NWA Furloughees Preferential Hiring

[Humblepilot]

Laid-off Northwest pilots can seek jobs at regional carrier
Liz Fedor
Star Tribune

Published Aug 28, 2002 NWA28

Union leaders for Northwest Airlines pilots approved an agreement Tuesday that permits the preferential hiring of furloughed Northwest pilots at Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines.

Pinnacle is a regional carrier affiliated with Northwest, and its pilots fly Canadair Regional Jets and Saab turbo-prop airliners.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) master executive council unanimously supported an agreement between ALPA and Northwest management that allows the preferential hiring.

In an e-mail to pilots, the union said, "Furloughed NWA pilots would still be required to undergo a standard Pinnacle interview process, but would not be required to resign from NWA to gain employment."

Included in the agreement is a requirement for a minimum 18-month term of employment and "a limitation of five recalls per month of NWA pilots from Pinnacle."

Pinnacle, which flies as a Northwest Airlink carrier, is hiring pilots.

Eagan-based Northwest furloughed 490 pilots from October to March, which reduced the active pilot workforce to 6,050. The number of furloughed pilots is expected to increase to 570 by November.

Also Tuesday, ALPA leaders decided to bargain with Northwest management over terms of a joint marketing agreement with Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines. Northwest already has a partnership with Continental but announced Friday that it wants to add Delta to the alliance.

The pilots' contract requires Northwest to get approval from the union before it can implement the new alliance.



So, can Pinnacle get away with not asking NWA pilots to give up their seniority numbers, but yet asking a furloughee from American, UAL, USAIR, et al for their seniority numbers?

Let the debate begin.

Humble

 

[sleepy]

Humble,
Yes, NWA management can require non-NWA pilots to resign their seniority to work at an NWA affiliated airline. They can do whatever they want to do with their own company.

 

[Jiminmem]

The answer as stated before is of course they can. They can decide what the hiring requirements are as he see fit. NWA still owns Pinnacle, so they can tell us what our standards are.

I say welome aboard to any NWA furloughees who wish to come over.

 

[rightrudder]

How about furloughed Mesaba pilots?

 

[Jiminmem]

It would be nice if they were included. If they wanted to come here, I'd have no poblems with it. As of right now I don't think they are covered, unfortnately.

 

[festus]

Any NWA pilots going to take up this offer?

 

[ACWild]

This is great news for NWA furloughees, but does this mean that the Pinnacle pilots would get preferential hiring at Northwest when things turn around?

 

[charley varrick]

Any NWA pilots going to take up this offer?

I don't think many will. There is an 18-month committment, which isn't bad at all, but the LOA language that could create concern is the cap of five recalls per month. This could potentially extend your furlough a great deal. If 100 guys took this opportunity, the bottom guy would be looking at a minimum 20-month wait once recalls begin. NWA can hire off the strett while it meters these furloughees back in at five a month. Seems to me, it could potentially come back to haunt you.

 

[festus]

I agree, I think senior furlough guys won't take it because there is a glimmer of hope with recalls, and junior furlough pilots wont take because of your stated reason if there are a 100 pilots it would be many years before returning. That leaves those in the middle who could goto the job and make 20000/year, 10 days off, reserve, etc.