Originally Posted by
Mason32
The blast definately had a concessionary tone about it; I agree. Personally I do not think APA should give up anything at all. It may be time to go for a shorter term contract than usual, since gettign anything in this economy will be very difficult, so having a shorter term new contract would let the APA ride the storm out a little while the economy recovers.
That being said, I would suggest a short term contract that comes due in 2013 to match the end date of Eagle's pilot contract. It would allow the two groups to work as one.
As others have said, if there is to be a scope concession of any kind, it needs to be rewritten from the language AMR posted. They wanted larger jets at any commuter carrier. A middle ground would be to give AMR the larger jets, but only at Eagle - and in concert with a 2013 contract expiration date.
In an ideal world this wouldn't be an issue, and APA pilots would be doing ALL flying for AMR; and scope would never have been let out of the bag...
If you can get both pilot groups on the same contract schedules you will go a long way toward helpoing them both work together instead of always being at odds with eachother.
Look at it this way; will the APA be better off in 2013 with just the APA and EGL ALPA flying for AMR, or with APA, EGL ALPA, CHQ, CAPE AIR, TSA and Mesa all flying AMR routes and ALL ready to take work from both Eagle and AA at a moments notice... The enemy of my enemy is my friend; it's time APA and EGL started working together...
This plan has merit, but AMR also knows that any short-term contract at AA (for pilots) to coincide with Eagle's amendment date is probably not in their (AMR's) best interest. As it stands now and in the forseeable future, the competition and the economics of this industry will keep airline management in the drivers seat and labor scrambling for lost ground.
Trumpeting this idea is one thing, but forcing it on AMR is another. I don't see what leverage either group has to convince AMR that unity and tighter mutual scope is in the interests of AMR, even if by some outside chance the APA believed in the "mutual interest" concept with Eagle ALPA.