensibly together simply by being next to each other. These pairs do not need a hyphen to emphasize their relationship, nor should be combined into one word. You should omit the hyphen in "wholly-owned."

Originally posted by FurloughedAgain

Captain Woerth said that the only way to halt the cycle is for every pilot group inside an “air transportation brand” to develop a common coordinated strategy to protect wages and share job security.

See there, you DID read the solution! ! Sometimes we are our own worst enemy, and when the call of Unity is being heralded from the mountaintops, we're too busy tending to our own personal misery to hear the message.

I understand your anger, but I fear it is misdirected.