When will management learn? ASA, SYW

[WWEfan]

U.S. District Court Upholds ALPA Arbitration Awards
Gives two Trans States pilots the green light to fly after wrongful terminations​

ST. LOUIS – In a recently issued ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ordered Trans States Airlines (TSA) to comply with two arbitration awards that had ordered the reinstatement of two wrongfully terminated TSA pilots.
The pilots were represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). The Court found that the arbitration awards “drew their essence from the collective bargaining agreement between ALPA and Trans States Airlines.”
“This court ruling is vindication for our two pilots who found themselves caught in the crosshairs of an anti-union management team,” said ALPA President Capt. John Prater. “We hope TSA management will take this ruling to heart and realize it has a legal responsibility to abide by arbitrators’ rulings and to comply with our contract.”
In March 2006, an arbitrator ruled that Trans States’ termination of Capt. Srjdan “Sergio” Cvetanovic was without just cause. The arbitrator directed Trans States management to reinstate Cvetanovic and pay him the majority of his lost earning and associated benefits. When Trans States refused to honor the arbitrator’s decision, ALPA filed suit in the U.S. District Court to have the arbitrator’s ruling enforced.
In March 2005, TSA terminated Capt. Paul Hopkins, a St. Louis-based ALPA representative. In May 2006, an arbitrator ordered Hopkins be reinstated with back wages and lost benefits. Trans States refused to honor this arbitrator’s decision as well, so ALPA also filed suit on behalf of Hopkins.
“We are very pleased the magistrate upheld the arbitrations,” said Capt. Jason Ruszin, chairman of the Trans States pilots’ branch of ALPA. “It is now time for the Company to comply with these awards by reinstating these pilots. If management wishes to improve labor relations they should accept this outcome and reinstate the pilots without further delay. Continuing to challenge these awards in federal appeals court would only serve to deepen the wedge between management and labor.”
In addition to Cvetanovic and Hopkins, TSA terminated four other union officials in 2005 in an effort to undermine the union. TSA management’s anti-union campaign proved to be a complete failure. Through ALPA’s efforts, three of the four officials were reinstated.


I'd love to see JA try this at ASA or Sky West. Management loves to spend millions fighting unions rather than just doing the right thing and paying pilots a fair wage. Guess things will have to get much worse for things to get better.

This is just another example of how ALPA protects pilots and their careers.



I'm just glad to see that these guys went about this in a professional way and settled it through the court system. I don't think management's have a clue as to how their unwillingness to pay a fair wage impacts peoples lives.

 

[purduej]

Has TSA actually complied with the second order? I'm curious because they seemed like the kind of company that would ignore it again.

 

[jea]

what was the reason for the terminations to begin with? and dont say it was management- anti union... they had more grounds than that im sure

 

[GeekMaster]

I don't know or claim to know why they were terminated, but keep the facts in mind. A COURT AND AN ARBITRATOR BOTH RULED IT WAS UNJUST. Therefore, any other grounds don't matter now do they?