MK82Man
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
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Just the FACTS
Issue 1, A Publication of the Airline Pilots Association INTL, September 11, 2007
Dear Fellow Pilots,
During the month of August, I traveled to pilot bases up and down the East Coast to talk to you—and listen to you—about the ongoing merger dispute.
I appreciate the thoughts and pleas of the many pilots who came out to meet with me. Their emotions ran strong, and they spoke from the heart. I heard from many East pilots who say that they hate the Nicolau award and would rather live under the current bankruptcy-negotiated contract than submit to this award. I heard from other East pilots who disagree, recognizing that there are significant gains and meaningful career protections to be had under a new single agreement. We spent many hours together, and it was clear that all of these pilots—including the handful from the West who attended—are committed to their careers and their future. On September 14, I’ll meet with pilots in Phoenix. I know that I’ll hear many West pilots also speaking from the heart, wanting to know why their union has not yet presented the seniority award under our own policies.
Whether from East or West, however, it is also clear that too many pilots are not aware of the facts that underlie this situation. Over and over during my recent visits, it was clear that they had been provided with incorrect information. When I explained the facts, they often responded, “I didn’t know that.”
It is time to hear the facts again and make decisions based on facts. In this newsletter, and in communications to come, ALPA will tell you the facts. Yes, they are the facts as we, your ALPA brothers and sisters from other airlines, see them, and, yes, some of you may disagree. I’ve personally lived through numerous mergers and, regardless of the pain of a new seniority list, my fellow pilots and I have managed to separate the merger wars from our contract negotiations. Despite the failure of your leaders to find a mutual agreement during the seniority integration, I believe you can successfully reach a solution between your pilot groups. Failure to achieve consensual agreement between the East and West union leaders to negotiate a contract with more than parity would be a shame for us and a disaster for the families of US Airways.
In Unity,
Captain John Prater
President
MERGER POLICY
Fact
ALPA Merger Policy was written and revised over many years by ALPA Boards of Directors and Executive Boards. These governing bodies consist entirely of local council representatives or MEC chairmen from pilot groups throughout our union (including an AAA representative who served on the committee that developed the 1991 policy modification following the mergers of Ozark–TWA, Republic–Northwest, Delta–Western, Piedmont–USAir, and others in the post-deregulation era). They are pilots just like you, and every one of them was elected by their brother and sister pilots.
Fact
ALPA Merger Policy strictly limits the role of ALPA National in seniority integration. That policy—as adopted by pilot representatives—states:
The role of ALPA in seniority integration is solely to provide the process by which the affected pilot groups on ALPA airlines arrive at the merged seniority list for presentation to management, through their respective merger representatives, using arbitration if necessary.
During your arbitration hearings, there was only one protest filed. The AAA MEC protested a submission by the AWA Merger Committee—a contract-costing document produced for the use of the Joint Negotiating Committee—and ALPA ruled to exclude the document.
Fact
Under ALPA Merger Policy, your MEC-elected merger representatives are completely responsible for the merged seniority list. Here is what ALPA Merger Policy says:
Responsibility for the merged seniority list falls upon the respective merger representatives with ALPA National in a neutral position on the merits.
Fact
When your elected reps submitted the seniority dispute to arbitration, they knew exactly what the Merger Policy says on the subject—that “the Award of the Arbitration Board shall be final and binding on all parties to the arbitration” and “shall be defended by ALPA.” Merger Policy further states that the “merged seniority list will be presented to management and ALPA will use all reasonable means at its disposal to compel the company to accept and implement the merged seniority list.”
Fact
Because arbitration takes the decisions away from line pilots, this procedure was the method of last resort after your LEC reps and your Merger Committees failed to come to an agreement through negotiations or mediation. In the AAA–AWA case, Arbitrator Nicolau, observing that the positions of both Merger Committees would create future conflict, called both sides to a special meeting in the midst of his deliberations and gave them one last opportunity to come to an agreement on their own before he acted. It is important to note that neither side made a move. [Transcript of arbitration hearing’s last day]
Fact
Both ALPA Merger Policy and the Transition Agreement bar management from using an integrated list until there is a single collective bargaining agreement for the new merged airline. Your management, both MECs, the pilot groups, and ALPA’s president still need to get an agreement completed before the seniority list can be implemented. A decision by the Executive Council on the US Airways MEC’s request to set aside the award still wouldn’t answer the question of how to translate the seniority award into use.
Issue 1, A Publication of the Airline Pilots Association INTL, September 11, 2007
Dear Fellow Pilots,
During the month of August, I traveled to pilot bases up and down the East Coast to talk to you—and listen to you—about the ongoing merger dispute.
I appreciate the thoughts and pleas of the many pilots who came out to meet with me. Their emotions ran strong, and they spoke from the heart. I heard from many East pilots who say that they hate the Nicolau award and would rather live under the current bankruptcy-negotiated contract than submit to this award. I heard from other East pilots who disagree, recognizing that there are significant gains and meaningful career protections to be had under a new single agreement. We spent many hours together, and it was clear that all of these pilots—including the handful from the West who attended—are committed to their careers and their future. On September 14, I’ll meet with pilots in Phoenix. I know that I’ll hear many West pilots also speaking from the heart, wanting to know why their union has not yet presented the seniority award under our own policies.
Whether from East or West, however, it is also clear that too many pilots are not aware of the facts that underlie this situation. Over and over during my recent visits, it was clear that they had been provided with incorrect information. When I explained the facts, they often responded, “I didn’t know that.”
It is time to hear the facts again and make decisions based on facts. In this newsletter, and in communications to come, ALPA will tell you the facts. Yes, they are the facts as we, your ALPA brothers and sisters from other airlines, see them, and, yes, some of you may disagree. I’ve personally lived through numerous mergers and, regardless of the pain of a new seniority list, my fellow pilots and I have managed to separate the merger wars from our contract negotiations. Despite the failure of your leaders to find a mutual agreement during the seniority integration, I believe you can successfully reach a solution between your pilot groups. Failure to achieve consensual agreement between the East and West union leaders to negotiate a contract with more than parity would be a shame for us and a disaster for the families of US Airways.
In Unity,
Captain John Prater
President
MERGER POLICY
Fact
ALPA Merger Policy was written and revised over many years by ALPA Boards of Directors and Executive Boards. These governing bodies consist entirely of local council representatives or MEC chairmen from pilot groups throughout our union (including an AAA representative who served on the committee that developed the 1991 policy modification following the mergers of Ozark–TWA, Republic–Northwest, Delta–Western, Piedmont–USAir, and others in the post-deregulation era). They are pilots just like you, and every one of them was elected by their brother and sister pilots.
Fact
ALPA Merger Policy strictly limits the role of ALPA National in seniority integration. That policy—as adopted by pilot representatives—states:
The role of ALPA in seniority integration is solely to provide the process by which the affected pilot groups on ALPA airlines arrive at the merged seniority list for presentation to management, through their respective merger representatives, using arbitration if necessary.
During your arbitration hearings, there was only one protest filed. The AAA MEC protested a submission by the AWA Merger Committee—a contract-costing document produced for the use of the Joint Negotiating Committee—and ALPA ruled to exclude the document.
Fact
Under ALPA Merger Policy, your MEC-elected merger representatives are completely responsible for the merged seniority list. Here is what ALPA Merger Policy says:
Responsibility for the merged seniority list falls upon the respective merger representatives with ALPA National in a neutral position on the merits.
Fact
When your elected reps submitted the seniority dispute to arbitration, they knew exactly what the Merger Policy says on the subject—that “the Award of the Arbitration Board shall be final and binding on all parties to the arbitration” and “shall be defended by ALPA.” Merger Policy further states that the “merged seniority list will be presented to management and ALPA will use all reasonable means at its disposal to compel the company to accept and implement the merged seniority list.”
Fact
Because arbitration takes the decisions away from line pilots, this procedure was the method of last resort after your LEC reps and your Merger Committees failed to come to an agreement through negotiations or mediation. In the AAA–AWA case, Arbitrator Nicolau, observing that the positions of both Merger Committees would create future conflict, called both sides to a special meeting in the midst of his deliberations and gave them one last opportunity to come to an agreement on their own before he acted. It is important to note that neither side made a move. [Transcript of arbitration hearing’s last day]
Fact
Both ALPA Merger Policy and the Transition Agreement bar management from using an integrated list until there is a single collective bargaining agreement for the new merged airline. Your management, both MECs, the pilot groups, and ALPA’s president still need to get an agreement completed before the seniority list can be implemented. A decision by the Executive Council on the US Airways MEC’s request to set aside the award still wouldn’t answer the question of how to translate the seniority award into use.
