October 1, 1998
ALPA, Intl
Committees
In addition, Mr. Steele inherits the challenges of implementing PBS
within the parameters set forth in the contract and side letters. In discussions with Mr.
Steele this week, the MEC emphasized that last week’s ratification vote was an endorsement
not of PBS per se, but of the language contained in the side letters; language that
confers privileges and limitations on both management and the pilot group. The MEC also
emphasized the need for management to earmark sufficient administrative resources to
getting PBS implementation right on the first attempt.
AFA Informational Picketing
AFA council 66, representing America West flight attendants, will conduct informational
picketing tomorrow morning, Friday October 2, from 0900 until 1100 hours, at Sky Harbor
Terminal 4, north side, baggage claim level one. Your MEC is in full support of AFA’s
goals and objectives: to obtain a fair and equitable contract. We would encourage any and
all ALPA members who would like to lend their support to attend the rally. We recommend,
as AFA is telling its members, that you do not wear your uniform if you participate in the
rally.
Capt. Ken Bogard Retirement
Happy Birthday, congratulations, and condolences to Captain Ken Bogard, who retires on
October 8th. Captain Bogard’s last flight is on Saturday, October 3, arriving from JFK on
flight 2847 at 14:43. All pilots are encouraged to help welcome his flight and to wish him
well on his retirement. Pilots are also asked to volunteer in assisting Cindy in the chief
pilot’s office with the decorations.
Compuserve
CompuServe users should note that the online service will eliminate the $2.95/month
surcharge for users of the ALPA forums. Users will pay only the regular monthly fees, with
no charges for accessing the ALPA forums.
Condolences to Flight Ops Secretary Denise Jansky
The MEC would like to express condolences on behalf of all America West pilots to Flight
Ops secretary Denise Jansky on the loss of her sister.
A319 Arrival
America West is celebrating the acceptance of its first A319 aircraft with a delivery
ceremony next week at the Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany. Bill Franke, chairman of the
Board of Directors, personally invited representatives of each employee workforce to
participate in the ceremony on October 8th. MEC Chairman Don Steinman will attend, along
with representatives from AFA, the Teamsters, the TWU, as well as reps from ground
operations, customer service, and reservations.
LEC Nomination Ballots
By now you should have received a nominating ballot in the mail from ALPA Herndon to
nominate candidates for captain rep, first officer rep, and local council
secretary-treasurer. The ballots will be counted at the next Local Council Meeting on
Wednesday, October 28th. Due to the restructuring you will now vote for two captain and
two first officer reps instead of one. So far the following candidates have announced a
willingness to serve if elected:
In the captain representative election: David Chambless,
Mike Martin, Stephanie Pound, and Jack Ryan
In the first officer representative election: Gary
Bakewell, Eric Durnal
In the secretary/treasurer election: Mike Calabrese
Note that Don Steinman and Darcy Pierce are not running for
re-election as captain and first officer representatives, and request that their names not
be placed on the ballots. This election will not effect Steinman’s, Pierce’s, and
Calabrese’ terms as MEC officers, which will continue through August of 1999.
The next scheduled hotline will be Thursday, October 8. Fly
safe; fly your contract; and thanks for listening.
| MEC Hotline | ||
| AWA Flight Operations Department Reorganization The America West Flight Operations department has undergone a major reorganization, with changes taking effect today, October 1. Perhaps the most significant change from a pilot’s perspective is that pilot scheduling will once again be brought under the control of the Vice President of Flight Operations. In other words, a key operations department will be overseen by a key operations manager. We consider this change a big step in the right direction. In addition to Crew Resources, VP of Flight Operations Lee Steele will oversee Flight Operations, Systems Operations Control, Flight Standards and Training, including flight attendant training, and Flight Ops Engineering. Mr. Steele inherits some major problems in the scheduling arena, as has been amply demonstrated over the last few days. First, the schedule bid just released contains innumerable formatting problems in both the cover letter and pairing package, including incorrect seniority numbers for virtually every pilot on the seniority list. Second, the department failed to meet the October 1 contractual deadline for publishing the 1999 vacation bid. Estimated publication date: October 12. The MEC has insisted that the November 15 date for awarding 1999 vacation should be considered a hard deadline. A grievance has been filed. |