March 5, 1998
ALPA, Intl
Committees
Misuse of Reserves
The MEC just learned of the company’s recent practice of sending flight crews to LAS and
CMH to sit reserve. This program violates approximately twenty provisions of the pilot
contract. In fact, it is completely outside of any operational environment that was
contemplated during negotiations. Reserve status was never conceived to apply to a pilot
in a hotel room on a layover.
The practice demonstrates what lengths our management will
go to in order to avoid a meaningful discussion about the need for additional domiciles.
But more importantly, it demonstrates management’s lack of respect for the contract
itself. By all appearances, management treats the contract as an obstacle to be worked
around rather than a constitution to be guided by.
This practice has been grieved, and we will press for
expedited arbitration to be sure. In the meantime, if the company is unwilling to discuss
contractual or negotiated solutions to operational problems, perhaps we can discuss the
ever-increasing loss of confidence this pilot group feels towards its management team.
Professional Standards
Recently a flight crew member attempted to enlist the aid of professional standards in
order to resolve a crew conflict. His good intentions, however, were negated by the fact
that crew resources gave him phone and pager numbers that were two-years-old and no longer
valid.
Be advised that professional standards has subsequently
provided all pilots and crew resources with an updated list of phone and pager numbers.
Please take the opportunity to place this new list in your flight bag.
Keep in mind that professional standards is readily
available to assist you, in a confidential manner, with all crew or ground personnel
conflicts. The MEC strongly recommends that your first phone call for assistance be to
professional standards.
The next scheduled hotline is Thursday, March 12. Thanks
for listening.
- the misuse of reserves
- new professional standards contact numbers
| MEC Hotline | ||
| This is Regena Frieden with the America West MEC hotline update for Thursday, March 5. Tonight’s items for discussion include: |