FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
This is wonderful news!!! Congratulations for the 1000+ furloughed Delta Air Lines pilots who will hopefully soon be returning to their rightful place in the cockpit.
In the months following 09/11 over ten-thousand pilots industrywide had the brass-ring ripped from their hands. It is extremely gratifying to see that Delta's passenger numbers have recovered to pre-09/11 levels -- and sustained that level for over four months!!!
Hopefully this is the beginning of a wider industry recovery which will generate the recall of furloughees at the other major airlines.
I also hope -- and frankly expect -- that the Air Line Pilots Association puts the recall of these furloughees and their continued job security at the FOREFRONT of any negotiations that might be required during the restructuring of Delta Air Lines. Job security should be ALPA's Job #1!
Good luck and congratulations to the Delta furloughees!
April 29, 2004
The pilots union at Delta Air Lines on Thursday said it did not expect the possible recall of 1,000 furloughed pilots to complicate talks with the airline, which is seeking to reduce pilot costs.
A pick-up in passenger traffic could prompt the recall of the pilots, who were furloughed after the September 11, 2001, attacks reduced demand for air travel.
The move comes as a result of an arbitration ruling that determined furloughed pilots could return to their jobs should passenger volumes return to pre-disaster levels.
"The number of passengers flying on the planes is the same as it was before they laid the pilots off, so by definition there should be the same number of pilot jobs available going forward," said Chris Renkel, a spokesman for Delta's unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.
Atlanta-based Delta has about 7,700 pilots. It had cited a "force majeure" clause in the union's contract as justification for the furloughs.
Airline labor agreements contain force majeure clauses that give carriers the flexibility to lay off workers without adhering to strict seniority provisions during unexpected crises.
US airlines used the September 11 attacks and the war in Iraq -- and the subsequent decline in air travel -- as justification for thousands of layoffs, setting off a number of fights with unions.
Renkel said the level of revenue passenger miles, or traffic, that would prompt the recalls was triggered at the end of March. The union said it has informed the company of the trigger and has requested a response.
A Delta spokeswoman said the carrier will review the information and discuss it with ALPA but would not discuss the information publicly.
Delta has said it needs 30 percent pay cuts from its pilots, the highest paid in the industry. The union has offered to take pay cuts of 9 percent and forfeit a 4.5 percent raise that is set to take effect May 1. No negotiating sessions are currently scheduled, the union said.
The recall could add another layer of complexity to an already delicate situation between the union and the airline, some experts said. Winning a pilot recall could mean the union will have to concede elsewhere in its negotiations with the company.
"It does complicate things," said George Hopkins, a professor at Western Illinois University who wrote a book on the Air Line Pilots Association.
"I have a hunch that ALPA, when it starts weighing its priorities, will weigh the recall of these furloughed pilots at the top of its concerns and then be willing to make some concessions elsewhere," he said.
Still, Bill Rochelle, an attorney at Fulbright & Jaworski, said increasing capacity could cover the incremental rise in pilot costs.
"Both sides are playing 'bet the company,' so the stakes can't really be any higher," Rochelle said. "So I don't know that the added degree of complexity makes it any significantly less likely or difficult to reach a deal."
In the months following 09/11 over ten-thousand pilots industrywide had the brass-ring ripped from their hands. It is extremely gratifying to see that Delta's passenger numbers have recovered to pre-09/11 levels -- and sustained that level for over four months!!!
Hopefully this is the beginning of a wider industry recovery which will generate the recall of furloughees at the other major airlines.
I also hope -- and frankly expect -- that the Air Line Pilots Association puts the recall of these furloughees and their continued job security at the FOREFRONT of any negotiations that might be required during the restructuring of Delta Air Lines. Job security should be ALPA's Job #1!
Good luck and congratulations to the Delta furloughees!
April 29, 2004
The pilots union at Delta Air Lines on Thursday said it did not expect the possible recall of 1,000 furloughed pilots to complicate talks with the airline, which is seeking to reduce pilot costs.
A pick-up in passenger traffic could prompt the recall of the pilots, who were furloughed after the September 11, 2001, attacks reduced demand for air travel.
The move comes as a result of an arbitration ruling that determined furloughed pilots could return to their jobs should passenger volumes return to pre-disaster levels.
"The number of passengers flying on the planes is the same as it was before they laid the pilots off, so by definition there should be the same number of pilot jobs available going forward," said Chris Renkel, a spokesman for Delta's unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.
Atlanta-based Delta has about 7,700 pilots. It had cited a "force majeure" clause in the union's contract as justification for the furloughs.
Airline labor agreements contain force majeure clauses that give carriers the flexibility to lay off workers without adhering to strict seniority provisions during unexpected crises.
US airlines used the September 11 attacks and the war in Iraq -- and the subsequent decline in air travel -- as justification for thousands of layoffs, setting off a number of fights with unions.
Renkel said the level of revenue passenger miles, or traffic, that would prompt the recalls was triggered at the end of March. The union said it has informed the company of the trigger and has requested a response.
A Delta spokeswoman said the carrier will review the information and discuss it with ALPA but would not discuss the information publicly.
Delta has said it needs 30 percent pay cuts from its pilots, the highest paid in the industry. The union has offered to take pay cuts of 9 percent and forfeit a 4.5 percent raise that is set to take effect May 1. No negotiating sessions are currently scheduled, the union said.
The recall could add another layer of complexity to an already delicate situation between the union and the airline, some experts said. Winning a pilot recall could mean the union will have to concede elsewhere in its negotiations with the company.
"It does complicate things," said George Hopkins, a professor at Western Illinois University who wrote a book on the Air Line Pilots Association.
"I have a hunch that ALPA, when it starts weighing its priorities, will weigh the recall of these furloughed pilots at the top of its concerns and then be willing to make some concessions elsewhere," he said.
Still, Bill Rochelle, an attorney at Fulbright & Jaworski, said increasing capacity could cover the incremental rise in pilot costs.
"Both sides are playing 'bet the company,' so the stakes can't really be any higher," Rochelle said. "So I don't know that the added degree of complexity makes it any significantly less likely or difficult to reach a deal."
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