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ALPA suing Spirit Airlines

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My best to the SPA pilots - enough is enough.


If I had a nickel for every time I hear that..

ALPA will talk tough but will fail as always.

Company will threaten shutdown and the pilots will bend over. Why? because they don't want to lose their jobs and start all over again. Some kind of nationalization/protection of pay and benefits needs to be done, IMHO. But doubtful it will ever happen. This would give pilots more leverage.

Good luck SPA.
 
If I had a nickel for every time I hear that..

ALPA will talk tough but will fail as always.

Company will threaten shutdown and the pilots will bend over. Why? because they don't want to lose their jobs and start all over again. Some kind of nationalization/protection of pay and benefits needs to be done, IMHO. But doubtful it will ever happen. This would give pilots more leverage.

Good luck SPA.

How do they do it over at JetBlue then? ;)
 
If I had a nickel for every time I hear that..

ALPA will talk tough but will fail as always.

Company will threaten shutdown and the pilots will bend over. Why? because they don't want to lose their jobs and start all over again. Some kind of nationalization/protection of pay and benefits needs to be done, IMHO. But doubtful it will ever happen. This would give pilots more leverage.

Good luck SPA.

No the pilots need to have a backbone and call the company's bluff!! pilots bending over the past few years have caused the companies having an upper hand!
 
Air Line Pilots Association Files Suit Against Spirit Airlines
by Greg Thomson
September 4, 2008


The Air Line Pilots Association, representing Spirit pilots, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Spirit Airlines. The suit seeks relief against the company for multiple violations of the Railway Labor Act. The suit alleges that Spirit management has unilaterally imposed changes in pay, rules, and working conditions.

The law suite alleges the company has:
1) Redefined "block out time"; changing it from when the cabin door is closed and the parking brake released to when the airplane reaches 0.5 knots during roll out. This reduces the portion of the flight pilots are paid to work.

2) Spirit Airlines informed the pilots that they may no longer be paid per diem, lodging or transportation expenses while in training at Spirit's headquarters or at the Airbus training facility.

3) The company is scheduling pilots to have fewer than the four days off between trips specified in the collective bargaining agreement.

4) The company announced that 115 Spirit pilots would be furloughed without a corresponding reduction in its flight schedule. The remaining pilots are now overworked and are calling in sick due to being worked to exhaustion or from sickness caused by the new schedules. Spirit management has slandered the pilots claiming they are engaging in a "sick in".

5) The company published a bid package for September that included scheduling through September 4 for pilots that had been informed their furlough date effective September 1. The collective bargaining agreement (CAB) specifies furloughs will begin on the first of the month. The CBA also says pilots will be paid a minimum of 72 hours for months they work. Spirit Airlines has said it does not intend to pay the monthly guarantee for the furloughed pilots working past September 1.

"Enough is enough," said Captain John Prater, president of ALPA. "Over the last few months, Spirit pilots have withstood every contract violation and every form of harassment that this management could throw at them. Since the company refuses to honor the contract, we are asking the court to force them to, and treat these pilots and our union with the respect we deserve."

Ben Baldanza, Spirit's president and CEO responded "The work rule adjustments were among dozens of cost savings initiatives implemented at Spirit in response to unprecedented oil prices and a slowing US economy. Each of the changes is permitted under the existing collective bargaining agreement. We understand that some of our pilots are unhappy about the changes but, in our view, the work rule adjustments are critically necessary in these challenging times for the well being of he company and our employees. Each issue is being negotiated in already scheduled arbitrations or in our ongoing collective bargaining agreement under supervision of a Federal mediator."

Baldanza added "Our decision to discontinue certain less efficient practices within the bounds of our existing agreement is just one part of a company-wide range of initiatives aimed at improving revenues and reducing costs. These changes help to ensure the company's continued ability to compete, grow, and protect our employees' jobs."
 
Air Line Pilots Association Files Suit Against Spirit Airlines
by Greg Thomson
September 4, 2008

The Air Line Pilots Association, representing Spirit pilots, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Spirit Airlines. The suit seeks relief against the company for multiple violations of the Railway Labor Act. The suit alleges that Spirit management has unilaterally imposed changes in pay, rules, and working conditions.

The law suite alleges the company has:
1) Redefined "block out time"; changing it from when the cabin door is closed and the parking brake released to when the airplane reaches 0.5 knots during roll out. This reduces the portion of the flight pilots are paid to work.

2) Spirit Airlines informed the pilots that they may no longer be paid per diem, lodging or transportation expenses while in training at Spirit's headquarters or at the Airbus training facility.

3) The company is scheduling pilots to have fewer than the four days off between trips specified in the collective bargaining agreement.

4) The company announced that 115 Spirit pilots would be furloughed without a corresponding reduction in its flight schedule. The remaining pilots are now overworked and are calling in sick due to being worked to exhaustion or from sickness caused by the new schedules. Spirit management has slandered the pilots claiming they are engaging in a "sick in".

5) The company published a bid package for September that included scheduling through September 4 for pilots that had been informed their furlough date effective September 1. The collective bargaining agreement (CAB) specifies furloughs will begin on the first of the month. The CBA also says pilots will be paid a minimum of 72 hours for months they work. Spirit Airlines has said it does not intend to pay the monthly guarantee for the furloughed pilots working past September 1.

"Enough is enough," said Captain John Prater, president of ALPA. "Over the last few months, Spirit pilots have withstood every contract violation and every form of harassment that this management could throw at them. Since the company refuses to honor the contract, we are asking the court to force them to, and treat these pilots and our union with the respect we deserve."

Ben Baldanza, Spirit's president and CEO responded "The work rule adjustments were among dozens of cost savings initiatives implemented at Spirit in response to unprecedented oil prices and a slowing US economy. Each of the changes is permitted under the existing collective bargaining agreement. We understand that some of our pilots are unhappy about the changes but, in our view, the work rule adjustments are critically necessary in these challenging times for the well being of he company and our employees. Each issue is being negotiated in already scheduled arbitrations or in our ongoing collective bargaining agreement under supervision of a Federal mediator."

Baldanza added "Our decision to discontinue certain less efficient practices within the bounds of our existing agreement is just one part of a company-wide range of initiatives aimed at improving revenues and reducing costs. These changes help to ensure the company's continued ability to compete, grow, and protect our employees' jobs."


Thanks Shrek I wish you the best of luck
 

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