If you're looking for the "letter" it is posted on the DL latest and greatest thread. I think on 4/05/10. There's several posts on that date about Comair and what happened. I'm too lazy to go find it again.

 

This has been cussed and discussed a few times in DAL L & G. Recent comments would start on page 3283. Actual letter was reposted on post #32832 on the next page.

 

I think this is the letter and don't like that I'm condemned for what some DB did years before my time.

TO: Comair Pilots
FROM: J.C. Lawson, Comair MEC Chairman DATEecember 16, 2002
Your MEC met in CVG with the Delta MEC Chairman, Captain Will Buergey, at his request, to discuss preferential hiring of furloughed Delta pilots at Comair. Through this letter, I hope to dispel rumors and provide a more thorough understanding of the purpose and outcome of that meeting.

The Delta MEC, while in session at the bi-annual October Board of Directors meeting in Hollywood, Florida, formally directed the Delta MEC Chairman via resolution to meet with the Comair MEC Chairman to seek preferential hiring for furloughed Delta pilots at Comair while allowing them to retain their Delta seniority.

The general philosophy held by the Comair MEC is:

We are sensitive to the regrettable plight of all furloughed pilots in our industry.
We encourage our management to hire pilots who seek a future at Comair.
We have formally approached Comair management and our management has agreed to preferential hiring of furloughed ALPA pilots.
We agree with our company's policy that requires prospective Comair pilots to resign their seniority at their previous carrier. We believe our Company's industry-standard policy requiring seniority resignation is sound and wise. It promotes the general health and welfare of all Comair employees and serves to protect the future of our company.
At our meeting in CVG, Captain Buergey offered preferential hiring to Comair pilots if the Comair MEC would recommend to Comair management that they hire furloughed Delta pilots and allow them to retain their Delta seniority.
Your MEC responded that hiring any pilots at Comair who do not resign their seniority at their previous carrier gives rise to numerous substantive concerns. The Delta MEC's offer of (future) preferential hiring at Delta is not sufficiently substantive to overcome those concerns and solicit Comair pilots' support. We suggested three alternative concepts, any one or all of which might lead to a mutually beneficial solution:

Relax the Delta PWA, Section 1, seat restrictions imposed upon Comair and ASA that limit our growth in 70-seat and larger airframes.
Negotiate Delta Brand Scope language with Delta management that defines all Delta flying within the Delta revenue stream to be performed solely by Delta, Comair, and ASA pilots.
Negotiate a plan for future integration of our Delta, Comair, and ASA pilots seniority lists that fairly recognizes the efforts and contributions of all.

The Comair MEC stands ready to work with the collective MEC's to bring about change that makes sense in a challenging economic environment and works for all pilots who perform flying under the Delta brand. As we stated in the Tuesday, December 3rd meeting, our door is still open.

COMAIR MEC
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL
SUITE 120 3940 OLYMPIC BOULEVARD ERLANGER, KY 41018
859-282-9016 FAX 859-283-5533

 

Just curious as I have no dog in this fight, and maybe I'm not seeing the big picture but why would the MEC care about resigning seniority numbers? Management I can understand but looks like DAL was offering a pretty fair deal, no?

 

Dang, Tink, beat me to it! I just found it too, and all I can say is, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot were they thinking?!!!

Whoever J.C. Lawson is, he's got a lotta' 'splaining to do! What a tool!! For Chrissakes, they weren't even asking for a flow-back to left-seat RJ, just preferential hiring!! Isn't that the treatment we furloughees would expect at another ALPA carrier, like when Am. Eagle recently announced? I know we didn't get it, but isn't that the way it's supposed to work?

As usual, the old saying that, "Pilots are their own worst enemies" is fitting.

Thanks, J.C....wherever you are!!!!

 

He is flying the 70 last time I checked, glad I never had to fly with him. I would love to ask him *** he was thinking though.

 

I know there are a lot of guys at Delta that hate Comair pilots because of the MEC Comair had but I think it is less than most people think. I always hated saying I was Comair asking for the jumpseat on Delta expecting a ripping but I never once met a Delta pilot that was dick to me because I was Comair they were always nice to me.

 

I have JS'ed on DL A LOT and have had overwhelmingly positive experiences. The only bad experience (if one could term it that) was once when I was talking with a DL captain in the gate area about getting the JS to work. He asked me if I was a part of the group of pilots that was suing Delta. If I was, I could go find another way to work. I replied that I wasn't aware of any pilot group that was suing Delta, and this reply made me an acceptable jumpseater to him. Of course I didn't mention that I believed that he was referring to the RJDC, of which I was a party to. The RJDC was suing ALPA.

Now that I have opened up the RJDC can o' worms I would add that one purpose of the suit was to discourage jets-for-jobs at Delta, for which it was successful. It may have also (probably) blocked most Comair applicants from being hired at Delta.

 

Why would DAL give any of these things?
If you want bigger planes, the limitation should never have been agreed to in the first place. (And Comair should have never been sold to an airline)

Why would DAL agree to only use Delta, ASA, and Comair pilots, just to allow a flow back? As we see today, they contract the cheapest regional, no matter who it is.

Why would ASA and Comair pilots be integrated into the DAL pilot seniority list (again, just to have a flow back)? If you want to fly for DAL, go interview at Delta and work there. If you want to work at ASA or Comair, then work there. How would selling ASA or Comair work if the pilots were considered DAL pilots? You would not be able to sell either, and thus be stuck with a useless turd.

I can't really understand the airline business philosophy. I have always looked at going to a company to work as benefiting the company. I am bringing my skills and helping them fill a position (which must be available, since they are hiring). Seems if you need an employee, you hire someone and train them in your companies procedures. They then work for you, filling that position. If they get their job back (at the airline that furloughed them), they give you notice that they are leaving, and you hire a person to fill that empty position again. By hiring them in the first place, you were able to fill an empty position, thus helping your company at that time of need. It's not like they are paying your old salary either. The airlines just pay you that awful first year pay, no matter how much experience you had when you came (name another industry that does that).

Oh well, none of it matters now. ASA is a Skywest airline and Comair is driving 17 year old planes around, with no new airframes in sight. The maintenance hangar area looks like a glider port (all the no-engine CRJs heading back to the banks), and CVG has less flights than your local general aviation airport. Trying to non-rev is like trying to pick up Paris Hilton in a bar (what chance do you have) and pilot pay still sucks. But hey, contract negotiations will start soon...and we can argue the sure to come "We need you pilots to take a pay cut and pay for your own benefits. It will help our company survive."

OK, now I'm in a bad mood...see what you've done

 

Sorry to have put you in a bad mood, LowLevel.
After some thought, if this guy J.C. Lawson and his group at the MEC had been better diplomats, they wouldn't have taken the attitude of shoot-for-the moon because we've got 400 DAL drivers by the short & curlies.
Inextricably linking 1 issue to their demands was pointless.

If they had just said something like, "We sympathize with our ALPA brothers/sisters at Delta, and will make every possible effort to ensure ComAir gives preferential hiring to displaced DAL pilots. We welcome the wealth of knowledge they bring...etc." --THEN-- go to the Delta MEC and say, "now let's talk about this SCOPE, blah, blah..."

Hell, the MEC doesn't decide who gets hired, so make the company shoulder being the bad guy by demanding seniority resignations, or training contracts, etc.

BTW, your thoughts about SLI's and what happens if a wholly owned gets sold are right on! Which is why flow-through agreements are the only way to go...unless you're a lifer Capt. at ComAir when they flow-back...guess who runs ComAir ALPA?