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ATA ALPA “No airplanes go anywhere without us.”

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atafan

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ATA ALPA Pilots and Flight Engineers: “No airplanes go anywhere without us.”

By newsdesk - Posted on March 4th, 2008
Tagged: Airlines • ALPA • Labor • Unions

March 3, 2008 -- CHICAGO – The pilots and flight engineers of ATA Airlines are warning that they will fight any plan to sell or fragment the airline if it fails to protect the job security of the cockpit crewmember group.

In a financial brief (Form S-1) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 9, Global Aero Logistics, Inc. of Peachtree City, Ga. announced that it is considering the sale of assets, including ATA’s scheduled service passenger operation that performs codeshare flying for Southwest Airlines.

This announcement from ATA’s parent company came as a shock to ATA’s 600 cockpit crewmembers, a dedicated group of professionals who have sacrificed greatly in the form of repeated labor concessions to keep the airline flying since its bankruptcy filing in October 2004.

“In light of our sacrifices, we are disgusted to learn of the possibility of cannibalizing our once-proud airline by a faceless Wall Street holding company,” stated Captain Steve Staples, the union chairman of the division of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) that represents the ATA pilots.

“We will not remain silent while our management attempts to fragment a viable air carrier without consideration for the pilots who helped build it. We resolve that, if our airplanes and routes go to another entity, the continued careers of our pilots stand as an essential condition of any such transaction,” Staples said.

Before and during bankruptcy, the ATA pilots provided givebacks to the company worth roughly $140 million in an effort to save their airline and protect their careers, as well as the jobs of thousands of other employees. ATA’s pilots have sacrificed more to improve the airline’s financial health than any other single entity, including its new owners. They have flown under a series of concessionary agreements since mid-2004.

ATA and Global Aero Logistics are owned in majority by MatlinPatterson Global Opportunities Partners, a New York-based hedge fund. In August MatlinPatterson, together with JPMorgan, purchased World Air Holdings, the holding company for World Airways and North American Airlines.

“ALPA would like to remind any potential buyers that our collective bargaining agreement with ATA requires that any substantial transfer of our aircraft must be accompanied with a transfer of cockpit crewmembers’ jobs in seniority, and we are prepared to fight to defend that contractual language,” Staples said.

“It’s also likely that any such transaction could trigger new provisions in the Railway Labor Act regarding crewmember seniority rights. To put it bluntly: Any sale of any portion of our airline will be much less expensive and will go much more smoothly for the purchaser if we are brought on board.”

Source: ALPA
 
Yea Right!!!!!!! we'll see what the buyer decides is what's going to happen. not what some Spin doctor from the union say. It sounds alot like, "hey 93% strike vote, but when it comes down to it all employee groups fold like a cheap card table"
Nwa, usair, united, delta, ata, and many more.
the union puts out big threats and alot of talk but the Money Guys are in control. not the employees.
so thump your chest until
l the cows come home . It's just noise. that all.
 
Yea Right!!!!!!! we'll see what the buyer decides is what's going to happen. not what some Spin doctor from the union say. It sounds alot like, "hey 93% strike vote, but when it comes down to it all employee groups fold like a cheap card table"
Nwa, usair, united, delta, ata, and many more.
the union puts out big threats and alot of talk but the Money Guys are in control. not the employees.
so thump your chest until
l the cows come home . It's just noise. that all.

It may not be jet engine noise, though.
 
It sounds alot like, "hey 93% strike vote, but when it comes down to it all employee groups fold like a cheap card table"

A rape victim always makes noise and fights but in the end they get raped. I guess we should just relax and try to enjoy it.

Is that your message?
 
Matlin Patterson flew into Herndon yesterday for the board meeting today.
 
A rape victim always makes noise and fights but in the end they get raped. I guess we should just relax and try to enjoy it.

Is that your message?

unfortunately, vtwo is probably right.

however, I agree with you. don't go down without a fight!

who knows? history can be made. you guys strike, they say "so what?". then you guys sue their asses and make this, like you said, a very expensive sale.
 
Captain Staples? Wow... interesting name. ;)

Joking aside, how would you guys propose integration? Just curious... and btw... don't even start with DOH.
 

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