American, pilots union to restart talks
 

American Airlines and its pilots union to restart talks this week | HighYieldBond.com

"...American CEO Tom Horton told employees in a letter yesterday 'Negotiating teams are scheduled to meet in intensive bargaining sessions beginning this week'...”

"...pilots...blamed the loose seats on American’s outsourcing of maintenance"


American Airlines and its pilots union to restart talks this week | HighYieldBond.com

The pilots should negotiate like there is no BK and demand an industry leading contract. Of course the "association" will probably try to play nice and get their hats handed to them again. While the AA pilots stand is indeed a presidence(sp?) setting event it will not be of much value unless the pilots use the leverage they currently have and go for the gusto. Every professional airline pilot should be supporting these guys and be willing to stand and walk with them if necessary.

The best they can hope for, and should aim for, is a very short term contract with snap back provisions after BK exit. Both sides are realizing that they will lose more from protracted strife than they stand to gain. I hope for everyone's sake they do come to an agreement, and for the pilot's sake, I hope it's only a 1 or 2 year deal, short term pain for long term gain.

You are correct that any agreement should be short term unless there is a major gain, which is very unlikely, for the pilots. Unfortunately when dealing with AMR management who are famous for their unethical behavior, whatever the pilots agree to today will be twisted by management to their favor tomorrow. A two year deal with AMR could easily last more than 6 years. Plus the "association" has been consistantly putting less than complete, in full legal language, agreements to the pilots for a vote. UCAL has had a TA for months but still have not had it presented due to the necessity of providing the pilots a completed contract for them to vote on. The last two "contracts" AApilots voted on were not the final documents. A rush to get an agreement will again backfire on the pilots if they are not careful.

We had an AA jumpseater yesterday, and he said that management had a new contract proposal ready that would be similar to Delta's. Any truth to this? I find that hard to believe, unless management is trying to offer a more favorable contract than Parker to stop the support for a merger.

Best of luck to our fellow aviators at American. Hope their negotiations are fruitful and the pilots can move forward with strength and dignity.

There is a rumor on another site that there is a contract done, or close to it.

Boowaahahahaha. That's hysterical. The union said they don't expect serious discussions until later this week.

Please, Please, PLEASE: APA, don't be in a hurry. I think you'll need to mull this whole situation over, at least through the holidays.

There is absolutely no contract proposal yet. Not even close. What the jumpseater might have been referring to were rumors being spread by some "in the know" that a Delta-style contract is what APA is after.

Regardless - anything short of a DL contract will most likely get voted down - again... and the company knows it. APA has all the leverage in the world, they just need to realize its full potential.

All commercial airline pilots in the U.S. should be very supportive of the AA pilot group. What they are doing will affect every airline BK perspective moving forward. While the "associations" have touted pattern bargaining, over the last three decades management have been the only ones successfully applying this strategy. Due to the antiquated way pilots are represented and the tribal mentality that still exists among pilots, the only way pilots try to fight off managements attempts to destroy the profession, is one pilot group at a time. After more than 80 years the pilots still think it is "my airline versus their airline" instead of looking at what is best for the pilot profession. Somehow, and it still amazes me, the AA pilots seem to have suddenly grown a pair. While there are many reasons for this surprising turn of events, it still should be welcomed and supported by all pilots. Instead of harboring thoughts about how your particular airline could pick up or prosper at the failure of American Airlines, pilots at all airlines should be willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the AA pilots as their failure will most certainly be a harbinger for the future of the profession.

The APA should just mail their LBFO to AMR and let them take it or leave it.....

Otherwise just kick back and watch the blaze burn until USAir comes around to buy what's left........

A least Horton and his Boyz don't walk away with the cash.....

That's awful- but I agree. This is certainly how management has negotiated with pilots since 9/11. "You don't want to give up 20 plus years of retirement benefits, OK we shut down the company- and you get nothing. Take it or leave it."

I'm an AA guy and have been unable to mine a single nugget of info from these "talks."

My new theory... Horton in his mahogany office, single-malt for all his buddies.

Horton: "Gentlemen, the operation is derailed; we are bleeding green. Something MUST be done."

Flunky: "Sir - we successfully kicked the can for a decade. Let's kick it some more, a couple more months, until the critical holiday travel season is passed."

Horton: "Superb idea flunky-boy. Here is a $5 million $$ cash bonus." <slides briefcase across table.>

I think we are being stalled, nothing more.

Well said ....

I completely agree with you.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z3Ef_J4WD4...0/pointman.jpg

....and you used the word "harbinger." :cool:

And with that said, I may be wrong. Rumors out of the talks are promising, with an industry-standard contract at a minimum, good 401-K matching, and A-319 pay where it belongs.

Nothing solid yet, rumors from a Union insider who shall remain nameless.