flyharm

The recent update from USAPA is in step with UAL and stresses that the foundation of our unions lies in length of service in our chosen careers and the companies we have worked for. I think it is very wise of UAL to prepare for any future mergers. Below is the USAPA response.



USAPA President’s Message
September 9, 2008

There are several important items I would like to discuss with you, the first being one that runs to the heart of USAPA. For all of our pilots, after approximately three years dealing with seniority integration issues culminating in the uprising of a majority of the US Airways Pilots and a representational election replacing a bargaining agent that refused to recognize the value of a pilot’s service, a long held prediction appears close to fruition - the nearly 8,000 pilots of United Airlines have proposed a resolution recognizing a pilot’s length of service with his former company during a merger.
In their resolution, the UAL MEC states that “the most unfulfilled professional benefit, recognized by all airline pilots and by ALPA members specifically, is the lack of a policy, derived from fundamental union principals, that enables and enforces the individual members’ ability to transfer their seniority, longevity, and operational experience as professionals from one airline employer to another, thereby allowing a manipulation of their entire career path by the actions of the very same capitalist cabal whose fundamental goal is to limit, degrade and minimize the essential role of pilots to the airline industry
The United Pilots also state that “the parochial company loyalty, historically embraced by ALPA pioneers of previous eras, has been perverted and used against ALPA members as a capitalist leveraging tool that stifles the inherent right of professional pilots to collectively negotiate an economically sound and stable ratio of pay and work rules for identical job responsibilities using the continual underlying threat of losing the earned seniority benefits derived from their professional longevity at a particular airline while being compared to the economics of another airline (whipsawing).
Their resolution proclaims that “a national seniority list would assure a logical and rational adherence to a measurable, protected status of those pilots from a commonly defined starting point in their professional careers regardless of how many airlines may exist, regardless of the skill and economic acumen of the managements that run them, and regardless of the transient political influence of the day.”
Within the above referenced resolution, the United Pilots are resolving by resolution that their collective bargaining agent “set and fix a methodology recognizing ‘benchmarks of career achievement’ with associated ‘exercise rights’ in order to minimize unrealistic windfalls/detriments to any pilot unless and until those common benchmarks have been met, regardless of whether the benchmarks have been achieved at an ALPA carrier or not.”
As we all know, whether you are an East or West Pilot, the principles and purpose set forth by the United Pilots are the cornerstone of the US Airline Pilots Association. Only when fundamental union principals are brought forward in unity will we as Professional Airline Pilots achieve the careers we deserve. I sincerely request that all Pilots evaluate and consider the value of their participation in regards to employee/management relations and negotiations. Moving on to the Captain’s Authority fiasco, as you are all well aware Management attempted to abrogate Captain’s Authority here at US Airways through intimidation of Pilots who, based upon their experience and judgment, added fuel to a percentage of their flights. It is important to realize that the Pilots selected were exemplary employees, with untarnished records, clean files and included past and present Line Check Airmen. Rumors that these fellow Pilots somehow deserved this treatment are totally unfounded and I personally find those rumors repulsive. Management could have just as easily selected you or any other US Airways Pilot for this debacle. USAPA fulfilled its obligation to represent our fellow Pilots and was proud to stand alongside them. We found through this experience that Management was willing to use covert methods to track certain individuals, and to then use their findings, incorrectly construed, to punish and intimidate our Pilots. Finally, and most egregious, the Company, through a handful of Management Pilots, demonstrated a willingness to subvert the Training Department and use it as a weapon rather than a safety tool. At the latest Board meeting in Charlotte, the Board decided that certain Management Pilots went too far. Through a resolution detailing point-by-point how these Management Pilots had betrayed both the training environment and the Pilots of US Airways, they issued a vote of “No Confidence” for the Senior Vice President, Flight Operations/Inflight, the Vice President, Flight Operations, the Managing Director Flight Training and Standards, along with the PHL and CLT Regional Directors of Flying. These Pilots have demonstrated, through their actions and misrepresentations, that they do not represent the interests of the US Airways line Pilot.
The Board then took further action related to this issue. Inside the Union Operating Manual’s (UOM) Membership section, the Board adopted certain USAPA Membership exclusions. These exclusions, which will be included in the Constitution and sent to the Membership for ratification, specify that the following Pilot positions are deemed non-covered and ineligible for membership with USAPA, including any prefix or suffix, if present, such as Assistant, Executive, Senior, Managing, Regional, Domestic, International, etc., and are specified as follows:
Vice-President
VP Flight Operations
Director Flight Operations
Director Flight Training
Director Flight Standards
Director Flight Technical Operations
Fleet Captain
Director of Flying
Director of Safety
Chief Pilot (any)

You may have heard by now that on September 4th, six West pilots filed a complaint against US Airways and USAPA in the federal district court in Phoenix, Arizona. The complaint asserts two claims against the Company, and one claim against USAPA. Following a preliminary review of the Verified Complaint, our law firm has determined that it has no legal merit. As we have discussed at length both before and after the election, and as AWA MEC attorney Jeffrey Freund agreed - the Nicolau Award was merely a bargaining “proposal” subject to further negotiation. Case precedent confirms that the seniority integration will be resolved at the negotiating table, not in a federal court. I urge all US Airways Pilots to participate in the negotiation and ratification process, so that they may have some say in the final product.
We are in fact, a Union in its infancy, and new challenges surface every day. In this industry, and in our profession, this is nothing new. What defines us is how we meet these challenges. It is our strong belief in fundamental principles, energized by our circumstances, which will guide us now and in the future.
Please remain focused, and stay informed.
Sincerely,
Stephen Bradford
President, US Airline Pilots Association [/SIZE]