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Midwest suspends plans to rehire flight crews - JSOnline

Midwest suspends plans to hire back flight crews
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Mar. 18, 2009 11:42 a.m.

Midwest Airlines Inc. has suspended plans to hire back laid-off flight crews to operate regional jets the carrier began using last fall.

In September, Midwest hired Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (RJET) to operate Midwest Connect flights previously flown under the Midwest Airlines name. The move came after Republic agreed to provide up to $25 million in financing to Midwest, which helped prevent a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

In hiring Republic, Oak Creek-based Midwest laid off over 200 employees, including union pilots and flight attendants. Midwest said it would rehire the flight crews after they're trained to staff the Republic jets, but only if they accepted substantial pay cuts.

The unions have balked at that demand, so Midwest has suspended plans to train the pilots on flying the Embraer 170 jets, company spokesman Michael Brophy said. Those wage cuts are needed for Midwest to compete effectively, he said.

"Given the state of the economy, and the fact that we have not been able to secure a market-competitive cost structure, we have elected to stop the process," said a company memo to employees.

The pilots union doesn't agree with that decision, said Brian Jandorf, spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association's Midwest chapter. He declined to comment further.

An official from the Association of Flight Attendants couldn't be reached for comment.

The unions have requested mediation in their contract talks with Midwest. No further contract talks have been scheduled yet, Jandorf said.

Arbitrators ruled in January that Midwest's hiring of Republic did not violate the company's labor agreements with the pilots and flight attendants unions.

Republic flies a dozen Embraer 170 jets, each with 76 seats, under the Midwest Connect name. Midwest Airlines also contracts with St. George, Utah-based SkyWest Inc. (SKYW) to operate a dozen Bombardier CRJ200 50-seat regional jets under the Midwest Connect name.

Midwest Airlines operates nine 99-seat Boeing 717 jets, which use union pilots and flight attendants.

Bucking Bar

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That just sucks. Sorry to read that news.

shadyops

I know those Midwest guys have protested, but does anyone know if they are close to a strike or what?

Flyby1206

Sadly I dont think a strike will change much. How many planes do Midwest pilots operate currently?

mynameisjim

I think Midwest operates 9 99 seat airplanes now. They outsource around 12 50 seat RJs and around 12 76 seat RJs.

fullflank

If they do strike RAH will just swoop in and do the flying, and for cheaper. I wouldn't be surprised if the company wants a strike. sad sad day. Best of luck to all of those effected

hslightnin

how were they going to fly RAH metal?

boilerpilot

I love it when people talk openly about crossing picket lines, whether legally or not, it's still painfully unethical.

MD80

Deltas plan is working... put Midwest/AirTran out of business and takeover Milwaukee for $450,000. I hope they don't have a bigger plan in the works (eg. building a low-cost 100 seat airline) because this one is working very smooth.

Bucking Bar

Give or take $213 million, but who's counting?

But, as is common when airline managers concentrate their efforts on something other than running an airline, AirTran is thanking their lucky stars NWA management stepped in and saved them.

AirTran's cash would have went below zero in summer 08 if they had bought MidWest. NWA literally saved them.