Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasatch Phantom
Could you give me the "Cliff Notes" version of the lawsuit?
Here's the short and sweet:
- ALPA convinced/coerced the TWA MEC to give up Allegheny Mohawk rights.
- In exchange, American agreed to use its "reasonable best efforts" to integrate the TWA pilots.
- American and APA agreed on the integration of the TWA pilots before the TWA MEC met with the APA to discuss the integration.
- ALPA knew the agreement had already been made, but concealed this information from the TWA MEC.
- American paid for a 'facilitator' in these discussions b/t the TWA MEC and the APA. Paying for the facilitator was the only thing American did to use its "reasonable best efforts" to integrate the TWA pilots.
- The integration was revealed.
- The TWA MEC tried to file an injunction to block the integration with their ALPA attorney.
- ALPA barred the attorney from filing.
- TWA MEC tried to arbitrate the dispute. ALPA controlled the arbitration process to ensure a decision against the TWA pilots.
- APA was in debt b/c APA pilots staged an illegal sick-out to protest Reno Air pilot's seniority in the American/Reno Air merger, and were heavily fined.
- If APA's pilots voted in ALPA, the debt from the sick-out judgement could be shed in the move to ALPA, but not if APA and ALPA merged.
- ALPA regularly and consistently courted the APA during the TWA/American merger.
- ALPA kept all their efforts to court APA from the TWA MEC.
In short,
ALPA sacrificed the TWA pilot's seniority integration in order to court the APA, violating their duty of fair representation to the TWA-MEC and TWA pilots.
All of this is direct from the complaint by the TWA pilots.
ALPA disagrees with some issues:
- ALPA didn't convince/coerce the TWA MEC to give up their Allegheny Mohawk rights, the TWA MEC had the ultimate decision to give those rights up for American's "reasonable best efforts" to integrate.
- ALPA didn't conspire behind the TWA MEC's back to get the APA pilots to vote for ALPA.
- The TWA pilots need to blame the TWA MEC for their lot, not ALPA, who merely advised. The TWA MEC was in the driver's seat, not ALPA.
As we know, a jury decided in favor of the TWA pilots. ALPA's appealing.