Originally Posted by
Swedish Blender
I would check to see who's behind AEPA. I believe it is former MEC members and even a MEC chairman. They were the ones in charge. Do they just want to be in charge again? What part did they play in the 16 year contract? There are a lot of question to be asked/answered before jumping on the unknown bandwagon.
You are correct, many of the people behind the AEPA are in fact former leadership people responsible for the 16 year contract. They are counting on the fact that there is only a minority of that pilot group who knows or remembers.
Originally Posted by
Swedish Blender
As far as the 16 year contract, it sucks but was done for the right reason.
Pontius, if you are at Eagle, I assume you came there well after the contract since your profile says FO. When there were 4 separate Eagles, AMR could whipsaw them all against each other. Wings West would have 2 year upgrades and Simmons would have 8 year upgrades. Don't like this contract, we'll furlough from this group and grow another. The 16 year contract solved that problem while creating others. Which is worth more?
However, like everythign else in that 16 year contract, the scope section itself was written so poorly, that all it did was join the 4 eagles into one seniority list.... it left the door wide open to subcontract out as much as AMR could get away with.
When their contract expires, instead of whipsawing 4 wholly owned regionals, they'll whipsaw one wholly owned, and several outsourced.
They have 71 pilots on the street and at the same time are negotiating scope relief with APA. When that happens, they will want larger jets at the commuters. Through past trial and error (TSA) they learned they can outsource flying so long as their traingin center is incapabale of keeping up with AMR demand... so, they furlough 71 pilots when they are shortstaffed already... they send instructors back tot he line, creating trainging and displacement delays....
When the APA gives in, or the arbitrator awars the jets to AMR commuters, they will recall all pilots, and overwhelm the training center to recreate the need for outsourced flying, just like they did with TSA.