CAL & UAL MEC Chairman Joint Statement
04-16-2008, 07:27 AM
#11
Che Guevara
Joined APC: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,408
Delta MEC should feel obligated to work with the NWA MEC and support their actions. If they don't then the place could end up like US Airways. Who wants that work environment? They are of the same union so it's time to show some unity.
04-16-2008, 07:29 AM
#12
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by ToiletDuck
Delta MEC should feel obligated to work with the NWA MEC and support their actions. If they don't then the place could end up like US Airways. Who wants that work environment? They are of the same union so it's time to show some unity.
Delta Mec does feel obligated to work with NWA pilots. That has been repeated 1000 times. Both groups need to work together, none more than the other, this merger effects everyone equally. That LOA that Delta worked out with management will benefit everyone.
04-16-2008, 07:42 AM
#13
Need More Callouts
Joined APC: Dec 2005
Position: Unbridled Enthusiasm
Posts: 2,143
Originally Posted by flyguy1012
That LOA that Delta worked out with management will benefit everyone.
04-16-2008, 07:53 AM
#14
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by 757Driver
Then why on earth didn't it include the NWA guys. Unity indeed
have you not read anything posted here. That LOA was to allow some scope relaxtion, that would have otherwise hindered some flying that NWA does. The LOA is just that. We have 6 to 8 months to agree to an SLI. Delta pilots will not see any of those perks until this merger is a closed deal. We have plenty of time to work this out. Both sides need to be willing. I am seeing more and more NWA pilots beginning to see the potential gain for them from this LOA, THAT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE IN DUE TIME!!!!
04-16-2008, 08:10 AM
#15
Need More Callouts
Joined APC: Dec 2005
Position: Unbridled Enthusiasm
Posts: 2,143
Originally Posted by flyguy1012
have you not read anything posted here. That LOA was to allow some scope relaxtion, that would have otherwise hindered some flying that NWA does. The LOA is just that. We have 6 to 8 months to agree to an SLI. Delta pilots will not see any of those perks until this merger is a closed deal. We have plenty of time to work this out. Both sides need to be willing. I am seeing more and more NWA pilots beginning to see the potential gain for them from this LOA, THAT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE IN DUE TIME!!!!
Sorry, I just don't believe it and think you guys hung the NWA guys out to dry.
Here's NWA Council 120's thoughts:
April 15, 2008
The last several months have been difficult for everyone. We, your elected representatives, have been compelled to conduct ourselves and much of Council 20’s business under what has amounted to a legal gag order. You, the line pilots, have endured an information blackout—again, much of it legally required and enforceable—the likes of which few of us as ALPA members have ever seen. You have been asked to be patient and trusting while your careers and our airline’s future have been debated and discussed on a daily basis behind closed doors and speculated upon in the national media. Now, as of Monday evening, April 14, we are no longer bound to refrain from mentioning the unmentionable. No longer do we have to couch our communications to you in cryptic phrases and vague and indirect references. Finally, at last, we are free to communicate to you in the kind of plain-spoken, direct, and make-no-mistake style we have used to talk to each other in the cockpit our whole careers.
Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have announced their intention to merge. In principle, in theory, it is not necessarily a merger to which we, as a pilot group, would be unequivocally opposed. There are certain and substantial aspects of this proposed merger which, in theory, make sense.
Theory is one thing. Reality is quite another, and the reality of this situation is that, under the terms of the current proposal, this merger is not fair and equitable, and does not make sense. We firmly believe that, rather than strengthen and enhance our collective future, this merger as proposed is a formula for tens of thousands of unhappy employees, wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, and perhaps even, in the long run, absolute failure. We are not alone in our views. We will not presume to speak for the MEC leadership or the elected representatives at the other NWA pilot domiciles, but we can say, without any question, that the Northwest MEC is fully and totally united in its opposition to this merger as it is currently proposed.
You are all by now very familiar with the timeline of events. The NWA MEC began preparing for this day well over a year ago, creating an exploratory team which over the months met with NWA management, Delta management, and the Delta ALPA leadership. We elected and funded a merger committee to begin our efforts in that direction and appointed a merger support committee as well. Increasingly over the last three months, the NWA MEC conferred either in person or via conference calls as the momentum toward a merger continued to build. In March, the process was derailed when the DAL and NWA pilot groups were unable to reach a consensus on a merged seniority list, and there things sat until a couple of weeks ago, when the two airline managements and the Delta MEC leadership decided to press ahead, absent the participation or support of the NWA pilot group.
Members of the NWA MEC exploratory team met with Richard Anderson and Ed Bastian last Sunday in Minneapolis during a break in the special MEC meeting. The concerns of the NWA MEC were expressed regarding pay, seniority integration, and the recent negotiations between Delta management and the Delta MEC. At this point it was becoming clear that a merger was moving ahead without the concurrence of the NWA MEC. Our representatives then made clear to Delta’s senior management that the reaction of the NWA line pilots to being placed on a B-scale would be best summed up in a direct, unmistakable two-word response.
To say that, in hindsight, we are not totally shocked by the actions of both the Delta and Northwest managements should come as a surprise to no one. To say that we are disappointed in our ALPA brothers at Delta, on the other hand, would be an understatement.
In a memorandum published yesterday, Richard Anderson and Ed Bastian (Delta’s CEO and President, respectively), stated the following regarding the proposed NWA/DAL merger:
- “The seniority of our people is protected.”
- “Delta pilots will participate in the benefits of the combined airline through a new four-year agreement that facilitates the integration of the carriers and realization of the combined revenue synergies.”
- “It is the goal of Delta to harmonize the pay and benefits of all of the other work groups over time.”
- “Northwest’s contract frontline employees will continue to receive pay increases in accordance with their existing collective bargaining agreements.”
1.“Pre-merger Northwest pilots will continue to work under their current agreement until together we negotiate a joint pilot contract for the merged airline covering both groups.”
2.“Delta pilots will receive a three and one-half per cent equity stake in the merged company in fully tradable stock at the close of the merger.”
3.“Annual pay raises beginning with a five per cent raise on January 1,2009 and followed by four per cent raises every January 1 through January 1, 2012. On January 1, 2011, Delta pilot pay rates will exceed the Letter 46 rates, without even considering the equity each pilot will receive.”
It is difficult to know where to begin to dismantle the faulty and short-sighted thinking behind these two statements. The ink on the press release was barely dry and Richard Anderson had already made over 5,000 Northwest pilots, and by extension the 25,000 other NWA workers, feel like second-class citizens by telling his fellow Delta employees that the seniority of “our” people is protected.
At the same time, a smoother, much less offensive word has been introduced into the lexicon of labor relations in the United States. No longer does an employee need a raise to be treated as an equal. Now, that employee needs to be “harmonized.” Delta’s goal—goal, not promise—is to harmonize 30,000 of us “over time.” In a cost-driven business where every penny counts, where hedge funds and institutional investors breathe down every management’s neck on a daily basis, who really believes there would be any incentive to “harmonize” all of us anytime soon? It is impossible, also, to escape the conclusion that, as currently proposed, the NWA pilot group would be subsidizing the Delta pilot group’s significant pay raises and equity stake.
It needs to be emphasized that Northwest Airlines is not in a financial crisis. Neither is Delta. Both carriers are currently situated to survive as stand-alone carriers, with Northwest (in the judgment of many observers) having the best stand-alone prospects of all the legacy carriers. This is not a merger of unequals in terms of the quality of their product and their personnel. The driving force behind this proposed merger is size. Synergy, increased revenue, and long-term survival are the goals. They are goals, again, with which the NWA MEC does not disagree, as increased revenue and long-term survival is in the best interests of everyone, including and especially our airline’s employees. What we vehemently oppose, and will take active steps to prevent, are the proposed means towards reaching that end.
Many if not most of us have been around a lot longer than Doug Steenland and Richard Anderson. Many if not most of us will still be around long after they are gone. No one is more interested in the long-term success of Northwest Airlines than we, its pilots. At the same time, we are committed to defending our careers. We will aggressively oppose any consolidation proposal which is not equitable and in the best interests of our pilot group and, by extension, the other NWA employees. The current merger proposal is, without question, inequitable and not in our best interests. There remains a limited window of opportunity for further negotiations, but only if Delta and Northwest managements, as well the Delta MEC, choose to take advantage of it. The ball is in their court. The success, or failure, of this proposed merger is up to them. We will negotiate, but not except a substandard compromise. We have not until this point and will not ever, compromise what we believe in, or what is in our best interests.
As it is currently structured, your Council 20 representatives do not support the proposed merger between Northwest and Delta Air Lines. If its terms are changed to the satisfaction of the NWA MEC, we would of course reconsider our position.
Difficult days are ahead, but if we continue to stick together, we will come out of this a stronger union. Thank you for your comments and especially for your trust and your support.
Fraternally,
Len, Bill and Tom
04-16-2008, 08:20 AM
#16
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by 757Driver
Sorry, I just don't believe it and think you guys hung the NWA guys out to dry.
Here's NWA Council 120's thoughts:
April 15, 2008
The last several months have been difficult for everyone. We, your elected representatives, have been compelled to conduct ourselves and much of Council 20’s business under what has amounted to a legal gag order. You, the line pilots, have endured an information blackout—again, much of it legally required and enforceable—the likes of which few of us as ALPA members have ever seen. You have been asked to be patient and trusting while your careers and our airline’s future have been debated and discussed on a daily basis behind closed doors and speculated upon in the national media. Now, as of Monday evening, April 14, we are no longer bound to refrain from mentioning the unmentionable. No longer do we have to couch our communications to you in cryptic phrases and vague and indirect references. Finally, at last, we are free to communicate to you in the kind of plain-spoken, direct, and make-no-mistake style we have used to talk to each other in the cockpit our whole careers.
Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines have announced their intention to merge. In principle, in theory, it is not necessarily a merger to which we, as a pilot group, would be unequivocally opposed. There are certain and substantial aspects of this proposed merger which, in theory, make sense.
Theory is one thing. Reality is quite another, and the reality of this situation is that, under the terms of the current proposal, this merger is not fair and equitable, and does not make sense. We firmly believe that, rather than strengthen and enhance our collective future, this merger as proposed is a formula for tens of thousands of unhappy employees, wasted hundreds of millions of dollars, and perhaps even, in the long run, absolute failure. We are not alone in our views. We will not presume to speak for the MEC leadership or the elected representatives at the other NWA pilot domiciles, but we can say, without any question, that the Northwest MEC is fully and totally united in its opposition to this merger as it is currently proposed.
You are all by now very familiar with the timeline of events. The NWA MEC began preparing for this day well over a year ago, creating an exploratory team which over the months met with NWA management, Delta management, and the Delta ALPA leadership. We elected and funded a merger committee to begin our efforts in that direction and appointed a merger support committee as well. Increasingly over the last three months, the NWA MEC conferred either in person or via conference calls as the momentum toward a merger continued to build. In March, the process was derailed when the DAL and NWA pilot groups were unable to reach a consensus on a merged seniority list, and there things sat until a couple of weeks ago, when the two airline managements and the Delta MEC leadership decided to press ahead, absent the participation or support of the NWA pilot group.
Members of the NWA MEC exploratory team met with Richard Anderson and Ed Bastian last Sunday in Minneapolis during a break in the special MEC meeting. The concerns of the NWA MEC were expressed regarding pay, seniority integration, and the recent negotiations between Delta management and the Delta MEC. At this point it was becoming clear that a merger was moving ahead without the concurrence of the NWA MEC. Our representatives then made clear to Delta’s senior management that the reaction of the NWA line pilots to being placed on a B-scale would be best summed up in a direct, unmistakable two-word response.
To say that, in hindsight, we are not totally shocked by the actions of both the Delta and Northwest managements should come as a surprise to no one. To say that we are disappointed in our ALPA brothers at Delta, on the other hand, would be an understatement.
In a memorandum published yesterday, Richard Anderson and Ed Bastian (Delta’s CEO and President, respectively), stated the following regarding the proposed NWA/DAL merger:
- “The seniority of our people is protected.”
- “Delta pilots will participate in the benefits of the combined airline through a new four-year agreement that facilitates the integration of the carriers and realization of the combined revenue synergies.”
- “It is the goal of Delta to harmonize the pay and benefits of all of the other work groups over time.”
- “Northwest’s contract frontline employees will continue to receive pay increases in accordance with their existing collective bargaining agreements.”
1.“Pre-merger Northwest pilots will continue to work under their current agreement until together we negotiate a joint pilot contract for the merged airline covering both groups.”
2.“Delta pilots will receive a three and one-half per cent equity stake in the merged company in fully tradable stock at the close of the merger.”
3.“Annual pay raises beginning with a five per cent raise on January 1,2009 and followed by four per cent raises every January 1 through January 1, 2012. On January 1, 2011, Delta pilot pay rates will exceed the Letter 46 rates, without even considering the equity each pilot will receive.”
It is difficult to know where to begin to dismantle the faulty and short-sighted thinking behind these two statements. The ink on the press release was barely dry and Richard Anderson had already made over 5,000 Northwest pilots, and by extension the 25,000 other NWA workers, feel like second-class citizens by telling his fellow Delta employees that the seniority of “our” people is protected.
At the same time, a smoother, much less offensive word has been introduced into the lexicon of labor relations in the United States. No longer does an employee need a raise to be treated as an equal. Now, that employee needs to be “harmonized.” Delta’s goal—goal, not promise—is to harmonize 30,000 of us “over time.” In a cost-driven business where every penny counts, where hedge funds and institutional investors breathe down every management’s neck on a daily basis, who really believes there would be any incentive to “harmonize” all of us anytime soon? It is impossible, also, to escape the conclusion that, as currently proposed, the NWA pilot group would be subsidizing the Delta pilot group’s significant pay raises and equity stake.
It needs to be emphasized that Northwest Airlines is not in a financial crisis. Neither is Delta. Both carriers are currently situated to survive as stand-alone carriers, with Northwest (in the judgment of many observers) having the best stand-alone prospects of all the legacy carriers. This is not a merger of unequals in terms of the quality of their product and their personnel. The driving force behind this proposed merger is size. Synergy, increased revenue, and long-term survival are the goals. They are goals, again, with which the NWA MEC does not disagree, as increased revenue and long-term survival is in the best interests of everyone, including and especially our airline’s employees. What we vehemently oppose, and will take active steps to prevent, are the proposed means towards reaching that end.
Many if not most of us have been around a lot longer than Doug Steenland and Richard Anderson. Many if not most of us will still be around long after they are gone. No one is more interested in the long-term success of Northwest Airlines than we, its pilots. At the same time, we are committed to defending our careers. We will aggressively oppose any consolidation proposal which is not equitable and in the best interests of our pilot group and, by extension, the other NWA employees. The current merger proposal is, without question, inequitable and not in our best interests. There remains a limited window of opportunity for further negotiations, but only if Delta and Northwest managements, as well the Delta MEC, choose to take advantage of it. The ball is in their court. The success, or failure, of this proposed merger is up to them. We will negotiate, but not except a substandard compromise. We have not until this point and will not ever, compromise what we believe in, or what is in our best interests.
As it is currently structured, your Council 20 representatives do not support the proposed merger between Northwest and Delta Air Lines. If its terms are changed to the satisfaction of the NWA MEC, we would of course reconsider our position.
Difficult days are ahead, but if we continue to stick together, we will come out of this a stronger union. Thank you for your comments and especially for your trust and your support.
Fraternally,
Len, Bill and Tom
This tells me nothing, what does it say to you? It does not specify what the terms were, only that they dissagree. And how do you know that the majority of the NWA pilots agree? Unfortunately, they are only a very few privy to what the NWA MEC proposed and they are not talking. If they truly beleived in their view why not say what it was? Delta has stated that everyone would be within .5% of their pre-merger senortiy. I havn't seen anything posted by NWA to say what percentage they would have everyone pre-merger, have you?
04-16-2008, 08:31 AM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: 777 Sim Instructor
Posts: 745
757Driver doesn't care about facts, he's just yanking chains to get a reaction.I can't wait for the perfect marriage of CAL & UAL so we can return the favor.No facts, just stir the pot.
04-16-2008, 01:38 PM
#18
No longer cares
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: 767er Captain
Posts: 12,109
Originally Posted by 757Driver
Sorry, I just don't believe it and think you guys hung the NWA guys out to dry.
04-16-2008, 01:45 PM
#19
Need More Callouts
Joined APC: Dec 2005
Position: Unbridled Enthusiasm
Posts: 2,143
I've never seen such a rush to pat each other on the back. You guys act like you've just reinvented the wheel and can't wait to congratulate each other for it.
I hope it all works out but you guys left way to much on the table and fell for managements BS about a phony deadline.
I recall at CAL they gave us a deadline and we delivered our last POS Contract.
Good Luck all.
I hope it all works out but you guys left way to much on the table and fell for managements BS about a phony deadline.
I recall at CAL they gave us a deadline and we delivered our last POS Contract.
Good Luck all.
04-16-2008, 02:15 PM
#20
Line Holder
Joined APC: Apr 2008
Posts: 57
Originally Posted by tsquare
Gentlemen... there you have it. 757driver's mind is made up and no amount of logic will change it. He has become emotional about a business decision, and will not come off that stance. My advice to anyone in this guy's airline would be this: If he runs for any MEC/LEC position, vote for the other guy. With his lack of creativity and ability to think outside the box, your LEC/MEc would be doomed to years and years of strife. Oh, and driver... don't bother responding.. I have a quick scroll finger, and I'm done reading your tripe. I wish you well in your self induced misery.
Can I have an Amen!! I'm done reading his junk too.
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