Q&A from July 2010
YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS, WE’VE GOT ANSWERS
We’ve sent a team around the system recently to gather some of your questions regarding the seniority integration process. Below are some of the answers to those questions to help better explain the integration process.
Q: When will the list be done?
A: As of this writing, we have completed the final stages of the verification process. We have exchanged the certified seniority lists with the UAL Merger Committee, and the next step is to enter direct negotiations with the UAL Merger Committee. That will occur near the time you receive this newsletter. If we are unable to reach agreement, we will enlist the services of a mediator. If mediation is unsuccessful, we will enter arbitration. Arbitration will not begin until the JCBA is ratified. You should understand that MEC and membership ratification are not part of this process.
Q: Why are we waiting for a ratified JCBA prior to entering arbitration?
A: Simply put, waiting for a ratified JCBA prior to entering arbitration helps the joint pilot group obtain the best possible contract because management needs an integrated seniority list (ISL) prior to realizing maximum financial and operational synergies from the merger.
Q: Can a more senior United pilot bump me out of my captain seat after the integration?
A: We don’t envision this scenario because virtually all seniority integrations have included a “no bump, no flush” clause. Just as in a normal system bid, the “no bump” provision prevents a pilot from being displaced by a more senior pilot. For example, the most senior pilot on the list (who is not currently based in CLE) decides that he wants to fly as a captain on a B-737 out of CLE. If no vacancy exists for CLE B-737 captains, then that pilot cannot be awarded that position and must wait for a vacancy to be awarded that seat. The “no flush” provision maintains the initial status quo and prevents massive system-wide displacements as a result of the merger.
Q: I’m a senior F/O. Should I bid captain before the merger?
A: This goes back to the old adage of “bid what you want, not what you don’t want.” While we have occasionally made fun of that phrase, it’s good advice here. Remember, what we are doing is merging numbers on the seniority lists, NOT the positions that you are currently flying in. You use your system seniority to bid the flying position you want. You will not be disadvantaged in an integration because you chose to remain a senior first officer as opposed to bidding for a junior captain spot. In summary, a Continental pilot who is junior to you before the merger will still be junior to you after the merger.
What happens to all of the data that you’re collecting?
First, it’s a requirement of ALPA Merger and Fragmentation Policy and the joint Protocol Agreement (between the CAL and UAL MECs) to collect and verify very specific employment data. Next, the data provides the opportunity to correct a few minor errors that have persisted on each of our lists for years, such as an incorrect birthday. The data will then be used in an aggregate manner during the seniority list integration process to negotiate the most fair and equitable list possible.
How are the lists going to be integrated?
It is simply impossible to predict the outcome and it would be irresponsible of us to even try. Multiple integration methodologies are possible and we will analyze all of them. It is our mandate to defend every single Continental pilot’s seniority rights from the most senior pilot to the most junior pilot on our seniority list. Let’s be clear: there will be no re-ordering of Continental seniority list as a result of this data collection and verification.