UPS pilots refuse to haul Northwest Airlines struck goods

[Superpilot92]

bizjournals.com
UPS pilots refuse to haul Northwest Airlines struck goods
Tuesday August 16, 2:01 pm ET

The Independent Pilots Association, the Louisville-based union that represents United Parcel Service Inc. pilots, has told UPS that they will not fly Northwest Airlines struck goods.

The association informed UPS of its position in anticipation of a possible strike by the mechanics at Northwest, which could occur as early as this Friday, according to a news release.

"The Independent Pilots Association is strongly committed to the principle of solidarity with our fellow transportation industry workers," said Capt. Tom Nicholson, president of the association, in the release. "As such, we will refuse to fly any struck goods should a strike or lock-out occur at Northwest Airlines involving their airline mechanics.

Northwest Airlines "has an extensive cargo operation and is now actively in the market attempting to line up aircraft and carriers to provide airlift to dodge the effects of a strike. ... UPS pilots have the contractual right to refuse to move airplanes containing struck goods. We will simply set the parking brakes on any UPS plane containing (Northwest Airlines) struck goods."

Because of the labor dispute at Northwest, Independent Pilots Association crewmembers have refused to be transported on Northwest Airlines since Aug. 5, the release said. As a result, UPS has rescheduled its pilots to other commercial carriers.

Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS - News) employs more than 17,000 people in Louisville. Its Worldport facility, located at Louisville International Airport, is the company's largest air transportation hub.

Published August 16, 2005 by Business First

Good For you guys at UPS!!

 

[MachPi]

*That's* what a union does. Good for them.

 

[luvthedc10]

Bravo for the UPS pilots!

 

[thruthemurk]

*That's* what a union does. Good for them.

No doubt. Northwest ALPA is still mulling over their position.

Sad,
murk

 

[Boeingman]

No doubt. Northwest ALPA is still mulling over their position.

Sad,
murk

NWA ALPA ought to look at the scenario in 83 when CAL ALPA blew right through the MAchinist and Flight Attendant picket lines. This entire NWA debacle has been taken right out of Lorenzo's playbook.

No wonder ALPA is a dying entity.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Way to go UPS pilots!!


There's some brass cojones!!

 

[linecheck]

Simply outstanding. Maybe there's hope afterall.

 

[Below Mins]

I hope our brothers at FedEx and ABX follow the IPA's lead on this!

 

[xanderman]

Awesome

Awesome guys!!!

 

[Jimdandy]

There only doing this to flex their muscles and show how big and bad they are they could care less about Amfa. There are looking for any excuse to piss MGMT off because of their negotiations.

Can't blame 'em but Their holy then though attitude is BS

 

[JethroF15]

Absolutly great news! I hope us purple dudes can stand up and do the same.

I do have to ask however, how do the pilots know what the heck is being loaded on the plane and where it came from? Unless it had NorthWest pasted all over the containers I'm pretty sure I wouldn't know if NW freight was being loaded on my purple jet. If NW cut a deal with the UPS management to haul their freight would UPS not try to paint it brown, so to speak, to minimize questions? Just wondering out loud.

 

[pilotyip]

Nice way to show UPS management who's boss, but there is plenty of lift out there, anyone can find someone to move something anywhere through 3rd party internet charter. If UPS won't haul the box someone else. In fact a 3rd party broker could ship NWA stuff on UPS and no one would know. I saw this during the 2002 West coast dock strike, all kinds of stuff coming from and going overseas on everything from US to Russian cargo airplanes.

 

[PurpleTail]

Good for UPS! Way to go and great forward thinking on your part to have that statement in your CONTRACT...hint, hint!

What I absolutely LOVE is that the UPS Union had the backbone to come out and make a PUBLIC announcement to the media to be televised, printed and distrubuted across the net on where they stand...labor group v. management! Now that was awesome. What we know and what the general public knows are two different things and the mere perception there could be a strike will start to cripple management and their business.

Stay strong and unified! Hopefully this will be the start of an upswing for the industry.

 

[pilotyip]

Purple: When you "cripple management and their business" what happens to the employess when the company goes into BK?

 

[Spooky 1]

UPS would probably like to see NWA go down the tubes as NWA has significant freight lift on the Pacific. One less airline to worry about if NWA were to be so badly crippled that lost market share to other, i.e., FedEx and UPS. Might be all wrong, but just a wild guess as to motives.

 

[TAZ MAN]

What about the PAX?

Isn't hauling a NWA PAX carrying struck goods? Why are the PAX carriers not saying the same thing?

 

[Yank McCobb]

I agree that there are motives other than just showing support for the AMFA. This is grandstanding and posturing at it's finest. I mean, look at how many "attaboys" it garnered on this forum alone. UPS pilots have their own best interests at heart, and certainly not those of the AMFA.

 

[SWAdude]

What about the PAX?

Isn't hauling a NWA PAX carrying struck goods? Why are the PAX carriers not saying the same thing?

Good point.

 

[Yank McCobb]

What about the PAX?

Isn't hauling a NWA PAX carrying struck goods? Why are the PAX carriers not saying the same thing?

Then I guess you need to make sure that every passenger you ever carry was not re-booked at some point from a NWA flight.

 

[SWAdude]

I agree that there are motives other than just showing support for the AMFA. This is grandstanding and posturing at it's finest. I mean, look at how many "attaboys" it garnered on this forum alone. UPS pilots have their own best interests at heart, and certainly not those of the AMFA.

Another good point.

 

[Clyde]

Raising the bar

It is time to begin raising the bar. There is still a long way to go in this industry, but it's time to at least arrest the descent.

 

[SWAdude]

Then I guess you need to make sure that every passenger you ever carry was not re-booked at some point from a NWA flight.

I know that SWA does not have interline agreements with other carriers, but virtually the rest of the legacy carriers do with each other. If need be, a NWA PAX could go up to another carriers counter and exchange the ticket easily for that carriers if they agree to do so. Its been done many times in the past.

 

[Yank McCobb]

I know that SWA does not have interline agreements with other carriers, but virtually the rest of the legacy carriers do with each other. If need be, a NWA PAX could go up to another carriers counter and exchange the ticket easily for that carriers if they agree to do so. Its been done many times in the past.

That's kind of my point. That it would be next to impossible for the pilots to have any knowledge at all if a passenger had, at one time or another, been booked on a NWA flight. Of course, the company could refuse to accept the ticket, but I highly doubt any company would take this stance unless they felt they would not or could not get paid for it. If there is money to be made accepting these tickets, they will take them...plain and simple, and there is nothing the crews can do about it nor have any say in the matter.

 

[SWAdude]

That's kind of my point. That it would be next to impossible for the pilots to have any knowledge at all if a passenger had, at one time or another, been booked on a NWA flight. Of course, the company could refuse to accept the ticket, but I highly doubt any company would take this stance unless they felt they would not or could not get paid for it. If there is money to be made accepting these tickets, they will take them...plain and simple, and there is nothing the crews can do about it nor have any say in the matter.

Good point. As well as UPS and the Cargo. How would the pilots know what they are hauling?

 

[radarlove]

Nice way to show UPS management who's boss, but there is plenty of lift out there, anyone can find someone to move something anywhere through 3rd party internet charter. If UPS won't haul the box someone else. In fact a 3rd party broker could ship NWA stuff on UPS and no one would know. I saw this during the 2002 West coast dock strike, all kinds of stuff coming from and going overseas on everything from US to Russian cargo airplanes.

That wasn't a strike, it was a lockout. Big, big difference.

 

[Publishers]

What a crock.....let's make them national hero's or build a monument for this grand jesture...

Of course the shippers are just going to reroute to UPS or someone else and they will get their business.... yeah these are definitely glory bound pilots for their support of the IAM mechanics.

 

[Freight Dog]

No doubt. Northwest ALPA is still mulling over their position.

Sad,
murk

What's even sadder is that it's Duane's airline too.... gotta love ALPA national...

 

[PurpleTail]

Purple: When you "cripple management and their business" what happens to the employess when the company goes into BK?

The employees do what's right...they make a stand, define their value and hold to it AND NOT LET MANAGEMENT BEND THEM OVER FOR YEARS TO COME. If the company goes BK then even management has to look for a new job. The employees find jobs with the stronger companies and the weak and inept die, if even if it does mean making a few changes in life.

Don't you ever wonder where the industry would be today if ANY of the UAir or United labor groups took a stand??? Instead the goverment kept throwing money at a USELESS cause and now look were we are.

 

[Clyde]

What a crock.....let's make them national hero's or build a monument for this grand jesture...

Do we have a say in the construction of our monument?

 

[Freight Dog]

Purple: When you "cripple management and their business" what happens to the employess when the company goes into BK?

Employee paycuts/furloughs is the easiest way to deal with the current problem. That's not to say that it's correct. Even Wall Street agrees that it's not the labor issue, it's the lack of revenue, and no matter how much cutting you do, unless you address the revenue, you'll be in the red. Employees taking a stand could actually force the company to do what's right and address the revenue. The problem is, we have no leadership at ALPA or any other union that's even worth the spit. Same with other labor groups.... the managements took advantage of it, and here we are today...

Good on IPA and the UPS pilot group!!