Judge blocks strike at Mesaba

[sf3boy]

Why anyone would want to stay at XJ under the current book is beyond me. Those that stay if new terms are imposed are just plain lazy and deserve the treatment that will be served to them by others in the industry.

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/fractional/netjets.html

They plan on hiring a bunch. First year FO will take home what a junior Saab CA will and a 5 year CA at Netjets will make more than anyone would ever make at XJ.

This is just one example. There are many more out there. Mesaba does not deserve to have any of the highly professional pilots they now employ. Offer your services to an outfit that will actually treat you decently and let the sorry excuse of an airline named Mesaba die.

 

[AvroGuy]

Some people just don't want to start at the bottom again. Even if they take a hit in the pocket book. it is what it is.

 

[Lear70]

I can't say I'm surprised. I pretty much expected it to go down this way. Now the big question is what will you guys do?

All eyes are definitely on you right now, and while you bear a responsibility to yourself and your family, you also bear a responsibility to the profession.

That's called being a PROFESSIONAL airline pilot, not just some guy who learned to fly and wears the uniform... something that ALPA forgot about a LONG time ago.

I don't know what Wychor or ALPA National will do about this. I certainly don't expect them to call for a strike that the labor board would deem "illegal", even though the judge's RULING is ILLEGAL per the RLA, but it doesn't really matter because, as was said earlier:

IF YOU STAY AT MSA UNDER THIS IMPOSED CONTRACT YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF

The ONLY thing that would work is a massive refusal by no less than 60-70% of the pilot group, especially by the Captains, to come to work. So WHAT if the judge issues a contempt ruling. None of you will go to jail over it... ALPA gets fined, MSA shuts down or comes to an agreement right quick. If they shut down, the fine gets paid out of the MSA ALPA coffer, no big loss. If they come to an agreement, the fine gets paid out of your dues money for years to come which is no longer cut by 10, 15, or 20+%.

Anything else is rhetoric, including waiting for the appeal to yet another management-friendly judge pressured by local politics, taking 6 months to a year to even be heard and final.

There is a time for diplomacy and a time for action. Diplomacy is dead.

Good luck to all of you,,,

 

[ReverseSensing]

I just read the decision, and it is perhaps the most one-sided legal argument I've ever read.

Kishel's logic: Marrero's decision (NW FAs case) sets precedent. My 1113(c) decision allowing Mesaba to impose terms requires an injunction. Bizarre.

Here's the scary part: If Kishel's decision stands and becomes the precedent, ALL a company has to do is declare bankruptcy (sham as it was in Mesaba's case) and decide what concessions they need to reorganize. By Kishel's logic, whatever the company asks for and a judge agrees to becomes the concession labor has to accept, barring release to self-help by the NMB.

Kishel basically told the employees at Mesaba that if you don't like the concessions, too bad, having no job at all would be worse. So much for taking a principled stand.

 

[XJohXJ]

Why anyone would want to stay at XJ under the current book is beyond me. Those that stay if new terms are imposed are just plain lazy and deserve the treatment that will be served to them by others in the industry.

http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/fractional/netjets.html

They plan on hiring a bunch. First year FO will take home what a junior Saab CA will and a 5 year CA at Netjets will make more than anyone would ever make at XJ.

I would love to work at NetJets, and I know they are a great company, but I can't move to one of their domiciles. Is there any chance they will ever allow their new hire pilots to commute from their current homes again?

 

[xjhawk]

here is the deal, if someone can find me a job that does not start out at 19 an hour, so i can pay my morgage, or find me some PIC time so i can go somewhere that pays better, including corporate, then fill me in, until then i thought my union would do a better job, apparaently following the rules and busting their a$$ was not enough, the corporate guys at NWA MAIR and mesaba must have had a better proposal to that judge......thats the only thing i can see what happened if i am to beleive my union reps.

my next question is this, what will ALPA national do to counter this? IF ALPA national will pay my morgage i will put in my Kiss my A$$ letter i am not working here anymore under these terms. but until then, i am not defaulting on my morgage. this said, i have a non airline interview tomorrow. Oh i am also looking at going fulltime military, which would be better than doing this crap.

mmm call my senator...what he going to do? he is also bought and paid for by carl polad.....ia m sure all the elected officails look and see how much he gave to their campaign

 

[Juan Trippe]

Let's hear it for the Regional Airline of the Year -- 1998!!!

Eight years later, and still flying strong!!!!! (right into the ground)

Red tails suck! I'm so glad I got out when I did!

Good luck to you all. Stand tall, or run like the wind and don't look back!

And, if you stand ... make those legal/acceptable write-ups as you see them.

Good luck guys & gals.

Another concerned observer.

 

[filejw]

Don't forget the throttles and A/c logbook as this seems to get every body's attention why you are waiting for the appeals process.

 

[W&BWiz]

Lear,

It's easy for you to run your mouth when life is pretty good where you are. Most people at Mesaba are working on going someplace else, but most people don't have so much disposable income to just walk away. They have people that rely on them. I find it much more honorable to feed your family and keep a roof over there head, then to try and point out what most airline pilots already know... WE ARE PROFESSIONAL!

 

[pacsky72]

if you quit, come to eagle, they need ya!

http://forums.eaglelounge.com/showthread.php?t=8464

 

[n25na]

former xj'er here at QX...there is a lil bit of hiring going on here...if anyone is interested you can PM me..you can expect a slow upgrade, but is as stable as it can get (for now ), for what that is worth...

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

If you are going to quit, you might as well do it at an outstation. Just don't tell anybody. Get a rental car and drive you letter of resignation to the office.

Good luck.

 

[Swaayze]

if you quit, come to eagle, they need ya!

http://forums.eaglelounge.com/showthread.php?t=8464

Yeah, I bet Eagle would hire the vast majority of you guys yesterday.

 

[CFIT]

SkyWest is hiring big time. Junior base is ORD, not far from MSP for commuting. Many former Mesaba guys here and they seem to like it.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Lear,

It's easy for you to run your mouth when life is pretty good where you are. Most people at Mesaba are working on going someplace else, but most people don't have so much disposable income to just walk away. They have people that rely on them. I find it much more honorable to feed your family and keep a roof over there head, then to try and point out what most airline pilots already know... WE ARE PROFESSIONAL!

Why not a majority if not all of XJ pilots give TW your resignations letters. Then he can go to managment sit down with the stack and say let's talk. It would not be illegal, rather just pilots quitting.

 

[Freight Dog]

I can see and understand that most of you have mortgages, families, etc.

But here's what I DON'T understand:

You were willing to strike by a huge margin. The management was saying that it would have ended Mesaba. Yet, you didn't care. What's the difference between striking vs. walking off your job right now?

It seems that nobody can answer that. This is why strike votes are worthless even if they pass with 100% because people don't have the will to back it up one way or another.

 

[W&BWiz]

Unemployment... strike pay... a little money to keep the food on the table vs. nothing at all.

 

[JoeMerchant]

Well if ALPA hasn't put out a statement, at least APA has....

Press ReleaseSource: Allied Pilots Association

Allied Pilots Association Issues Statement on Court's Decision Denying Mesaba Pilots' Right to Strike
Tuesday October 24, 3:57 pm ET 'Decision Departs from Well-Established Legal Precedent and Basic Concept of Fairness'
FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Allied Pilots Association (APA), collective bargaining agent for the 13,000 pilots of American Airlines (NYSE:AMR - News), has issued a statement in response to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Gregory Kishel's Oct. 23 decision denying Mesaba's pilots their right to strike if that carrier's management imposes terms of pay and working conditions.
"Judge Kishel's seriously misguided decision departs from decades of well-established legal precedent and violates the basic concept of fairness. The right to strike is an essential component of collective bargaining, which in turn is one of the fundamental tenets of a free and democratic society.
"APA strongly supports the pilots of Mesaba in appealing the court's decision. We likewise support our fellow professional pilots as they continue to seek a consensual solution to the impasse they have reached with their airline's management. Accordingly, we have communicated to the leadership of the Mesaba master executive council of the Air Line Pilots Association our willingness to help in whatever way we can to bring about a satisfactory resolution to the Mesaba pilots' outrageous predicament. Their struggle is our struggle."
That is the full text of the pilot union's statement.
Founded in 1963, APA is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. There are currently 2,852 American Airlines pilots on furlough. The furloughs began shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union's Web site address is www.alliedpilots.org. American Airlines is the nation's largest passenger carrier.


Contact:
Allied Pilots Association, Fort WorthCaptain Denis Breslin, 817-302-2350/619-980-8941orGregg Overman, 817-302-2250/817-312-3901</SPAN>Source: Allied Pilots Association

 

[XJohXJ]

ALPA Has put out a statement:

From the public access side of the ALPA website:

http://www.alpa.org (the full link is too long to post)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release #06.MSA11
October 23, 2006

Court Denies Mesaba Unions’ Right to Strike – Pilots Outraged

BLOOMINGTON, MINN – Mesaba pilots are infuriated by the Bankruptcy Court’s decision to strip them of their legal right to strike if Mesaba management imposes terms of pay and working conditions that would put Mesaba employees below industry standards. The court’s decision, which is a complete departure from well-established legal precedent, will be appealed by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA).

“The court’s decision today exposes just why the United States – the home of democracy – is on the Human Rights Watch List. In no country in the developed world have basic workers’ freedoms been so completely undermined,” said Captain Duane E. Woerth, ALPA’s president. “The Bankruptcy Court, with its decision, is trampling on the basic rights of workers and the foundation upon which this nation was built. ALPA will spare no effort or resource to reverse this decision and protect our pilots’ fundamental rights.”

“We will not stand for this injustice,” Captain Tom Wychor, chairman of the ALPA unit at Mesaba, said. “Under the law, if your contract gets rejected, you don’t have to perform under that contract. No bankruptcy court has recognized any exception under the statutes until today.”

Mesaba pilots had planned to strike if management imposed its terms, in an effort to compel management to negotiate a consensual agreement. “We will follow the court's order today, but we will aggressively appeal the edict,” Wychor assured.

“Mesaba pilots will not be ‘shackled to their aircraft’ by this court decision,” Wychor said. “Management cannot force people to work under imposed terms. Our professionals will work elsewhere, and to that end we have scheduled a job fair. The turnover rate at Mesaba is already a liability to Mesaba’s future success – and if they choose to impose now, it will be the airline’s undoing.”

The Air Line Pilots Association, along with Mesaba Labor Coalition partners, the Association of Flight Attendants – CWA and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, implore Mesaba management to stay the imposition of terms and come to consensus with its unions.

“Even in the face of this appalling verdict, we are ready and willing to continue to negotiate with Mesaba management on a deal because that is the only way this airline will survive,” said Wychor.

Founded in 1931, ALPA celebrates its 75th anniversary this year representing 61,000 pilots, including 850 Mesaba pilots, at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org for more information.

 

[QXpeon]

Vote pro labor on the 7th.

Vote Democrat.