The continued screwing of the Midex Pilots

[Minimaniac]

What is the RAH unions spin on bringing in Midwest and F9 to their seniority list? What is their proposal for integration? In the past how have other list(s) been combined?

The union's position is that the only fair way to merge seniority lists is to merge all five at one time, with everyone able to give their input. If all five parties are able to communicate at once, deals might be reached that would otherwise not be possible dealing with one list at a time. The union also says that one list at a time means that each union will have to wait until the previous merger is completed before talks can begin. YX wuld have to wait until Mokulele is complete, then F9 would have to wait for the YX integration to be done, and then Lynx would have to wait until F9 was done. The union feels that one mass integration would lead to a quicker overall resolution.

Our merger committee has not shared their position on where they feel the acquired airlines' pilots should fit it.

The only previous merger at RAH that I can speak of was the Chautauqua/Shuttle America (Saab pilot) combination in 2005. Both sides have their opinions about right and wrong, and about what the fate of Shuttle America would have been had CHQ not bought their certificate, but I will say that the arbitrator sided with the CHQ pilots, and awarded the integration solution proposed by the CHQ pilots. Shuttle America Saab captains ended up being placed as a group directly behind the CHQ captains, and maintained their Saab captain pay until they upgraded. They were the first pilots eligible to upgrade when upgrades were offered, and sat as the top FO's until then. Shuttle Saab FO's were slotted 1:7 through the remainder of the CHQ seniority list, given them about a 100 number buffer from the bottom of the combined list (a form of furlough protection). All former saab pilots, FO's included, were able to upgrade within two years of joining the new RAH family, and are all in the top half of the seniority list today.

 

[PCL_128]

I misspoke, and you are correct that we don't have to reach an impasse before going to mediation. However, negotiations have progressed since they began, and a mediator has not been required to keep things moving. If there is no progress, then mediation is the correct choice. But if our union has been able to make gains that they feel are sufficient, then by all means they should continue to negotiate directly with the company.

Spending time in mediation is a prerequisite for getting a proffer of arbitration, which is a prerequisite for getting a release into self help. You can't enter mediation one day and request a proffer the next. The NMB will expect you to spend at least 12-18 months in mediation.