We are dying up here! ALPA HELP!
01-02-2009 | 08:20 AM
#101
Line Holder
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
TPG is spending $15 million Dollars to fight labor.
This is all about the 100 seat market. How cheap can we get the pilots to fly them?
Create doom and gloom by dismantling the airline, hope the higher paid pilots find another job or just quit. Bring it to a strike to see how far the pilots are willing to go. Sign contracts with the unions, TPG/ Seabury just positioned Midwest for growth. (ala Frank Lorenzo type tactics)
This airline should've been out of business this past summer.
Why do you think we are still in business?
Why do they keep pouring money into it?
Why are they negotiating with the pilot group?
Why are they sending more instructors to emb170/190 training?
100 SEAT MARKET
This is all about the 100 seat market. How cheap can we get the pilots to fly them?
Create doom and gloom by dismantling the airline, hope the higher paid pilots find another job or just quit. Bring it to a strike to see how far the pilots are willing to go. Sign contracts with the unions, TPG/ Seabury just positioned Midwest for growth. (ala Frank Lorenzo type tactics)
This airline should've been out of business this past summer.
Why do you think we are still in business?
Why do they keep pouring money into it?
Why are they negotiating with the pilot group?
Why are they sending more instructors to emb170/190 training?
100 SEAT MARKET
Last edited by whodee; 01-02-2009 at 08:38 AM.
01-02-2009 | 11:40 AM
#102
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
From outgoing MEC Chair
MIDWEST AIRLINES MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
MIDWEST AIRLINES MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
4915 S. HOWELL AVE. SUITE 501 MILWAUKEE, WI 53207-5939 414-481-1481
December 31, 2008
Fellow Midwest Airlines Pilots,
Today marks the end of what will likely be recorded as the worst year in the history of Midwest Airlines.
We started the year with approximately 400 pilots and will start the new year tomorrow with approximately
130. As a pilot group, we have a choice:
1) Give up and give in to management's threats and demands, or
2) Strengthen our resolve to achieve the return we deserve on our investment in this airline.
In my last letter to you as MEC chairman, I want to cover three topics that I believe are critically important
for each of us to understand if we are to choose option two.
· The Importance of Job Security
· No Bankruptcy-style Contract without Bankruptcy-style Loss of Owner's Equity
· Recognize the New Rules and Play to Win
The Importance of Job Security
The bulk of Section 1*Job Security in our contract was negotiated in 1999. Since that time we have seen
drastic changes to our airline's product, its investors, and its direction (or lack thereof). At this point in our
pilot group's history, it is imperative that we stake claim to that which we have created. There can be no
doubt that, without our investment of time and money over the years, this airline would not have survived
this far, and any opportunities that exist today or tomorrow are the fruits of our labor from years past, pre-
sent, and future.
We cannot allow our management or our owners to view us as a disposable workforce. It is imperative
that our contract guarantees that all flying will be performed by Midwest Airlines pilots. Without
that guarantee, we are but one corporate transaction away from extinction as a pilot group. It is high time
that we recognize that this is a contractually based relationship and that our need for job security must be
addressed along side our current and future economic contractual needs.
No Bankruptcy-style Contract Without Bankruptcy-style Loss of Equity
Our pilot group must realize what our management and our owners have been attempting to accomplish
throughout this entire sordid affair this year: obtain a pilot contract with terms that are similar to or worse
than those imposed by bankruptcy courts without risking their own equity by going through the bankruptcy
process. This is why our owners and management have decided to spend millions and millions of dollars
hiring Seabury to represent their interests in dealing with our pilot group (ALPA), the flight attendants
(AFA), Boeing, Rolls Royce, and others with whom they have contractual relationships.
While management and our owners cry poverty and continuously threaten bankruptcy if our pilot group
doesn't acquiesce to their draconian demands, they seem to have more than enough money to fight their
own employees by hiring third-party, disinterested, outside gun slingers like Seabury to do their bidding in
negotiations or high-priced, A-list law firms like O'Melveny & Myers to fight us in arbitration. Even
OM&M's own website (O'Melveny & Myers LLP | OMM Homepage) proclaims they have "been named to The American Law-
yer's 2008 A-List, which recognizes the nation's most elite law firms."
Our pilot group must maintain its resolve to demand appropriate wages, benefits, and quality of life. We
cannot be expected to live hand to mouth without prospect for retirement at the beckoned call of crew
scheduling on a moment's notice. These types of terms may be imposed in some ill-conceived bank-
ruptcy court order, but they are accompanied by a corresponding loss of owner's equity. We must not
hand over our economic futures to management and our owners while they maintain their full eq-
uity interest.
Recognize the New Rules and Play to Win
Make no mistake: this is no game. What we are dealing with is the lives and futures of some 400 pilots
and thousands of others when one considers the implications of how this labor/management engagement
plays out with our own families and the families of our fellow employees. Nonetheless, recognizing the
new rules and playing to win is a concept that really needs to take root across our pilot group.
New Rule #1: In negotiations, loyalty is only to one's bottom line.
If there are any among us who have still not figured out the new rules to this game, let me be clear: With
each successive change in ownership and management, there is less and less loyalty to those who built
the airline. We must recognize that this change has occurred and we must learn to engage our manage-
ment and our owners on these new terms. It's not about loyalty * it's about money.
Our pilot group must realize what changed when our airline's ownership shifted primarily from long-term
institutional investors to hedge fund operators and then eventually to privatization under TPG Capi-
tal/NWA (now DAL). With each shift in ownership, motivations changed. As hedge funds became our
owners, our economic horizon shifted from that of steady long-term growth and airline building to what-
ever could be done to make a short-term pop in the profit margin of their overall investment portfolio.
While nobody can be certain as to what TPG Capital/NWA's true goals are for our airline, one thing can
be certain * they bear no allegiance to this airline or its employees and most certainly not its pilots. They
are loyal only to their bottom line.
New Rule #2: If you aren't willing to risk it all, you've already lost.
While I have no idea exactly how management and our owners structured their deal with Seabury, I am
reasonable sure that Seabury is receiving a substantial level of compensation up front and likely is re-
ceiving a "success fee" after their work extracting new terms from the various entities is done. They have
the luxury of playing hard ball with us because they get their money up front. It they succeed, they get
more; if they fail, they still make out handsomely.
Seabury, Midwest management, and our owners have a lot better chance of winning this labor/manage-
ment engagement if they feel that they are the only ones who can afford to walk away and that the pilot
group is not willing to risk a loss. If we as a pilot group are unwilling to risk next week's or next month's
paycheck in our efforts to achieve a better contract for our future, if we as a pilot group are unwilling to
look Seabury, management, and TPG/NWA squarely in the eye and say no to their demands for bank-
ruptcy-style contract terms without bankruptcy-style loss of owner's equity, if we as a pilot group are un-
willing to force our management and our owners to guarantee to us that we are part of this airline's future,
we have not only lost this battle, we have lost the war.
Clearly, holding to these three concepts does not guarantee we will prevail, but ignoring them in hopes of
a "better day when management and our owners will allow us an opportunity to negotiate on a more even
field" is a naively optimistic approach that management and the owners are sure to use to their advantage
to achieve their self-fulfilling goals.
Remember, "You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate."
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your MEC chairman for these last nine years. I am confident
that our pilot group has the capacity to prevail in our current battle and I stand ready to fight along side
you and our future leaders in the battles that come.
Fraternally,
Capt.
MEC Chairman - Furloughed 1/1/09
MIDWEST AIRLINES MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
MIDWEST AIRLINES MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
4915 S. HOWELL AVE. SUITE 501 MILWAUKEE, WI 53207-5939 414-481-1481
December 31, 2008
Fellow Midwest Airlines Pilots,
Today marks the end of what will likely be recorded as the worst year in the history of Midwest Airlines.
We started the year with approximately 400 pilots and will start the new year tomorrow with approximately
130. As a pilot group, we have a choice:
1) Give up and give in to management's threats and demands, or
2) Strengthen our resolve to achieve the return we deserve on our investment in this airline.
In my last letter to you as MEC chairman, I want to cover three topics that I believe are critically important
for each of us to understand if we are to choose option two.
· The Importance of Job Security
· No Bankruptcy-style Contract without Bankruptcy-style Loss of Owner's Equity
· Recognize the New Rules and Play to Win
The Importance of Job Security
The bulk of Section 1*Job Security in our contract was negotiated in 1999. Since that time we have seen
drastic changes to our airline's product, its investors, and its direction (or lack thereof). At this point in our
pilot group's history, it is imperative that we stake claim to that which we have created. There can be no
doubt that, without our investment of time and money over the years, this airline would not have survived
this far, and any opportunities that exist today or tomorrow are the fruits of our labor from years past, pre-
sent, and future.
We cannot allow our management or our owners to view us as a disposable workforce. It is imperative
that our contract guarantees that all flying will be performed by Midwest Airlines pilots. Without
that guarantee, we are but one corporate transaction away from extinction as a pilot group. It is high time
that we recognize that this is a contractually based relationship and that our need for job security must be
addressed along side our current and future economic contractual needs.
No Bankruptcy-style Contract Without Bankruptcy-style Loss of Equity
Our pilot group must realize what our management and our owners have been attempting to accomplish
throughout this entire sordid affair this year: obtain a pilot contract with terms that are similar to or worse
than those imposed by bankruptcy courts without risking their own equity by going through the bankruptcy
process. This is why our owners and management have decided to spend millions and millions of dollars
hiring Seabury to represent their interests in dealing with our pilot group (ALPA), the flight attendants
(AFA), Boeing, Rolls Royce, and others with whom they have contractual relationships.
While management and our owners cry poverty and continuously threaten bankruptcy if our pilot group
doesn't acquiesce to their draconian demands, they seem to have more than enough money to fight their
own employees by hiring third-party, disinterested, outside gun slingers like Seabury to do their bidding in
negotiations or high-priced, A-list law firms like O'Melveny & Myers to fight us in arbitration. Even
OM&M's own website (O'Melveny & Myers LLP | OMM Homepage) proclaims they have "been named to The American Law-
yer's 2008 A-List, which recognizes the nation's most elite law firms."
Our pilot group must maintain its resolve to demand appropriate wages, benefits, and quality of life. We
cannot be expected to live hand to mouth without prospect for retirement at the beckoned call of crew
scheduling on a moment's notice. These types of terms may be imposed in some ill-conceived bank-
ruptcy court order, but they are accompanied by a corresponding loss of owner's equity. We must not
hand over our economic futures to management and our owners while they maintain their full eq-
uity interest.
Recognize the New Rules and Play to Win
Make no mistake: this is no game. What we are dealing with is the lives and futures of some 400 pilots
and thousands of others when one considers the implications of how this labor/management engagement
plays out with our own families and the families of our fellow employees. Nonetheless, recognizing the
new rules and playing to win is a concept that really needs to take root across our pilot group.
New Rule #1: In negotiations, loyalty is only to one's bottom line.
If there are any among us who have still not figured out the new rules to this game, let me be clear: With
each successive change in ownership and management, there is less and less loyalty to those who built
the airline. We must recognize that this change has occurred and we must learn to engage our manage-
ment and our owners on these new terms. It's not about loyalty * it's about money.
Our pilot group must realize what changed when our airline's ownership shifted primarily from long-term
institutional investors to hedge fund operators and then eventually to privatization under TPG Capi-
tal/NWA (now DAL). With each shift in ownership, motivations changed. As hedge funds became our
owners, our economic horizon shifted from that of steady long-term growth and airline building to what-
ever could be done to make a short-term pop in the profit margin of their overall investment portfolio.
While nobody can be certain as to what TPG Capital/NWA's true goals are for our airline, one thing can
be certain * they bear no allegiance to this airline or its employees and most certainly not its pilots. They
are loyal only to their bottom line.
New Rule #2: If you aren't willing to risk it all, you've already lost.
While I have no idea exactly how management and our owners structured their deal with Seabury, I am
reasonable sure that Seabury is receiving a substantial level of compensation up front and likely is re-
ceiving a "success fee" after their work extracting new terms from the various entities is done. They have
the luxury of playing hard ball with us because they get their money up front. It they succeed, they get
more; if they fail, they still make out handsomely.
Seabury, Midwest management, and our owners have a lot better chance of winning this labor/manage-
ment engagement if they feel that they are the only ones who can afford to walk away and that the pilot
group is not willing to risk a loss. If we as a pilot group are unwilling to risk next week's or next month's
paycheck in our efforts to achieve a better contract for our future, if we as a pilot group are unwilling to
look Seabury, management, and TPG/NWA squarely in the eye and say no to their demands for bank-
ruptcy-style contract terms without bankruptcy-style loss of owner's equity, if we as a pilot group are un-
willing to force our management and our owners to guarantee to us that we are part of this airline's future,
we have not only lost this battle, we have lost the war.
Clearly, holding to these three concepts does not guarantee we will prevail, but ignoring them in hopes of
a "better day when management and our owners will allow us an opportunity to negotiate on a more even
field" is a naively optimistic approach that management and the owners are sure to use to their advantage
to achieve their self-fulfilling goals.
Remember, "You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate."
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your MEC chairman for these last nine years. I am confident
that our pilot group has the capacity to prevail in our current battle and I stand ready to fight along side
you and our future leaders in the battles that come.
Fraternally,
Capt.
MEC Chairman - Furloughed 1/1/09
01-02-2009 | 12:56 PM
#104
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
That is right. I bid AVOID for those trips, but being low on seniority, had to fly them last November. No one is purposefully bidding MKE. Besides, talk to any RAH pilot that has flown those trips and they will tell you how much they loathe them. Thankfully I've only had US Airways trips on December and got them again in January...
01-02-2009 | 04:23 PM
#105
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
We are getting a lot of the standard ALPA Nat. help as it relates to both our grievance and our entrance to Section 6 negotiations. Legal, E & FA, Communications, and financial.
ALPA Authorizes $2 Million from Union's "War Chest" to Midwest Airlines Pilots to Fight Management's Outsourcing Plan
WASHINGTON-The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) has allocated $2 million to support the Midwest Airlines pilots' fight to protect their jobs as they begin contract negotiations with an increasingly adversarial management.
In its September 10th resolution, ALPA's Executive Board authorized the amount from the Association's Major Contingency Fund (MCF) for "strategic planning and communications programs in support of the [Midwest pilots'] contract enforcement and negotiating activities." ALPA's MCF, the union's "war chest," provides pilot groups the necessary resources to respond to threats to their jobs and to the piloting profession.
go to dontoutsourcemidwest.com > Home
ALPA Authorizes $2 Million from Union's "War Chest" to Midwest Airlines Pilots to Fight Management's Outsourcing Plan
WASHINGTON-The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) has allocated $2 million to support the Midwest Airlines pilots' fight to protect their jobs as they begin contract negotiations with an increasingly adversarial management.
In its September 10th resolution, ALPA's Executive Board authorized the amount from the Association's Major Contingency Fund (MCF) for "strategic planning and communications programs in support of the [Midwest pilots'] contract enforcement and negotiating activities." ALPA's MCF, the union's "war chest," provides pilot groups the necessary resources to respond to threats to their jobs and to the piloting profession.
go to dontoutsourcemidwest.com > Home
01-03-2009 | 08:26 AM
#108
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
From: MD80
01-03-2009 | 03:06 PM
#109
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 361
Likes: 0
I flew at Eagle before Midwest and met plenty of great TWA guys and gals, both pilots and flight attendants. Most are back, with about 100 or so below them in total, in STL (oops SLT according to AMR). Good luck!
01-13-2009 | 06:49 PM
#110
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
We are toast!
Tonight Midwests MEC informed us via e-mail that they expect we have lost our Section 1 grievance on the subcontracted flying being done by Republic.
Frankly, I'm stunned. TH has gotten his wish as he has effectively broken the Midwest local of the Airline Pilots Association.
Good luck to the remaining 130 pilots as they attempt to negotiate a new contract with ZERO leverage.
I dont know what steams me more: the fact that the arbitrator(Bloch) could make this decision or, the fact that I have paid dues all this time for a piece of paper that is not worthy of wiping my a** with.
Frankly, I'm stunned. TH has gotten his wish as he has effectively broken the Midwest local of the Airline Pilots Association.
Good luck to the remaining 130 pilots as they attempt to negotiate a new contract with ZERO leverage.
I dont know what steams me more: the fact that the arbitrator(Bloch) could make this decision or, the fact that I have paid dues all this time for a piece of paper that is not worthy of wiping my a** with.
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