Mesaba Training Contract & Furlough

[Way2Broke]

Is Mesaba enforcing the 1 year training contract on people leaving right now. I have heard that they are. If they are going to furlough them anyways, why not just let them leave? Or is that what the "voluntary furlough" is all about? Just curious.

 

[TinGoose1]

Take the fulough and then go work for someone else. Hopefully by the time they get back to calling up furloughs, your year will be up.

 

[blackbox]

I thought ALPA didnt believe in training contracts

 

[Way2Broke]

I'm not a Mesaba employee. But that is what I would do if I were in that situation. Mesaba still has pilots doing IOE, man thats just sick.

 

[FN FAL]

Mesaba still has pilots doing IOE, man thats just sick.

yea, that old fashioned IOE thing...they still do that over there?

 

[Way2Broke]

I think you missed the point. Mesaba is going to furlough, and some poor pilot is just getting done with training and IOE knowing that. But, your kindove stuck because there is a one year training contract, and if you leave you owe them. So you basically have to wait on your furlough.

 

[ThisistheDream]

if your furloughed at the companies control to lay you off, then you are not bound to any training contract if you have been there less than a year. They are laying you off, you are not quiting. its the companies loss if they train you and your willing to work then they say we dont need you anymore, then its the airlines loss not your for the training contract

 

[Way2Broke]

I am aware of that. What I am getting at is that if a furlough is imminent, like at Mesaba, and you get offered another job before you get furloughed you will still be breaking the contract and held to the financial obligations. I don't believe in training contracts anyways, if a company treats its pilots right then there is really no need for them.

 

[turbodriver]

Fuk Mesaba. (yes you Mr. Mesaba management type reading this. You drove your company into the ground. Idiot.) If you're at the bottom and you know you're getting furloughed, take another job. Let them take you to court. When it comes out that ther were going to furlough you anyway, their loss.

 

[Captain Happy]

Unless you signed a training bond, IE a loan with the company dont worry about it. If you signed a traing bond like Colgan has you sign, wait to be furloughed. An involuntary separation voids even a training bond. Good Luck!

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

With as many times as Mesaba has furloughed in the past few years, I think we'd have heard about a someone getting stuck with a training contract payment. Never have. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[fly4ever]

deleted

 

[xcr600]

I didnt realize that it was a fact that Mesaba is going to force furloughs last ALPA letter I read hinted nothing even possible till Feb 06. The more I watch this big show the more I realize that it is just that a big show. lets be realistic they are not going to get rid of all the Avros and most of the Saabs and in the end operate a fleet of less than 10 aircraft. I do think there will be changes at Mesaba but not huge fleet changes leading to furloughs.

 

[Steveair]

My regards to all those getting furloughed - good luck with future prospects.

This does, however, serve as a good lesson for us all. Not more than 4 months ago, a Mesaba Interview was worth it's weight in gold. And now...
Sadly, no one is safe anywhere anymore.

 

[Napoleon TNT]

I am with XCR on this one.

Where is the documentation that says that Mesaba is doing massive furloughs? Cite sources please.
They have trimmed one class that was no more than a few weeks into training, and that's it. That was weeks ago. Nothing since then.

Frankie says 'RELAX.'

 

[Steveair]

I am with XCR on this one.

Where is the documentation that says that Mesaba is doing massive furloughs? Cite sources please.
They have trimmed one class that was no more than a few weeks into training, and that's it. That was weeks ago. Nothing since then.

Dude... NWA pulled the leases on all their Avro's and some of the Saabs. Lets call that 40 aircraft at 5 crews per aircraft is 400 pilots. Add on Mesaba filling for bankruptcy and you've gotta furlough. I really doubt there going to have 1000 pilots flying 50 planes. Hate to say it, but a massive furlough is coming. If I were at Mesaba, I'd be looking for a new job now in order to get ahead / better seniority of those that will be behind you.

http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/content/view/75/18/

Not hiring. Voluntary furlough out for 30 Avro/2 S340 FOs.

-Filed Chapter 11 in Oct 2005
-CVG base closed eff. Nov 2005
-All 35 Avros being removed from fleet
-10 Saab 340Bs to be removed Jan 2006

 

[sf3boy]

I think what Napoleon is trying to say is that we as a pilot group ain't buying it. All the Avros were supposed to go away two years ago (a handful actually did some desert time) and suddenly came back on the property when a contract with ho hum rates on the aircraft was ratified.

Management is doing the same thing this time, but on a bigger scale. They know this pilot group will give so they are gonna press early to get the absolute maximum from the employees of a 100% solvent company.

We will be lucky to be working for our previous 1996 rates.

 

[Napoleon TNT]

What documentation does it say that the Avro leases are "Pulled." How do you "pull" a lease? Fill me in. I'd like to hear that one.

Mesaba has 1000 pilots?

Have you read the NWA BK documents?

The Avro's are going no-where.

Airlinepilotcentral.com is about as reliable as some CRJ dink on flightinfo.

 

[JT8D]

What documentation does it say that the Avro leases are "Pulled." How do you "pull" a lease? Fill me in. I'd like to hear that one.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/BusinessTravel/wireStory?id=1229904

Consider yourself "filled in".

 

[Yudso]

Reduction Notice 05-15
Posted 24 October 2005

If all of the planes are going bye bye, why no furloughs until Feb 06. The reduction seems pretty small for such a large change in flying.

 

[oiltycoon]

I added up the numbers on the reduction notice.

880 total pilots present staffing

Proposed staffing: 771 pilots

77 captains displaced

32 FOs gone

109ish pilots axed... ????

(numbers don't include management/instructors)

About 117 were furloughed after 9/11.

 

[fly4ever]

JT8D,

I hate to burst yours and Steveair's bubbles but leases are not "pulled" under bankruptcy. With permission of the judge, which NWA has for the first 108 so far, the leases can be "rejected". This has the effect of allowing NWA to re-negotiate lease rates on whatever airplanes it wants to hang onto. Without this motion and grant by the judge the lease holder is under no obligation to negotiate better rates.

Most of these aircraft will continue to fly for NW under better rates and probably shorter terms. The current lease rates on many of these aircraft are 2-3 times the current market average because they were negotiated when the industry was making more money.

Sorry if you can't quite dance on our grave just yet.

 

[JT8D]

JT8D,

I hate to burst yours and Steveair's bubbles but leases are not "pulled" under bankruptcy. With permission of the judge, which NWA has for the first 108 so far, the leases can be "rejected". This has the effect of allowing NWA to re-negotiate lease rates on whatever airplanes it wants to hang onto. Without this motion and grant by the judge the lease holder is under no obligation to negotiate better rates.

N.Y. Bankruptcy Court Judge Says Northwest Airlines May Return Aircraft It Is Leasing


//http://abcnews.go.com/images/site/story/feature_txt_filler_ap.gifThe Associated Press


NEW YORK Oct 19, 2005 — A New York bankruptcy court judge on Wednesday said Northwest Airlines Corp. may return aircraft it is leasing but said the carrier has to give five days notice to the planes' owners.
Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest carrier, filed for bankruptcy protection Sept. 14. Company executives have blamed skyrocketing fuel costs and competition from low-cost carriers for its insolvency.
Wednesday's order affects 108 planes, some of which are in use. The airline has filed a motion which requests approval to surrender another 100 aircraft.



The airline initially asked that it be allowed to offer three days notice of its intention to reject an aircraft's lease — the surrender of a plane. Companies leasing the craft had asked for notice of 10 days.

____________________________________________

fly4ever,

I have no desire to "dance on your grave".

However, "permission to return aircraft" does not sound the same as "re-negotiating a lease" as you suggest.

Sounds to me like NWA was given permission by the judge to return its leased aircraft to its owners with 5 days notice.

If you want to call that re-negotiating the lease, so be it.

 

[ultrarunner]

".......Wednesday's order affects 108 planes, some of which are in use. The airline has filed a motion which requests approval to surrender another 100 aircraft....."


So they basically want to be able to return about 200 planes?

That's a bunch of pilots.

 

[Yudso]

Following approval by the judge to reject the leases, Northwest may, if they so choose, ask the lease holders for better rates. If the lease holders cannot come to an agreement with NW, the aircraft will be returned. I doubt there is any market for these aircraft. The lessors are better off accepting a lesser rate, than to just sit on the planes. A similar situation happened between Airwis and United. United wanted to renegotiate the Airwis contract. Airwis refused. United dropped Airwis. The only difference here is that there is no mesa/gj's to lower the bar. I understand that there is a difference between a/c leases and air service agreements, but NWA's goal is the same. Lower costs or dump the costs. Pick your poison.

 

[fly4ever]

JT8D,

I appreciate your response but your understanding of the legal route that an entity must take in order to improve its financial picture is a little thin. I did state that they were given the right to "reject" the leases but there is far more to it than just that statement.

Bankruptcies always start out with standard motions which enable the company to reduce its payout. It doesn't matter which industry you're talking about.

Lease charges and length of term are the two biggest issues facing NWA right now and if they were to going to reduce their fleet you would have seen lease holders for 108 airplanes already get their 5-day notice. It may happen to some of the planes but it won't happen to 208. NWA will not take the chance on losing such a huge part of their market share by shrinking their fleet overnight.

Lease holders will be dealing with NWA (probably already are) so that they don't have to hold the bag on a bunch of airplanes with limited options for placing them. NWA will negotiate better rates and shorter terms for the purpose of being able to park aircraft as new and more efficient aircraft are brought on board.

 

[JT8D]

JT8D,

I appreciate your response but your understanding of the legal route that an entity must take in order to improve its financial picture is a little thin. I did state that they were given the right to "reject" the leases but there is far more to it than just that statement.

Bankruptcies always start out with standard motions which enable the company to reduce its payout. It doesn't matter which industry you're talking about.

Lease charges and length of term are the two biggest issues facing NW right now and if they were to going to reduce their fleet you would have seen lease holders for 108 airplanes already get their 5-day notice. It may happen to some of the planes but it won't happen to 208. NWA will not take the chance on losing such a huge part of their market share by shrinking their fleet overnight.

Lease holders will be dealing with NWA (probably already are) so that they don't have to hold the bag on a bunch of airplanes with limited options for placing them. NWA will negotiate better rates and shorter terms for the purpose of being able to park aircraft as new and more efficient aircraft are brought on board.

I understand everything you have stated.

My original post was in response to Napoleon TNT's question of "how do you pull a lease?"

At this point we are engaging in semantics.

Call it "pulled", "rejected", "re-negotiated" or flubber for all I care. What it MEANS is the BK judge threw the leases out the window and for all practical purposes they do not exist anymore.

Now if NW is doing it for negotiating the leases, great.

But, NW is now in the drivers seat with the aircraft's owners.

 

[fly4ever]

And that we definitely can agree on.

 

[Ace McCoy]

Don't forget NWA leases the planes from the bank and then sub leases them to Mesaba. So it was NWA that announced they were pulling the sub lease contract from Mesaba. Then they got permission from the judge to get rid of the lease from the bank.

They are two separate issues. Sure NWA may be in violation of the ASA by pulling the sub lease on Dec. 20 but what is Spangebob Jinglepants gonna do? Nothing that will upset his overlord masters that's for sure.

And yes we are furloughing 100+ guys and it sucks.

 

[captpetefam]

That's it?

And yes we are furloughing 100+ guys and it sucks.

100+?!? That's it? If the current senario comes true, we're furloughing about 790 pilots. Now THAT Sucks!

Cya,

CP