Cajones with a capital "C".. way to go, Lloyd!
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/262227.html
?Posted on Tue, Oct. 09, 2007
New pilots union leaders blister American's Arpey in letter
By: TREBOR BANSTETTER
[email protected]
The new officers of American Airlines' pilots union blasted Gerard Arpey, the airline's chief executive, in a blistering letter that disparages his leadership, condemns executive bonuses and asserts that company sick leave policies are resulting in suicide.
It closes with a warning that Arpey may have to deal with a pilots' strike.
"Enjoy your blood money and your union-busting meeting," wrote Lloyd Hill, president of the Allied Pilots Association. "We'll see you in court, in the newspapers, and on the picket line."
The letter, sent Sept. 18 and obtained by the Star-Telegram, was in response to an email from airline executives that touted cooperative efforts between labor and management. It was also signed by Tom Westbrook, the union's vice president, and Bill Haug, the group's secretary-treasurer.
All three were elected in July after promising to take a harder line with airline management than previous union officials. The letter is a clear indication that they weren't kidding.
Hill "doesn't mince words, and that's pretty clear from the letter," said union spokesman Gregg Overman. "It's very direct."
The letter's contents include:
-- Condemnation of a cooperative union-management program as "a cruel hoax perpetrated upon (American) employees."
-- A statement regarding American's poor customer service ratings that says, "your solution always seems to involve hiring another (vice president) or forming another 'team.' "
-- A statement that the tenure of former chief executive Bob Crandall, long vilified by labor, is "looking more and more like the peak of leadership in AMR's arc of history."
Crandall, Hill says, "did not enjoy big bonus payments unless employees received profit sharing."
Calls to American were not returned by midafternoon.
American and the union have been negotiating on a new contract for a year, but little progress has been made. American recently proposed revamping scheduling that would allow pilots to fly more hours and thus earn more money, but that proposal didn't address wages.
The union, meanwhile, is expected to submit its proposal sometime before the end of the month. While details have not been released, the union is likely to ask for substantial increases in wages and benefits.
Pilots, as well as other American labor groups, approved hefty cuts in pay in 2003 to keep American out of bankruptcy. Now that the airline has returned to profitability, union leaders argue, employees deserve to have their wages restored.
American executives counter that rivals that went through bankruptcy, like Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, now have cheaper labor costs.
By threatening to see Arpey "on the picket line," Hill appears to be warning that the talks could end in a strike -- a move that could be devastating to the airline. A pilot walkout would shut down the airline entirely and cause massive financial losses in a short time.
It could be more than a year, however, before a strike becomes possible. Federal laws that govern airline contract negotiations only allow walkouts after several milestones have been reached, including mediation and cooling-off periods.
And the president of the United States has the ability to end an airline strike. That's what happened in 1997, when President Bill Clinton ordered striking American pilots back to work after seven minutes.
Overman pointed out that the union might also engage in informational picketing at airports.
"We have all sorts of tools at our disposal," he said.
The union has been fighting with American this year over what labor leaders say is an unfair crackdown on sick leave used by pilots. In his letter, Hill blasts the airline for "management's illegal, immoral and retroactive garnishment of earned and rightful sick pay for our pilots," which he calls "a cruel persecution."
Overman said the company has been pressuring sick pilots to return to work, even if they suffer from a psychiatric disorder requiring medication, such as anti-depressants, which may disqualify them from flying. In some cases, he said, pilots have stopped taking their medications to return to the cockpit.
In his letter, Hill alleges that the airline's policy has caused "unprecedented suicide rates" and pilots deserting their families.
"One pilot caught in this drive to reduce costs was forced to come off his medications to try to" return to flying, Hill wrote. "His reaction to this cessation of treatment was to leave his wife and children behind, we are trying to reel him in before *he* kills himself."
Overman declined to comment on any specific cases of American pilots committing suicide, citing union privacy rules.
Shares of AMR Corp., American's parent company (ticker: AMR), were trading at $25.19 per share, down 45 cents, at midafternoon Tuesday.
Trebor Banstetter, 817-390-7064
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/262227.html
?Posted on Tue, Oct. 09, 2007
New pilots union leaders blister American's Arpey in letter
By: TREBOR BANSTETTER
[email protected]
The new officers of American Airlines' pilots union blasted Gerard Arpey, the airline's chief executive, in a blistering letter that disparages his leadership, condemns executive bonuses and asserts that company sick leave policies are resulting in suicide.
It closes with a warning that Arpey may have to deal with a pilots' strike.
"Enjoy your blood money and your union-busting meeting," wrote Lloyd Hill, president of the Allied Pilots Association. "We'll see you in court, in the newspapers, and on the picket line."
The letter, sent Sept. 18 and obtained by the Star-Telegram, was in response to an email from airline executives that touted cooperative efforts between labor and management. It was also signed by Tom Westbrook, the union's vice president, and Bill Haug, the group's secretary-treasurer.
All three were elected in July after promising to take a harder line with airline management than previous union officials. The letter is a clear indication that they weren't kidding.
Hill "doesn't mince words, and that's pretty clear from the letter," said union spokesman Gregg Overman. "It's very direct."
The letter's contents include:
-- Condemnation of a cooperative union-management program as "a cruel hoax perpetrated upon (American) employees."
-- A statement regarding American's poor customer service ratings that says, "your solution always seems to involve hiring another (vice president) or forming another 'team.' "
-- A statement that the tenure of former chief executive Bob Crandall, long vilified by labor, is "looking more and more like the peak of leadership in AMR's arc of history."
Crandall, Hill says, "did not enjoy big bonus payments unless employees received profit sharing."
Calls to American were not returned by midafternoon.
American and the union have been negotiating on a new contract for a year, but little progress has been made. American recently proposed revamping scheduling that would allow pilots to fly more hours and thus earn more money, but that proposal didn't address wages.
The union, meanwhile, is expected to submit its proposal sometime before the end of the month. While details have not been released, the union is likely to ask for substantial increases in wages and benefits.
Pilots, as well as other American labor groups, approved hefty cuts in pay in 2003 to keep American out of bankruptcy. Now that the airline has returned to profitability, union leaders argue, employees deserve to have their wages restored.
American executives counter that rivals that went through bankruptcy, like Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, now have cheaper labor costs.
By threatening to see Arpey "on the picket line," Hill appears to be warning that the talks could end in a strike -- a move that could be devastating to the airline. A pilot walkout would shut down the airline entirely and cause massive financial losses in a short time.
It could be more than a year, however, before a strike becomes possible. Federal laws that govern airline contract negotiations only allow walkouts after several milestones have been reached, including mediation and cooling-off periods.
And the president of the United States has the ability to end an airline strike. That's what happened in 1997, when President Bill Clinton ordered striking American pilots back to work after seven minutes.
Overman pointed out that the union might also engage in informational picketing at airports.
"We have all sorts of tools at our disposal," he said.
The union has been fighting with American this year over what labor leaders say is an unfair crackdown on sick leave used by pilots. In his letter, Hill blasts the airline for "management's illegal, immoral and retroactive garnishment of earned and rightful sick pay for our pilots," which he calls "a cruel persecution."
Overman said the company has been pressuring sick pilots to return to work, even if they suffer from a psychiatric disorder requiring medication, such as anti-depressants, which may disqualify them from flying. In some cases, he said, pilots have stopped taking their medications to return to the cockpit.
In his letter, Hill alleges that the airline's policy has caused "unprecedented suicide rates" and pilots deserting their families.
"One pilot caught in this drive to reduce costs was forced to come off his medications to try to" return to flying, Hill wrote. "His reaction to this cessation of treatment was to leave his wife and children behind, we are trying to reel him in before *he* kills himself."
Overman declined to comment on any specific cases of American pilots committing suicide, citing union privacy rules.
Shares of AMR Corp., American's parent company (ticker: AMR), were trading at $25.19 per share, down 45 cents, at midafternoon Tuesday.
Trebor Banstetter, 817-390-7064
