Exerpt from the recent PlaneBusiness Banter (Holly Hegeman's opinion):
Our other main, and somewhat-related, topic this week is
ALPA. The voting came to a close this week in the pilot representation election at
US Airways. And this one came down to the wire.
As we predicted would be the case here months ago, the
US Airline Pilots Association, or
USAPA, beat out
ALPA for the right to represent the pilots at the airline by a vote of 2,723 to 2,254. Once again, emotion rules.
For those who need a refresher on who's who here,
USAPA was set up by a group of
US Airways East pilots, as a result of that group's unhappiness with the
ALPA arbitrator's decision concerning seniority of the combined union group consisting of both former
US Airways pilots and former
America West pilots.
In response to this turn of events, the former
America West pilot group has formed its own ongoing support group, the
America West Airlines Pilots Protective Alliance.
Think the pilots at
Northwest Airlines are watching all of this intra-
ALPA turmoil with more than just a bit of interest?
As a person who regularly communicates with pilots from both sides of the fence on this one -- here's my observation now that the election has been completed.
Last week I talked about the abject lack of leadership
American Airlines showed in dealing with the press, its passengers, and its employees in regard to the Maddog groundings.
This week, we've got another prime example -- President John Prater at
ALPA.
Strip out all the emotion and the rhetoric and the crap about this situation at
US Airways and here is the way it is.
ALPA had a process in place to deal with a merger of two pilot groups that were both represented by
ALPA. That process, I might add, had been changed a few years ago so that date of hire was no longer to be the one and only measure of where a pilot appeared on a merged seniority list.
Got that?
It's kind of like a law. While certain
ALPA members might not have liked the fact
ALPA did this a few years ago -- it was done. Period.
So
America West pilots and
US Airways pilots try to come to terms on a seniority agreement on their own.
Can't do it.
I don't think either side should blame the other for this. I would be shocked if any two pilot groups could do this on their own -- just as was the case with
Delta and
Northwest. Expecting this to happen is hallucinatory.
So, again,
ALPA has a process that both sides are to follow, if this happens. It's called binding arbitration. It's also called
binding arbitration for a reason.
And that is what happened. The issue was taken to an arbitrator.
That arbitrator ruled last May.
At that point,
ALPA President John Prater should have immediately accepted the decision, presented it to
US Airways management and told his membership: The organization's guildlines have been followed; we now move forward.
But no. He did nothing. Not only that, but he allowed the
US Airways East pilots to present their dissenting argument to the
ALPA board.
Worst case, Prater could have done what he needed to do and presented the list to
US Airways after that presentation. Better late than never.
He didn't, the
US Airways East pilots then had the momentum to start an anti-
ALPA movement, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now, not only does
ALPA have this disaster to contend with (along with a huge reduction in dues) but we haven't even touched on the
Delta-Northwest situation. But I know we will be doing so in the coming months.
Meanwhile, not one attorney I've talked to thinks that this move to
USAPA will in any way negate the existing arbitration award.
America West pilots or those sympathetic to
ALPA will now refuse to pay dues to the new organization, all pilots have now lost insurance coverage and other benefits they had with
ALPA, and the new union has zilch in the bank.
Where's all that jet-fuel driven testosterone when we need it?
