American Pilot Leader: 'America West Pilots Should Join Seniority Talks' - Forbes

American Pilot Leader: 'America West Pilots Should Join Seniority Talks'

Two unions and a series of federal judges have tried unsuccessfully to fix the problems unleashed by a controversial arbitrator’s pilot seniority ruling following the 2005 merger of America West and US Airways.

Now the Allied Pilots Association, which represents the 15,000 pilots at American Airlines, will have its turn.

The first step, said APA President Keith Wilson, is to give the America West pilots a seat at the table, allowing them to present a list and argue in its favor in seniority integration discussions.

“We will make sure everybody gets a shot,” Wilson said, in an interview. “We have a duty of fair representation, to be sure all the members are equally represented. We will remain neutral in a lot of ways, but we will sure all members are represented in the arbitration process.”

Wilson understands the difficulty of the eight-year battle over seniority integration at US Airways, and during an hour-long interview he scrupulously avoided providing any indication of his feelings on the controversial 2007 Nicolau seniority arbitration ruling, which has divided pilots ever since.

The flawed ruling, which resulted from binding arbitration, has never been implemented – resulting in separate seniority lists within the pilot ranks at US Airways, nine years after the merger.

The arbitration was conducted under the aegis of the Air Line Pilots Association. Afterwards, US Airways pilots voted to leave ALPA and create the US Airline Pilots Association. America West pilots, who represented about a third of the pilot group, were dragged along.

The APA process will likely involve two arbitrations. In the first, three arbitrators will decide whether America West pilots should be involved in merger discussions. Wilson said he helps that process will be completed by the end of the year.

The second arbitration will proceed if, as seems likely, the pilot groups fail to develop a list in merger discussions. Wilson wants America West pilots involved in those discussions.

As a model for seniority integration, Wilson said he looks to the Delta/Northwest integration.

In that case, he said, the list “was developed in such a way that ten years down the road it will be fair and equitable.” He noted that pilots’ career expectations were generally met. Now, he said, “Delta is running on all cylinders. That is what we want to do.”

Among the problems arbitrators confronted was that many senior Delta pilots retired before the bankruptcy, which “put younger guys at Delta on a higher level,” Wilson said. But the final list generally met the goal of satisfying pilots who had widebody expectations when they were hired.

It is the arbitrators, not pilot leaders, who make the final determinations, Wilson noted. But he said that what he wants, in the end, is a list that American pilots generally view as fair.

APA already has collected 3,400 applications from US Airways pilots, the vast majority of active pilots.

Wilson declined to comment specifically on the other major recent pilot seniority ruling, which followed the United/Continental merger. In that case, arbitrators decided that a proposal from Continental pilots was overly ambitious and therefore generally accepted a proposal from United pilots – leaving some pilots unhappy.

Some pilot sources say that in the American/US Airways seniority discussions, all three likely parties will take the lesson of the United/Continental case to mean they should seek moderate solutions.

That could help to provide arbitrators in the APA process with a situation where they can craft a broadly acceptable seniority list – an outcome that so far has eluded everybody else.

 

"In that case, arbitrators decided that a proposal from Continental pilots was overly ambitious and therefore generally accepted a proposal from United pilots – leaving some pilots unhappy."

I'm thinking that the APA leaders understand the consequences of greed.

 

I wonder if he's ever read the Nicolau Award.

 

Staller,
You gotta stop. Instead of trying to go for one last poke in the eye, be mature. Many feel the ramifications on both sides. I believe it was poor performance by the CAL team. Does that make you feel better? It wasn't equitable in the near fight for sure. Maybe 10 years from now we can rehash and be wiser.

The arbitrators are different now than the past and the scene, read industry, has changed. Our merger set a huge precedent that will be around for decades in my opinion, unless power corrupts ALPA to change policies for their good. I think it actually is a positive for the whole while I suffered for the good. It is what it is.

 

Clarence,

Just pointing out that the APA leadership understands the ramification of poor decision making. I take it you condemn JP, the CAL MEC and the CAL pilots for not standing up against the overreaches that effectively drove the wedge between the pilot groups.

I pointed out an observation of good pilot representation. You, on the other hand, choose to attack and try to belittle. Real professional - remember the new hires/ wannabes are watching you, but you knew that.

 

Wow, really relevant info again Staller. Thanks for bringing it up. Again.

Moderator?

 

You are so correct Staller, we (newhires) are watching Nuts and very much appreciate all his info. I cannot say the same about you and your various alias' contributions.

 

If APA leadership understands the ramifications of poor decision making ... it's only just recently. Remember when they bought the EAL South American Routes and refused to take any pilots? Remember when they stapled the Air Cal pilots? Remember when they stapled the TWA pilots? Past APA actions speak very loudly. We'll have to wait and see if the current leadership does anyhting differently.

 

I don't think you have any sympathy for the above actions and are more concerned that the APA leaders called you guys out. I may be wrong about this but the actions APA took, at least one, was based on taking pilots with airplanes and not pilots with routes.

FBN even feels/said it was the rogue actions of the CAL side that created the discourse the APA leader mentions between the United pilot groups. Those are the facts, no conjecture.

If you have a problem, it's not with me! I was just pointing out an APA leader mentioning an overreach by the CAL pilots as a direction he hopes the America West/USAir pilots don't attempt in settling their senority dispute. He's right, why would he want a bunch of unhappy pilots?

 

But what about the great deal the Reno Air pilots got....oh wait.