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NWA ALPA position on NEWCO

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jetflier

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Dec 22, 2003
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This is a special NWA Master Executive Council (MEC) Hotline recorded on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006.

This Hotline contains new information about resolutions passed on the final day of the MEC special meeting, a road show presentation available on the MEC website, membership balloting on the pension freeze tentative agreement (TA), and a correction to the DTW Local Council 20 meeting date.

NWA MEC SPECIAL MEETING (1/07/06)
The third and final day of the NWA MEC Special Meeting began at 8:00 a.m. today. The meeting was closed for most of the day as the MEC and Negotiating Committee continued their discussion of ALPA's 1113c negotiating strategy. At the conclusion of the MEC meeting, the MEC unanimously passed a resolution endorsing the negotiating strategy as refined through the additional input from the MEC.

The MEC also passed a resolution directing the MEC Chairman to communicate to NWA management, the NWA BOD, and the NWA Unsecured Creditors Committee that NWA management’s proposals for Newco and the many other Scope and job protection changes management has proposed are absolutely unacceptable to NWA pilots. The resolution states that if the Bankruptcy Court approves the rejection of the pilot agreement and the Company imposes terms and conditions which include those items, the company should expect a strike by the Northwest pilot group. (The full text of both resolutions is included in the e-mail and web version of this message) The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

The MEC Negotiating Committee is traveling to New York tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 8) to prepare for the 1113 hearing and to be available for further talks with management. ALPA made the most recent proposal in negotiations, and we are scheduled to receive a counterproposal from NWA management on Tuesday. The MEC will be briefed via an informational conference call next week and then will travel to New York on Sunday, Jan. 15 to attend the 1113 hearings.

A Ziplines will be sent next week to all pilots discussing this week’s Special Meeting, the current status of negotiations, the upcoming 1113 hearings, and possible outcomes of the 1113 process. You can also expect to receive an Across the Table publication detailing the extensive Scope and job protection changes management has proposed in its 1113 filing.

The following MEC resolutions were passed unanimously:

NWA MEC RESOLUTION #06-1
SUBJECT: Northwest Airlines Pilots’ Objection to “NEWCO” and Scope Changes

WHEREAS Northwest Airlines has proposed a new “stand-alone” subsidiary “NEWCO” to perform flying of aircraft in the 77-100 seat range, and also outsource all flying below 77 seats, and

WHEREAS this new entity would transfer jobs and flying to a subsidiary that could then be sold off with a resulting de facto transfer of jobs away from Northwest Airlines, and

WHEREAS to date, NWA management has refused to engage in meaningful discussions to substitute the “NSTAR” concept (51-100 seat aircraft) for their “NEWCO” concept and other outsourcing proposals, even though “NSTAR” will provide competitive pilot costs to Northwest Airlines while also providing enhanced control of operations and service delivery,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the NWA ALPA MEC directs the Master Executive Council Chairman to communicate to Northwest Airlines management, the Northwest Airlines Board of Directors, and the Northwest Airlines Unsecured Creditors Committee that: 1) the proposed outsourcing of NWA pilot jobs to the stand-alone NWA subsidiary “NEWCO” and other proposals attacking Northwest Pilot job security (e.g., fragmentation, wet-leasing, alter ego, etc.) are absolutely unacceptable to the pilots of Northwest Airlines Inc., and 2) if the Bankruptcy Court approves rejection of the Pilot Agreement and the Company imposes terms and conditions which include these proposals, the Company should expect a strike by the Northwest pilot group.

# # END OF RESOLUTION # #

NWA MEC RESOLUTION #06-2
SUBJECT: Direction to the Negotiating Committee and the MEC Officers

WHEREAS the NWA MEC has received reports, updates and explanations from the MEC Officers, MEC Negotiating Committee, financial advisors and attorneys regarding the following:
• NWA’s Business Plan
• NWA’s 1113c Proposal
• NWA’s DIP/Exit Financing
• ALPA’s 1113c Proposal
• USAirways’, UAL’s and DAL’s 1113c Experience
• USAirways’, UAL’s and DAL’s DIP and Exit Financing

WHEREAS the MEC Negotiating Committee thoroughly explained both the details and rationale for our current 1113c bargaining strategy, and

WHEREAS our attorneys thoroughly explained both the details and rationale for our 1113c litigation strategy, and

WHEREAS the MEC thoroughly discussed both the 1113c negotiating strategy and litigation strategy and provided the necessary direction to the MEC Negotiating Committee, and

WHEREAS this direction included refinements to the elements of our negotiating proposal, and

WHEREAS the NWA MEC, at the April 30, 2003 special MEC meeting, established goals in MEC Resolution #03-26, as follows:

Establish “Safe Harbor” for NWA by attempting to insure:
• NWA’s long-term viability
• NWA is an airline which can sustain future growth and job creation for NWA employees
• NWA’s ability to obtain long-term financing

WHEREAS, while the NWA MEC continues to support these goals, the NWA MEC cannot and will not agree to contract terms which go beyond what is needed to achieve these goals,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the NWA MEC fully endorses both our 1113c negotiating strategy and proposal elements, as modified and directed by the NWA MEC, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the NWA MEC fully endorses our 1113c litigation strategy, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the NWA MEC directs the Negotiating Committee and/or the MEC Officers to provide no less than a weekly briefing (in person, via conference call or ASPEN voice mail) on the progress and substance of 1113c negotiations no later than each Friday until the conclusion of 1113c negotiations, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the NWA MEC directs the MEC Strategic Preparedness Committee (SPC) to step up their preparations to exercise the rights of NWA pilots in the event a consensual agreement with NWA management cannot be reached, our contract is rejected in the 1113c process, and NWA management seeks to impose “terms and conditions of employment” on NWA pilots, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the MEC Officers begin the necessary preparations to conduct a strike ballot of the NWA pilot membership if and when the MEC directs such a ballot to be conducted, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the NWA MEC Chairman will directly explain the purpose and the need for the SPC preparations in the next Ziplines.

# # END OF RESOLUTION # #
 
Surely, That is going to help......You guys demonstrated with your mechanics that you were willing to walk across a picket line and let an entire union work group be scabbed into oblivion. Do you think that they will even pay attention to your pathetic attempt to play tough. By this time next year there will be Newco and it will be flown by pilots not on your seniority list for Skywest/Comair/Horizon type wages and work rules. You guys are too impressed with being pilots to just walk away from that $h!t heap when the job is no longer worth doing.
 
Northwest Pilots need to take the offence on this issue right away. No waiting to see what happens. Things need to get so ugly right now that Stenland can't hold his water.
 
The difference is that NWA has not been planning during the last 18 months on how to replace the pilots (unlike with the mechanics). If the pilots strike, it would be the end of NWA or at least until they came to an agreement.

NWA does not have 4000-5000 pilots sitting around waiting for the call.

The mechanics were in a lose lose situation. The pilots are not.
 
Even if they are to fire up Natco, they can at best turn out 50 pilots a month. Really , the pilots are the airline, and until we recognize this fact we can keep bending over. What can save this profession.......Cobra Airlines.
 
dogg said:
Surely, That is going to help......You guys demonstrated with your mechanics that you were willing to walk across a picket line and let an entire union work group be scabbed into oblivion. Do you think that they will even pay attention to your pathetic attempt to play tough. By this time next year there will be Newco and it will be flown by pilots not on your seniority list for Skywest/Comair/Horizon type wages and work rules. You guys are too impressed with being pilots to just walk away from that $h!t heap when the job is no longer worth doing.

Ouch!

My understanding is that the mechanics isolated themselves from the rest of the unions at NWA. The flight attendants are affiliated with AMFA...and they voted NOT to honor the strike!

Here's a link that addresses some of the issues:

http://www.labournet.net/world/0511/iam1.html

When the pilots went on strike in 1998, the mechanics crossed their picket line.
 
dogg said:
Surely, That is going to help......You guys demonstrated with your mechanics that you were willing to walk across a picket line and let an entire union work group be scabbed into oblivion. Do you think that they will even pay attention to your pathetic attempt to play tough. By this time next year there will be Newco and it will be flown by pilots not on your seniority list for Skywest/Comair/Horizon type wages and work rules. You guys are too impressed with being pilots to just walk away from that $h!t heap when the job is no longer worth doing.

Amen, that about sums it up. kinda like a shitzu growling at a bank robber.
 
dogg said:
Surely, That is going to help......You guys demonstrated with your mechanics that you were willing to walk across a picket line and let an entire union work group be scabbed into oblivion. Do you think that they will even pay attention to your pathetic attempt to play tough. By this time next year there will be Newco and it will be flown by pilots not on your seniority list for Skywest/Comair/Horizon type wages and work rules. You guys are too impressed with being pilots to just walk away from that $h!t heap when the job is no longer worth doing.
Great....another SanAntonioSewerPipe metro driver who has it all figured out.....I guess if we had struck with the mechanics you would have given me an "attaboy" as I jerked gear for you in your metro following the CH7 of NWA.

What we "demonstrated" with the mechanics is that AMFA is a clueless organization led by a non-mechanic that didn't even allow their group to vote on the deal. AMFA militantly refused several attempts from all NW unions to reach a global solution to back off industry leading pay/benefits in order to help avoid BK and instead said that pilot paycuts should be used to give them a raise. They refused to sign a confidentiality agreement, which is SOP, in order to gain full access to the corporate books. They allowed 38% outsourcing in their industry leading contract then complained that NWA was outsourcing their work. The list goes on and on.

Do you think that they will even pay attention to your pathetic attempt to play tough.
When it threatens to shut down their cash flow generator, unlike AMFA, yes, yes I do. Besides, I could care less if Steenland/Cohen/Wilson "pay attention". All that matters is that the secured creditors commitee, which ALPA is on, and the judge pay attention. They ultimately call the shots since they stand to lose the most if NWA shuts down.

By this time next year there will be Newco and it will be flown by pilots not on your seniority list for Skywest/Comair/Horizon type wages and work rules.
Explain to me why it is important for it to be flown by pilots not on our seniority list. We have already proposed a 55-100 seat operation flown by NWA seniority list pilots at competitve rates (Skywest/Comair/Horizon). When NWA was asked why not all they could come up with was that it needs to be a seperate company in order to get financing for the airplanes (please insert head in sand now and ignore the fact that they just got plenty of financing, in BK, for their A330 and A320/319 deliveries next year).

My prediction: By this time next year dogg will have sufferred 20% more hearing loss from continued exposure to the garretts on his metro.
 

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