Originally Posted by joepilot (Post 647145)

That has changed recently at most airlines, but my point is that there is nothing in the law that requires a membership vote to sign a new contract.

Joe

Originally Posted by alfaromeo (Post 647071)

The East pilots claim they want to "burn it down" before they will accept their final and binding arbitration award. Right now, it looks like they will get to press to test that claim. LCC has not been able to operationally integrate the company and that is part of the reason why they face such an uncertain future.

The first officers complain their upgrades will be delayed a few years under the Nicolau award. I am not sure they will ever get the chance, at least not at a company called US Airways. Maybe they will get to see how the APA treats their merger partners.

The USAPA leaders is the one group capable of providing worse leadership skills than the old East MEC. They have allowed their pilots to drive themselves into a ditch. I don't think there is any recovery for them now. My first guess is a Chapter 11 or more likely 7. The next guess is a merger with AMR, and they shuck off about half the company. The last guess is a fragmentation or asset sales followed by Chapter 7. Either way, their future looks dark and they are partly to blame for their own troubles.

Sad, all the way around.

Originally Posted by justjack (Post 647094)

I know it is hard to understand, but when a person gives away their retirement and pay in order to save a company, seniority becomes the last stand. This is not merely a legal dilemma. It also has moral implications. So yes, the USAirways pilots must see this through to the end. The company lived to see another day, that lead to a merger (we must remain cognizant that we are referring to a merger) resulting in the very thing that was feared most- lost seniority. Add to this to the fact that the USAirways pilots have labored under a bankruptcy contract, for years, in defending this seniority. Their fellow pilots are not happy achieving with what their own airline had, what they earned, but are behaving as if the East pilots’ seniority was something to be plundered- Fellow pilots were not not considered colleagues, not brothers, not members of the same profession or union, not even human beings. Seniority was to be looted as if profits extracted as a result of the spoils of war.

Originally Posted by Reroute (Post 647169)

It's the unions Constitution and By-Laws that determine the ratification process, not the "law". I believe that USAPA's C&BLs has membership ratification.

Originally Posted by joepilot (Post 647239)

My point was that since there is nothing about membership ratification in federal or state law, that the judge could take it upon himself to suspend membership ratification of this contract, without regard to what the USAPA has to say about it.

Joe

Originally Posted by formerdal (Post 647238)

Originally Posted by formerdal (Post 647248)

Actually, if you'll read the entire context of the injunction you will see he cannot. He has already considered the request to unilaterally impose the NIC and stated he could not do that. If he can't do that he certainly cannot IMPOSE a contract on anyone. Not outside of Ch.11 anyway...