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Pilots sue US Airways and ALPA

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MK82Man

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Posts
210
Mid Atlantic never had its own operating certificate???

Pilots sue airline, union

By Thomas Olson
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW – Pittsburgh, PA,
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 19, 2005

About 240 US Airways pilots have filed a lawsuit against the airline and their own union in federal court seeking $400 million in damages, claiming US Airways duped them about pay and the status of MidAtlantic Airways.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, claims a breach of the pilots' collective bargaining agreement, a breach of the union's duty of representation, racketeering and violations of the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline labor agreements.

Aside from US Airways, the lawsuit names the Air Line Pilots Association, US Airways' merger partner America West Airlines, Republic Airways Holdings and its majority owner, Wexford Capital.

The complaint alleges US Airways, with cooperation from the union, deceived furloughed pilots into thinking that if they agreed to fly regional jets for express carrier MidAtlantic, they should only receive about half what they once earned flying larger jets at mainline US Airways. The difference in pay and benefits represents most of the damages sought by the lawsuit.

"None of the pilots was aware that MidAtlantic simply did not exist," said the complaint. "The truth, however, was that the 'MidAtlantic' pilots were, in fact, US Airways pilots."

Of the 239 pilot plaintiffs, 30 of them are based in Western Pennsylvania, said the complaint filed Oct. 7. The airline employs 3,441 pilots overall, including 322 who fly for MidAtlantic. Of them, 220 were hired from among the 1,800 US Airways mainline pilots on furlough, per existing "jets for jobs" contract provisions.

US Airways formed MidAtlantic in 2002 as an express-carrier division based in Pittsburgh. It was meant to fly Embraer regional jets and help feed passengers to mainline flights of financially struggling US Airways. In March, US Airways agreed to sell the operation, including the aircraft fleet and landing slots, to Republic and transferred MidAtlantic pilots to the Indianapolis-based carrier.

"Our agreement with Republic on the sale of Embraer assets is in full compliance with our collective bargaining agreements with ALPA," said US Airways and America West in a prepared statement. "This transaction was contemplated and agreed to by the parties during negotiations on this issue."

But the complaint said US Airways hid from pilots the fact it never obtained a separate operating certificate for MidAtlantic. Once US Airways acquired 70-seat regional jets in March 2004, it even painted them, "US Airways Express." US Airways said MidAtlantic captains would earn $58,000 and first officers would earn $35,000 -- or about half the pay scale at mainline.

By "participating in the fiction" that MidAtlantic was an independent subsidiary, "ALPA breached its duty of fair representation" of the pilots, said the lawsuit. It also claims MidAtlantic pay scales were not reached in steps required by the Railway Labor Act.

Neither the pilots union nor Republic could not be reached yesterday.

Thomas Olson can be reached at [email protected] or (412) 320-7854
 

Really lame arguement that will probably get thrown out of court. MDA didn't even have their own operating certificate, pretty much blows that arguement out of the water..
 
when will we realize that ALPA can care less about any pilot group all they care about is there dues. You will not get fair representation from ALPA unless it will benefit ALPA nationals collection of dues period end of story. They are nothing more than politicians who will say anything to keep their office and collect their pay. They can care less about who flies what airplane for whom and who does or doesn't get furloughed. All they care about is the effect it has on their dues collection more money for alpa good less money for alpa bad no what is right and what isn't.
 
kc81900 says,

They are nothing more than politicians who will say anything to keep their office and collect their pay. They can care less about who flies what airplane for whom and who does or doesn't get furloughed. All they care about is the effect it has on their dues collection more money for alpa good less money for alpa bad not what is right and what isn't

And I say, "Amen brother,"

Can any of you (professional pilots) say you haven't seen that satisfied, slightly glazed-over look in an airline union officer or management pilot's eyes? The look that says, "You're a loser. You fly airplanes while I run your world. You can keep talking to me if you want, but all I'm hearing is 'Blah, Blah, Blah...'."
 
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MDA and ALPA

You've got it all Wrong. ALPA represents ALL pilot groups equally and fairly. You make it sound as if we only care for the higher paid Majors over the lower paid scum...oops... Commuters..oops..Regionals... yeah sorry about that.. little slip up.. Now get out there and fly more block hours to pay your dues...
 
Furloughed IS Furloughed

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Sounds like they are making a last ditch effort to try to get better positions on the seniority list when the lists are merged.......Furloughees stapled to the bottom is the word.......



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