Midwest Arbitration Ruling

[OUPilot01]

Arbitrator rules Midwest’s restructuring doesn’t violate contract


The Business Journal of Milwaukee

Midwest Airline’s decision to hire Republic Airlines to operate a fleet of regional jets is permissible under Midwest’s collective bargaining agreement with its unionized pilots, an arbitrator has ruled.
The System Board of Adjustment found that the arrangement is a legitimate codeshare agreement and further found that Oak Creek-based Midwest Airline’s collective bargaining agreement with the pilots provides the airline the unrestricted right to engage in codeshares. The board ruled that there is no violation of the labor agreement.
In September 2008, Midwest Airlines entered into an airline services agreement with Indianapolis-based Republic Airlines to operate a fleet of Embraer 170 aircraft under the brand of Midwest Connect, a regional carrier operated by Midwest Airlines parent company, Midwest Air Group Inc. The flights previously had been operated under the Midwest Airlines brand.
The Air Line Pilots Association subsequently filed a grievance, contending that the arrangement was a subcontract that violated Midwest’s collective bargaining agreement with the pilots group. The grievance was submitted to arbitrator for review.
Midwest spokesman Michael Brophy declined to comment on the arbitrator’s ruling. A representative of the Air Line Pilots Association couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

 

[OUPilot01]

Great now they are setting a precedent of getting around pilot scope clauses

 

[millhouse21]

The precedent has already been set. Just ask anybody who worked for Hulas.

 

[DashTrash400]

Time to see just how sympathetic the Obama administration is to the labor with a wildcat strike on the Midwest side. If they don't do it now, it won't matter...once Republic is all ramped up, they'll constitute well over half of the midwest brand flying and any work action by midwest pilots would be a pinprick.

 

[Propsync]

Dash- I guess Dec. traffic showed more carried by Skywest and Republic than Midwest. Connect carrying more than mainline. The decision is not suprising, Midwest put 'Connect' on the side of the planes. The decision would have been different if the 'Connect' wasn't there.

 

[DrewBlows]

Does Midwest have any scope?

 

[hockeypilot44]

Does Midwest have any scope?

Apparently not.

 

[rjacobs]

Their scope was pretty weak from what I saw. Somebody posted it somewhere and it wasnt very solid at all.

 

[EUT]

Yet another example of ALPA failing those whom it is supposed to protect....

 

[Propsync]

Yet another example of ALPA failing those whom it is supposed to protect....

Not really. ALPA ethics are driven by dues. Midwest has 130 or so active. Next.

Name one small carrier that ALPA has gone the distance to fight something like this since 9-11.

I love the miscalculation was that the regionals would grow this much. Dues lost on regional 90 seat pilots that should have been mainline. Two percent of zero is zero.

The bigger miscalculation was that ALPA didn't recognize we're all in this together. That is where they truly have failed.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Yet another example of ALPA failing those whom it is supposed to protect....

How is this ALPA's fault? The Midwest pilots are responsible for the content they negotiate into their contract. If their Scope Clause permits the company to codeshare ALPA can't do anything to stop it. How is this a surprising outcome for the Midwest pilots - they should know what their contract says. I am guessing they had essentially no protection - if this is the case it is certainly not ALPA's fault.

 

[IBNAV8R]

Why is it that ALPA can do "anything" with its super-large war chest when it's election time? And, ALPA has no problem touting its many victories. But, somehow if there is any failure, it is the weakness of XXX pilot group to blame - not ALPA.

 

[Monster Buck]

It is sick that they can dub this a "code share" when it is plain to see that they were directly replaced. Can they still call it a connect if there is Midwest left? This is all bs.

 

[crashpad]

never mind

 

[waterski]

The precedent has already been set. Just ask anybody who worked for Hulas.

AMEN.....

 

[PuffDriver]

Not really. ALPA ethics are driven by dues. Midwest has 130 or so active. Next.

Name one small carrier that ALPA has gone the distance to fight something like this since 9-11.

I love the miscalculation was that the regionals would grow this much. Dues lost on regional 90 seat pilots that should have been mainline. Two percent of zero is zero.

The bigger miscalculation was that ALPA didn't recognize we're all in this together. That is where they truly have failed.

I cannot remember the name of the carrier, was it CCAir?, but did not Duane Woerth not sign their TA due to the fact that it didn't meet some ALPA standard. My memory is failing me, but at the time, I believe everyone was going ape shiite because he was "upholding the profession" that you now describe.

 

[Propsync]

I cannot remember the name of the carrier, was it CCAir?, but did not Duane Woerth not sign their TA due to the fact that it didn't meet some ALPA standard. My memory is failing me, but at the time, I believe everyone was going ape shiite because he was "upholding the profession" that you now describe.

Sorry, your post seems to either have too many double negatives, or I can't figure out your point. I wikied CCAir to see if there was anything there (and truthful). I remember JO being in the middle of this, and the page did say Woerth reneged on signing off the contract. I guess my question is for former CCAir guys. Was CCAir supposed to fly the CRJ-900's that ended up at Freedom? I have a feeling the history is complex, but would like to know what was going on.

 

[Rekks Inbound]

Someone needs to have the arbitrator's head examined. Republic does not 'code share' with Midwest; that would require them (Republic) to sell their own ticket stock and have reciprocal ticketing arrangements with Midwest. What they do is is provide contract lift, a very different situation.

That being said, the Midwest pilots' needed much stronger scope language...

Peace.

Rekks

 

[ultrarunner]

If I recall, the MidEx ALPA contract has no scope language at all.

 

[trainer8]

Time to see just how sympathetic the Obama administration is to the labor with a wildcat strike on the Midwest side. If they don't do it now, it won't matter...once Republic is all ramped up, they'll constitute well over half of the midwest brand flying and any work action by midwest pilots would be a pinprick.

Obama won't care and if he did, he'll play by the NMB rules.

If Midwest ALPA gets past a 30-day cooling off period and strikes, Republic will cease operating those flights per their CBA which prohibits flying struck work.

My .02 cents

T8