April 29, 1999
ALPA,
Intl
Committees
This is Communications Committee Chairman David Weeks with the MEC Hotline for
April 29, 1999. Tonight’s topics are:
Disabled
Pilots Insurance Arbitration decision and delays
Grievance
hearings
Las Vegas
security issues, part 2
Negotiating
Committee returns from Herndon
Central Air
Safety Newsletter
KIT System
reminder
Local Council
meeting and special guest
Disabled Pilots
Insurance Arbitration decision and delays
On April 21, Arbitrator William Eaton notified the MEC of his decision in the arbitration
on medical benefits, longevity accrual, and pass benefits for pilots on disability. This
decision represents a significant victory for all America West pilots.
The arbitration
resolved three grievances:
1) The Company ceased
providing medical insurance benefits at the active employee rates to pilots out on
disability, forcing them to shoulder substantially higher medical costs.
2) The Company denied
longevity accrual to pilots out on disability, and
3) The Company changed
the pass travel policy for disabled pilots, resulting in a reduction of pass benefits.
The decision by
Arbitrator Eaton was a significant victory for ALPA on a key issue: the reduction in
insurance benefits for disabled pilots. Eaton ruled that the Company unilaterally changed
the insurance benefits, a violation of the contract. His award orders the Company to:
This is a major
victory for all pilots currently or previously on disability under the contract, who were
forced to pay for insurance coverage. They will be reimbursed for their expenses, and, if
still on disability will be provided with the same insurance benefits as active pilots.
Also, the Company must meet and agree to any changes in the benefits package. This
precludes any more unilateral decisions by the Company on these issues.
The Company did prevail
on the issue of whether or not pilots continue to accrue longevity while on disability.
The arbitrator decided that the Company did not violate Section 27 when it denied
longevity accrual to pilots on disability.
The issue of pass
travel benefits for pilots on disability was something of a draw. The arbitrator ruled
that the Company did not violate Section 26 of the contract with the pass travel policy.
The current policy that pilots on disability must consult with their supervisor in order
to travel on non-revenue status continues to be in effect.
One important point to
note is that Arbitrator Eaton specifically retains jurisdiction over this award. This
means that if there are disputes over the meaning or implementation of this award, we can
go directly back to Eaton for resolution, instead of having to file another grievance over
the interpretation of the award itself.
One final note.
Although senior management has recently expressed a desire to improve the labor relations
climate at America West, middle management does not seem to have gotten the message.
Company system board members have so far refused to sign the award, suggesting that at
least two more weeks will be needed to “study” the decision, despite being in
possession of a draft since mid-March. There is absolutely no excuse for this foot
dragging. Furthermore, the exercise is meaningless as ALPA’s system board members have
signed the document and returned it to the arbitrator, who has indicated that the ruling
is now in effect. Finally, America West pilots can rest assured that the arbitrator’s
ruling is final, and will be enforced. And America West management can rest assured that,
if not in compliance, they will answer to this pilot group in Federal District Court
Grievance
Hearings
Grievance hearings at the Chief Pilot level are scheduled for May 4th. A
four-person System Board hearing is scheduled for May 19-21. If you are interested in
attending, call Grievance Committee Chairman Bill Archer at the ALPA office for the time
and location.
Also on the Grievance
front, the Grievance Committee is re-evaluating its earlier decision not to grieve
out-of-seniority training associated with the last equipment bid. If you feel that your
assigned training date caused you be trained out of seniority order, please contact
Grievance Committee Chairman Bill Archer at the ALPA office.
Las Vegas
Security Issues, part 2
The discussion of ramp area and Operations access in Las Vegas in last week’s Hotline
has prompted further investigation of what access our pilots actually do have in Las
Vegas. Assistant Chief Pilot Dan Rogers went the extra mile to make numerous phone calls
to eliminate any remaining confusion about ramp access. The latest word is that if you are
NOT in uniform, you should not be in the Operations Area on the ramp side of the
“Card Swipe” door. If you ARE in uniform you may proceed from your airplane
directly to and from Operations as long as you stay within the America West operational
area. Make sure that you wear your Company ID badge. This information is covered in more
detail in the Pilot Read file.
Air Carrier Security
Committee Chairman Barry Kendrick would like to thank Assistant Chief Pilot Dan Rogers for
working cooperatively with ALPA to help put this problem to rest. We hope that this type
of cooperation can continue with all levels of Flight Operations management.
Negotiating Committee
Returns from Herndon
The Negotiating Committee, along with Communications Committee Chairman David Weeks,
Contract Administrator Andrew Shostack, and Communications Specialist Yvette Freeman, have
returned from Herndon after meeting for two days with ALPA’s Retirement and Insurance,
Legal, Economic and Financial Analysis, and Communications staff members. Substantial
progress was made in preparation for publication of the contract comparison and pilot
survey. We anticipate publication of the contract comparison before the end of May,
followed by the survey approximately three weeks later.
Central Air
Safety Newsletter
Communications Specialist Yvette Freeman is currently laying out the first
edition of a new Central Air Safety Committee newsletter, titled SafetyNet. Look
for it in your mailboxes in the next two weeks.
KIT System
Reminder
I’d like to remind pilots to make a point of regularly checking the KIT
system for Committee informational updates. The Central Air Safety message is updated
weekly, and there are new Security and Jumpseat committee updates as well.
Council 62
Local Council Meeting
The Council 62 LEC will hold their next Local Council meeting on Wednesday, May
26, at 6:00 pm, at the Holiday Inn Select, 44th Street and Washington in
Phoenix. The Guest Speaker will be Mr. Gil Mook, America West Executive Vice-President and
Chief Operating Officer. All active members are invited to attend.
That concludes this
week’s update. Remember, if you do nothing, you deserve nothing. What are you doing to
help secure a contract? Get involved with your union.
The next scheduled
hotline will be Thursday, May 6th.
- Immediately enroll all pilots currently
on disability in the Company-provided health insurance plan of their choice at the same
cost as such plans are provided to active pilots. - Reimburse any pilot for medical
insurance or medical service expenses incurred while on disability since May of 1995. - Provide the Association with a copy of
the actual insurance policy that was in effect at the time Section 27 was tentatively
agreed to on January 27th, 1995, and - Meet with ALPA and agree to discuss any
changes in the health insurance benefits as they existed at the time Section 27 was
tentatively agreed to.
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