From what I hear through the grapevine ...

Some of the ALPA agreements with the company are already gone ... :confused: Lawyers and ALPA are staff already are gone.

USAir and AWA had a good ASAP program through ALPA ... apparently it is gone ! USAPA wasn't signatory to the LOAs in place ...

Fact or Fiction ???

:confused:

Let's continue with this hypothetical:

The arbs ruling can't be overturned, the East pilots walk...

Can and should the Westies SCAB? I would be severely tempted given this fact pattern (and I am not a SCAB softie either - I am well aware of the scorn and ridicule and it is deserved).

BUT...given that the west had their union stolen from them...and that the easties are striking because their new union was unable to put a screw job on the westies...then I would abslutely not hold it against a west pilot to cross the line. Any new hires would indeed be SCABS...but existing west pilots - not so much maybe.

SCABS cross picket lines ... pretty simple.

There's really not much more to it than that. And it will never get that far. IMHO ...

I understand that...but this is not a typical picket line...it would be picket line set up by group who formed a union to drive YOUR union out...so they could screw you at best, or put your company out of business if it came to that - not much "honor" in that picket line IMHO.

Wow..........hard to believe the "purchasers" are now being led by the "purchased". Wonder if America West management ever envisioned selling out their own employees this bad.......................:(

Like I said earlier......Parker is grinning from ear to ear.

Why fight with your employees when they are already fighting each other. It's really a shame. So much could have been accomplished. Oh well, it's not the first time pilots have turned on each other, and I'm sure it won't be the last.....

Actually, the airline were merged as part of US Airways plan of reorganization. AWA was in a cash crunch and US Airways was operating under CH 11 and amended its plan of reorganization around a merger with the AWA. AWA put up no cash for the deal and it was completely funded by outside investment in the POR as US Airways exited CH 11. AWA became a subsidiary of US Airways and was merged into US Airways in steps with the final one in Sept 2007? when the AWA operating certificate was surrendered to the FAA. It's all in the SEC filings you pull up. Not that it matters one way or the other. Pilots play no part in airline deals, just drive airplanes and shouldn't be advantaged or disadvantaged by something way above their station, that they play no part in. They are blue collar heavy equipment operators and the sooner that is realized they may start acting like a real trade union and do better for themselves.

AWA was not in a cash crunch. We had been profitable, something foreign to the old USAirways. US Air was gone, dead, done without Parker getting the money to do the deal. No Parker, no deal. No other entity, airline or not wanted anything to do with US Airways. They were gone by the end of July, possibly the end of June. Parker did not want to fight with SWA like he did over ATA (a better deal for both groups, that one), and so he did the deal. A monumental mistake. US Airways should have been left to die and we would have been merged with someone much better by now. Lets see, you lost how much over the past 20 years and you want to continue doing the same thing? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. (Einstein's words, I have been told).

AWA pilots voted for ALPA by 98%. We will not pay dues, any contract still has to be voted on by our pilot group according to the status quo. What if we don't pay dues? Parker would have to fire 1800 pilots, each of whom would have a day in court. Pretty doubtful. USAPA representation? What a joke, let's see how the guy that shot up his jet fares since the company has announced he is to be terminated. Another East piece of work.

USAPA is a Yellow Dog Union - a union set up specifically to bust the existing union. No true union worker would join a yellow dog union. Those who do are just as bad as scabs. Cactus pilots still have our AWA P numbers on the backs of our IDs. That's going to get us a lot better reception on ALPA jumpseats than a USAPA scab lanyard.

Might be a good time to, at the very least, sign up for the AOPA legal services program.

Thanks for your side of the story, and good luck to us all. How can your mgmt fire pilots that refuse to pay union dues? Will the cactus guys organize union drive or is this matter close until the court decides? I can't fathom your mgmt would let this matter erode morale any further, even their golden paychecks can't survive any much longer if it continues for years!