Midwest Airlines Announces Furloughs For Pilots, Flight Attendants - Milwaukee News Story - WISN Milwaukee


Midwest Airlines Announces Furloughs For Pilots, Flight Attendants
Employees Say Furloughs May Start In September
POSTED: 10:05 pm CDT July 8, 2009
UPDATED: 10:56 pm CDT July 8, 2009


MILWAUKEE -- Midwest Airlines informed its pilots and flight attendants Wednesday there will be furloughs in the near future.

The employees were informed through letter.

Midwest officials said they have made no announcements as to when these furloughs are to start. Employees, however, said they are due to start furloughs in September.

While company officials said things are looking up for Midwest Airlines since it has been bought by Indianapolis-based Republic Airways, many employees say the situation continues to get worse.

"We need our jobs," said Midwest Flight Attendants Union President Toni Higgins, "and we need to be able to earn a respectable wage."

Company leaders informed pilots and flight attendants Tuesday that they are reducing the number of Boeing 7-17s from nine to five.

The Midwest Flight Attendant's Union president said employees anticipated cuts, but not as early as September.

"It's devastating to the flight attendants," said Higgins. "When republic purchased us, at least we knew what was happening with the company."

"By no means did they anticipate they were going to start losing their jobs a month and a half later," Higgins said.

A Pilots Union representative said the Union is waiting for more details, but called the situation "regrettable" and "unfortunate" considering there are already so many unemployed pilots.

Midwest officials say they don't have specific details on how many employees will be affected....

The Flight Attendants' president, however, predicts the situation will continue to get worse.

"The threat is there that the longer you wait to do the merger the more and more jobs that are going to go away," Higgins said.

Flight attendants and pilots have filed for federal mediation for ongoing contract negotiations.

Another big step in this process will be negotiating a merger plan between Midwest unions and Republic unions. Representatives said they are looking for that to happen as soon as possible.

Another step closer.

Great, more flying for the cancer of the airline world.

The problem here is MidEx's ownership and Mgmnt. They are the ones who are at fault for the failure of MEH and they are the ones stabbing their employees in the back.

RAH has been forever tarnished by the events that are transpiring between BB and MEH. Now the question is, what will RAH pilots do? If a pilot group merger happens will you all go to bat for the MEH pilots or will you step over them? My money’s on the latter.

No kidding. Not the same union and at that point it is about protecting your turf. That would be no surprise.
Fact is that by that time there will be no active MEH pilots so it will be a lot different.
Look at the way they are heading!

Can anybody say that any RAH pilot that touches that blue paint will be a scab or well worse than a scab. Haven't come up with a word for it yet...

Que the definition of the word scab again...

No they're not scabs and they're not worse than scabs. Bottom line is that the RAH pilots didn't cause this; they are just the pawn's. All they can do is fly the aircraft and if MEH goes on strike then they need to honor the lines otherwise they will be scabs. In the end the questions comes down to how the two groups are merged……………that will be their (RAH pilots) legacy.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the outcome of them doing a "morally correct list merging". Look at LCC/AWA. I suspect the Republic guys will rally around the "they were going to fail without us, so they should be happy any of them have jobs" mantra. I hope they prove me wrong however. With so many guys/gals hitting the street at MidEx, I can't see how this fight will really be fought as there won't be anyone left to fight it.

ALL pilot groups need to realize that Scope is beyond just who flies a 76 seat or less jet. Its about what happens in transfer of control of one's company. That's why its so important to have iron clad scope clauses that you will strike for if need be. Nothing is more important. DAL could offer $600/hour for a 777 but if no one is left to fly it, who cares.

Yea but that's if there are any pilots left to strike.

My money is that this goes to arbitration and either side does not have a say.