They're building a new SOC or whatever they call it now.

Headquarters is on the other side of 360.

 

Ok read between the lines here my friend. This is more Jerry Glass fear mongering under the guise that Parker is not getting buy in from the unions. Now lets do some very quick off the cuff cost analysis. The move of a company that size to where? Need offices not much of a problem there but that is pretty much where it ends. Training facility that can house that many employees is going to go where? Need maint facility that can handle the amount of aircraft that we have where is that going to be? These are not things that can be done just spur of the moment and the cost associated with is also a major concern. Need major real estate at a large airport, where is that going to be? LAX? no its saturated. SFO? Owned by UAL. JFK?? Not enough space and cost prohibitive. ORD? yeah right lol. MIA? Too small not enough real estate.

Don't get sucked in by the fear and propaganda put out by the company during this time. Stay the course and hold your ground and REMEMBER JUST WHO IT IS THAT PUSHES THOSE THROTTLES UP. The power is and has always been in the pilots and mechanics hands, they just always lose sight of that fact but without either no airplane leaves the ground.

WD at AWA

 

Interesting quote out of Section A of the MTA regarding our 2016 pay raises:

"e. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties agree that if any hourly pay rate to be in effect on January 1. 2016 at any of the Industry Comparators deviates significantly from historical levels, the parties will discuss an equitable adjustment to correct for such deviation. Deviations from historical levels would include, but not be limited to, short term or temporary rate increases overlapping the measurement period and a pay rate for an aircraft type that deviates significantly from pay rates of other aircraft types at such Industry Comparator.

On or before July 1, 2015 , the parties will meet and confer for a period of up to 30 days to attempt to achieve a voluntary agreement for an Industry Comparable Pay Rate Adjustment. If by August 1, 2015, the parties are unable to achieve a voluntary agreement on an Industry Comparable Pay Rate Adjustment (calculated according to subsections a., b., and c. above, and subject to subsection d. above), they will submit the issue of an Industry Comparable Pay Rate Adjustment to interest arbitration under the procedures of Section 7 of the Railway Labor Act.

(1) The parties will agree on or before August 1, 2015 to the appointment of three neutral arbitrators, to include Richard Bloch, if available, as the principal neutral. Failing agreement on the appointment of three neutral arbitrators on or before DOS + 31 months, the parties will request the National Mediation Board to appoint a panel of three neutral arbitrators (to include Richard Bloch, if available, as the principal neutral), who are members of the National Academy of Arbitrators.

(2) To facilitate the interest arbitration, the parties may enter an interest arbitration agreement setting forth ground rules for the interest arbitration. In the absence of such interest arbitration agreement, the interest arbitration will be conducted according to the provisions of this Agreement and whatever ground rules the panel deems appropriate.

(3) The parties will share equally all costs of interest arbitration.

(4) The interest arbitration will begin on or before September 1, 2015 and a hearing will be concluded and a decision issued on or before December 1, 2015."

Anyone see any hangups with that language?

 

Not to mention we won't see any bump for profit sharing allowances. It's based strictly off base hourly pay rates.

So no DL bump and no profit sharing bump.

Lose all the TA's.

I dunno, sounds like we are losing this round.

 

Sucked in by fear and propaganda ?

Failing to read Parker (or his marionette Glass) between the lines ?

This is eaglefly your talking to remember ?

I think you should know me better then that. As for the facilities move post, that was off the cuff, just peripheral FYI stuff.

 

Yes, I mentioned "industry comparable" (NOT industry average) arbitrated pay in a previous post. Delays could certainly drag completion of this merger past the planned date. Perhaps that's why Parker seemed to target his desire to move the process forward this morning at his little cocoa puff party. He also said the 2016 figure of 13% I believe and that being only slightly less then the than the 16% initial cram down rate.

Personally, I like the idea of dragging the process until the last minute to put Parker under the same duress he's been more then happy to jerk us around with. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. We still get 3% in 5 weeks and our large bump comes January 2016 regardless.

Keep the work rules.

 

Arbitration, under the present circumstances is a good thing.

By Doug's own argument the arbitration is for hammering out the work rules, not for pay issues because the pay is already fixed via the MOU (and very good pay raises, as Doug says).

Doug says he is done negotiating... Last final offer, but he is trying a land grab on the few QOL issues he brings up, and refuses to negotiated hundreds of details in work rules that are essential to QOL.... By going to arbitration we force Doug to argue his case for each and every work rule and the work rules end up in an enforceable contract, rather than on a bar napkin that he is offering now.

 

I guess I'm just not in agreement of dragging all this along for months and years just to "show Parker". He's going to retire to his huge home every day and live a good life whether we make life tougher for his middle managers or not. It's the Flight Ops management that'll have to deal with most of our ire, not Parker.

The only company proposal that I'm really against right now is the 2 hour callout, and next, the HBT carve out. The rest of them are inconsequential for the most part, and I don't think they balance out having crappy first year pay for all the new guys and losing some really decent TAs like paid uniforms, etc.

 

Yes, losing moving allowance improvements and such will be a bit of a blow (the reason they were all agreed to first). For the other significant concessions, he's paying us a 3% rate improvement 12 months sooner plus 3% profit sharing. Those aren't free, we pay for those with concessions. Also, Parker can "cook the books" to find ways to get most, if not all that 6% back.

We don't get the bump, but we avoid the grind at the same time.

 

Most importantly (and what they are REFUSING to do now), is they'll have to place a valuation on anything they want to alter and that must be agreed to by the arbitrator and APA gets to counter that valuation. For every take they get (if any), WE get something of equal value in return. I think that is one of the cruxes of their preference for avoiding arbitration (which is not the same as scared of it).

I'd argue that the 6% ultimate loss in pay starting in 2016 is of less value then the critical work rule changes they want in cram down III and regarding the 6%, remember there is an excise tax on S & C health care on top of that.