Originally Posted by
aa73
FliFast,
Your post was right on, and well thought out. I happen to agree with just about everything, mainly because you directed your anger in the right direction - at the unpopular union leadership we had at the time, and not necessarily at the line pilots, who had no say in the deal... yet usually it is the AA line pilots who are singled out for the misfortunes. (No, we couldn't vote out the leadership if we disagreed, because those of us who disagreed were in the minority.)
That said, I'll reiterate what could be an unfortunate consequence of this new merger law. While binding neutral arbitration is definitely the fairest way to go, if we merge with another carrier and give them DOH, the TWA pilots need to be awarded their original TWA DOH or they will end up stapled for the second time. We can only hope that an arbitrator will keep that in mind. Otherwise this can be a double edged sword.
Blue, I mean brown, skies,
73
aa73,
I'd like to thank you for your observant response. It is refreshing to hear your take on it. We generally agree to disagree, but in this case you bring up some points that are very important to myself and my fellow TWA pilots. I am in agreement with your view.
In the event that American merges with another airline, will the TWA pilots once again get "another staple job". I can see a 2000 hire at airline "X" being placed above the stapled TWA pilots hired in the late 80's.
On a rhetorical note, do you feel any airline would want to merge with American given their track record. It seems that the names in the merger game have not included American. I'm not trying to be offensive, just a concern that American may not be included in this round of consolidation.
Thanks for your response. Sorry that this topic is as sensitive to me as my liver.
Regards,
FF