Big Brown

[Dav8tor]

It's been pretty quiet lately on the negotiation at UPS. Anyone out there would update us on current development such as acft delivery, retirements, hiring etc...

 

[PurpleInMEM]

Obviously I don't work there, but here's the latest update that I found on the IPA website. Sounds like things are rolling along. An insider might be able to give us all a better idea of how things are "really" going though.

http://inside.ipapilot.org/library/FlightTimes/03-01-20.pdf

 

[UPS Capt]

Contract negotiations are ongoing as the company hopes to have it ratified by 12/31/03. The company has recently expressed an interest in speeding up the contract talks and the IPA sees that as a positive step. Me thinks it'll be much longer than that if history is any indication. The crewmember's contract survey is due back to our negotiating committee by Jan 31st.

The company says no hiring in 2003 and I suspect nothing will happen until after the contract is ratified. The company has threatened furloughs recently but most believe it's nothing more then negotiation posturing above anything else. We'll see.

The company is retiring some B727's, DC8's and B747's to the bone yard and acquiring 8-10 A300's and MD11's while also still looking for a new long range heavy lift aircraft such as B744's, A340-600's or more MD11's. I've heard the A380 is out but I wouldn't count anything out at this point.

Things have been very quiet lately and I expect 2003 to be a real sleeper of a year for us. Call back in 2004.

 

[Wise Guy]

While the speeding up of contract talks my be seen by the IPA as a positive step, put your self in the company's shoes. When would you rather negociate with your pilots? Now, when pilot groups are taking concessions and airlines are going bankrupt, or wait for the economy to turn around and the war to be over. Who knows, maybe we've turned a corner in labor relations. ...nah.

For those on the outside looking in, a couple of things are killing hiring. First, all the guys retiring are going to the back seat to wait out the contract talks. Secondly, we are retiring 3 man cockpits and buying bigger 2 man cockpits. What used to be two 727 trips requiring 6 crewmembers, has become one A300 trip requiring just two. Hang in there we will hire but UPS Capt is probably right, you may have to wait until '04.

Regards, WG

 

[flybrowntails]

Things are a bit strange these days with "big brown".

 

[Michael Knight]

flybrowntails,

Could you please elaborate on what you feel is strange and do you think it is more than just good old contract negotiations. Also, what do you think will be the future for Big Brown pilots.

Thanks

 

[tim1wolf]

recruiting closed

I called last week to inquire about updating my info for the pool, but they told me to just hang on to it. The reason was that the recruiting office was closed and all their files where put into storage. I think '04 is a pretty likely scenario. I can only hope that they keep us in the pool and give us priority on hiring for waiting so long.

 

[Thunderchief]

office closed...

For the whole YEAR!?!

 

[tim1wolf]

yep

They said at least 6 months, but they don't expect any hiring this year She was kind of guessing at teh timeline, but she checked with someone else in the office and they are the ones who said to hold on to my updates until asked for them

 

[Michael Knight]

Tim,

You should be safe in the pool if past actions on the part of UPS is any indication. This won't even be an issue, just a matter of doing an update sometime in the future.

 

[LGAPilot]

Hopefully this will help.

UPS delivers rise in quarterly profits


ATLANTA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc. <UPS.N> on Tuesday posted a rise in quarterly profit as improving overseas business offset softness in U.S. deliveries for the world's biggest package carrier.

The Atlanta company, which carries the equivalent of 6 percent to 7 percent of America's gross domestic product in its chocolate jets and vans, said fourth-quarter profit was $670 million, or 59 cents a share, before nonrecurring gains. A year earlier, profit was $645 million, or 57 cents a share.

Wall Street analysts had expected UPS to earn between 55 cents a share and 58 cents a share on that basis, with a mean forecast of 57 cents a share, according to 15 analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call.

UPS shares closed down 33 cents, or 0.5 percent, at $60.47 on Monday on the New York Stock Exchange, Over the last six months, UPS' stock has declined about 4 percent while the Dow Jones Air Freight Index has risen 1.5 percent.

01/28/03 08:06 ET

 

[AV8OR]

Hey Brown guys.

Here's one from Bizzaro World. Read today on DHL's ALPA board that there's a rumor floating around at Brown of some merger/alliance possibility with DHL. The belief was that maybe Brown started it to muddy the contract discussions.

Any comments.

 

[UPSer]

AV8OR, what they are probably referring to is the Sinotrans IPO that UPS and DHL have announced that they are going to invest in.

 

[AV8OR]

Thanks UPSer. I was able to find an article on the IPO and pass it along. Good luck with the negotiations......even if yall are suing our ass off. LOL (meant in to be taken in a good natured way, colleague to colleague)