robert_fla said:
"One "minor" problem with your theory, the UPS pilots are NOT alpa! Look what happened to the alpa TWA pilots when non alpa AA bought them. If UPS buys Polar, look for UPS to cherry pick what it wants ( 400s and int'l route authority ) and either not buy the rest or $hitcan it."
W/out making any assertions I believe the courts, (no, i cannot quote any case law), have ruled that the pilots at an airline that is being bought have a right to fly the routes the airline used to fly.
Where things get tricky is how many pilots are actually needed to fly the routes. Generally, it has been much less than the pilots at the airline. Basically the reserves are not needed. So, some Polar pilots could be let go, but if brown elected to shaft all the polar pilots it would probably lead to a law suit.
Personally, I think it is a rumor and is not going to happen.
r
I agree. One thing I've learned about Brown over the years is this: they are the best in the business about keeping a secret. There has been NO official announcement by the company with regards to purchasing anybody. With that said and the fact that this rumor is the current topic of conversation here, I wouldn't place any faith into it. If I were a betting man, I would bet that this is simply just a rumor, nothing more nothing less.
There is one more thing I've learned about Brown also. They don't just let anybody work here. They might offer interviews, but in the end if you want to work here, you have to interview, get hired, and start at the bottom just like everybody else. If one is a captain somewhere else and the thought of being "stapled" and possibly starting as an FE makes you sick, then please feel free to stand in line at the unemployment office. A former senior captain elsewhere turned junior FE at Brown is a lot better than a former captain turned unemployment receipient.
I've read the posts about ALPA and all of the "musts" that UPS would supposedly have to abide by. Well, there's good reason why ALPA's rules wouldn't work in the hypothetical case of a buyout of Polar.
First, two seperate unions. ALPA has no say as to how it's members would be integrated into a private pilot union.
Second, this isn't one airline purchasing another. This is a giant transportation conglomerate purchasing the assets of a much smaller cargo airline. i.e., ALPA cannot say how it's pilots would be merged with regards to seniority at a trucking company. Remember, the airline is only part of UPS, not the other way around.
Third, UAL, USAirways and pensions. If ALPA were as strong as it claims to be, the union would have been able to do a lot more for it's members than what we have been witnessing. They can't even take care of issues with it's carriers, what makes anyone think they are going to be able to force a multi-billion dollar transportation conglomerate to deal on ALPA's terms?
Finally, there is talk on here about route authority and aquisition. Pesonally, I don't think Brown is as interested in the routes as much as they are in acquiring airframes. True, the routes would then be up for another bid, and Brown could possibly win them back by proving that they have the airframes and personnel to successfully operate them. This last part is pure speculation.
Again, I think this UPS-Polar thing is just a rumor. I've heard so many "based on a good reliable source" rumors since I've been here, and everytime the big announcement happened it was totally different than everyone thought.
A good rule of thumb is this: if you know about it before Big Brown says something, it isn't going to happen.
