jettypeguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2003
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Astar Managements Plan Backfires
From what my Astar buddy told me, no pilots knew anything about a supposed job action, or even that a pilot had been fired. Sounds like Management took a rumor and ran with it, it backfired, and now they look stupid! BTW Luby's comments are the best!!
Did Restraining order stop ASTAR pilots from walk-out?
By GARY HUFFENBERGER
Wilmington News Journal 11/18/2006
A court-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) last week against the
ASTAR Air Cargo pilots’ union was vacated the next day, but controversy
persists whether a work stoppage was ever a real possibility. “I think we got the desired result we needed here. It staved off an imminent threat. There was a real threat to our operation. We thought it was a credible threat that could potentially impact the safety of our operation and the reliability of our product for DHL,” ASTAR General Counsel Steve Rossum said Thursday after the TRO was vacated.
The same federal judge who on Wednesday night issued the TRO against the pilots’ union, Judge Walter H. Rice out of Dayton, vacated the order on Thursday. In addition to the judge dropping the TRO, he granted the union, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) International, a right to request that court costs and attorney fees be assessed against the company.
On Friday, ALPA International Assistant Director of Representation Arthur Luby disputed Rossum’s statement that an imminent threat had been “staved off.” “Steve Rossum is a competent airline professional but every aspect of that drivel thrown in front of the court by the company on Wednesday night was fictional, including the commas, the apostrophes and the periods. There was never at any time any threat of a job action,” said Luby. “There was never any truth to the idea that we were prepared or that anyone was going to be inspired to engage in a work slowdown in response to that sort of thing. We have a grievance process, and we utilize it,” Luby said following the judge’s ruling to vacate the injunction. “I think they acted on a rumor, and I think that was very regrettable. Not sound labor relations,” added Luby.
However, Rossum maintained the company’s request for a TRO against the union was well-conceived. Rossum said that “after careful deliberation” by the company, a TRO was thought to be “a necessary step” to ensure against a work stoppage. “Actually, I feel good about what happened here,” said Rossum on Thursday. Commenting that ASTAR has a “fine cadre of professional pilots,” Rossum continued, “We know most of our employees, including our pilots, don’t support these type of activities.”
He however added that if there are “some people out there” who are potentially disrupting or threatening to disrupt the airline’s operations, “or impacting safety or reliability,” the company will consider recourse to a judicial forum. “We’re not going to be reluctant if there are future threats or future bad behavior to go in and avail ourselves of the federal courts again to prevent illegal activity,” said Rossum.
From what my Astar buddy told me, no pilots knew anything about a supposed job action, or even that a pilot had been fired. Sounds like Management took a rumor and ran with it, it backfired, and now they look stupid! BTW Luby's comments are the best!!
Did Restraining order stop ASTAR pilots from walk-out?
By GARY HUFFENBERGER
Wilmington News Journal 11/18/2006
A court-issued temporary restraining order (TRO) last week against the
ASTAR Air Cargo pilots’ union was vacated the next day, but controversy
persists whether a work stoppage was ever a real possibility. “I think we got the desired result we needed here. It staved off an imminent threat. There was a real threat to our operation. We thought it was a credible threat that could potentially impact the safety of our operation and the reliability of our product for DHL,” ASTAR General Counsel Steve Rossum said Thursday after the TRO was vacated.
The same federal judge who on Wednesday night issued the TRO against the pilots’ union, Judge Walter H. Rice out of Dayton, vacated the order on Thursday. In addition to the judge dropping the TRO, he granted the union, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) International, a right to request that court costs and attorney fees be assessed against the company.
On Friday, ALPA International Assistant Director of Representation Arthur Luby disputed Rossum’s statement that an imminent threat had been “staved off.” “Steve Rossum is a competent airline professional but every aspect of that drivel thrown in front of the court by the company on Wednesday night was fictional, including the commas, the apostrophes and the periods. There was never at any time any threat of a job action,” said Luby. “There was never any truth to the idea that we were prepared or that anyone was going to be inspired to engage in a work slowdown in response to that sort of thing. We have a grievance process, and we utilize it,” Luby said following the judge’s ruling to vacate the injunction. “I think they acted on a rumor, and I think that was very regrettable. Not sound labor relations,” added Luby.
However, Rossum maintained the company’s request for a TRO against the union was well-conceived. Rossum said that “after careful deliberation” by the company, a TRO was thought to be “a necessary step” to ensure against a work stoppage. “Actually, I feel good about what happened here,” said Rossum on Thursday. Commenting that ASTAR has a “fine cadre of professional pilots,” Rossum continued, “We know most of our employees, including our pilots, don’t support these type of activities.”
He however added that if there are “some people out there” who are potentially disrupting or threatening to disrupt the airline’s operations, “or impacting safety or reliability,” the company will consider recourse to a judicial forum. “We’re not going to be reluctant if there are future threats or future bad behavior to go in and avail ourselves of the federal courts again to prevent illegal activity,” said Rossum.
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