Merger Committee Update
October 3, 2008
As many of you know by now, on Tuesday of this past week, the Merger Committee presented Management with the US Airways Date of Hire Pilot system seniority list (available in the Library Section of the USAPA web site), along with a comprehensive set of Conditions and Restrictions. USAPA is committed to Date of Hire principles, derived from fundamental union principles which have been embraced by all of the other labor groups on this property as well as being embraced recently by the Pilots of United Airlines’ via resolution. Fundamental union principals also dictate a Date of Hire airline that recognizes the service of all of our Pilots in a fair and equitable fashion.
Creating Conditions and Restrictions (C and Rs) that will ensure a fair and equitable method to blend our two disparate Pilot groups has been no small task. The Merger Committee knows all too well that the seniority issues have been difficult, divisive and contentious for all our Pilots. We also understand that without adequate Conditions and Restrictions, problems would merely shift from one portion of the Pilot group to another. With this in mind we have worked extremely hard to create a set of Conditions and Restrictions that will protect the pre-merger career expectations of the former America West Pilots while at the same time moving our Pilot group forward with a Date of Hire seniority system.
The Conditions and Restrictions are detailed below. There will undoubtedly be questions as to the application of the C and Rs. Within the next couple of days we will have posted on the Merger Committee page, located on the USAPA web site at
www.usairlinepilots.org, many of the most common Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If your question(s) are not answered there, please submit your question to
[email protected] and we will respond as soon as practical.
DATE OF HIRE CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS
US Airways Seniority Integration
Goals
1. Fair and equitable
2. Recognition that DOH seniority is a cornerstone in the foundation of our union
3. Although we are committed to a DOH airline, we intend to provide protection to West Pilots
List Construction
The US Airways Integrated Pilot System Seniority List was created from the 1 Jan 2007 certified lists from the two pre-merger airlines. All Pilots hired subsequently have been added in DOH order. Pilots who have resigned, retired, etc., remain on the list as placeholders only. Those names will be removed upon the publication of the next system seniority list in January. There has been no reordering of previous lists. It is our intent that the integrated list with its associated Conditions and Restrictions shall become effective upon contract signing.
West Provisions
We have designated the positions that existed in LAS and PHX as of 1 Jun 2008, prior to the recent system reductions, as West protected positions. These protected positions are preserved for West Pilot bidding and displaced West Pilots have recapture rights back to LAS or PHX throughout the term of the Conditions and Restrictions with few exceptions. West protected positions are eliminated if voluntarily vacated. If the number of Pilot positions in LAS and PHX increases above the initial protected positions count, any additional new Captain vacancies in LAS and PHX shall be available to East and West Pilots on a 1 for 1 basis. Additionally, West attrition is reserved for West Pilots.
System-wide DOH bidding is available to West Pilots at any time following the contract signing date.
West Pilots shall be entitled to one-third of the Captain and one-third of the First Officer positions on the first 25 EMB190 aircraft delivered, on a vacancy basis only.
In the event that EMB190 flying replaces current flying in LAS or PHX, EMB190 positions in LAS or PHX will be available to be included in the protected positions.
East Provisions
East attrition has been preserved for East Pilots.
East Pilots may bid positions in LAS and PHX as West Pilots bid east, and as LAS and PHX flying expands above the 1 June 2008 levels. The addition of a different category of aircraft would be open to a system-wide bid.
Reduction of Flying
Reductions of Captain positions system-wide are shared East and West on a ratio basis. The ratios are established upon contract signing and are aircraft and pay group specific; the ratios will be based on the actual staffing levels that exist at that time. For example, if at contract signing the B-737 ratio is 10 East Captains for every 6 West Captains, then any B-737 Captain position reductions would be allocated using that ratio. The ratios will be readjusted 12 months following contract signing to account for staffing realignment due to work rule changes.
Catastrophic Reduction Clause
In the event of a catastrophic reduction in force of 25% or more of the Pilot position count which existed on 1 June 2008, the integrated system seniority list shall govern in all seniority-related matters.
Duration
The Duration of the Conditions and Restrictions shall be 10 years.
It is important to note that our seniority list as well as these Conditions and Restrictions represent USAPA’s proposal to US Airways management. Until we have a signed contract we do not know what the final form will be.
Thank you to all of our Pilots for the support you have provided.
In Solidarity, your USAPA Merger Committee
Randy Mowrey
Mike Turpen
Bob Davison
