July 15, 1999 Hotline

  July 15, 1999


ALPA Prevails in First Officers
as Instructors Dispute

FAA Waives Remaining AWA Settlement Fines

Yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of the settlement, the FAA declared America West
to be in full compliance and suspended the remaining $2.5 million in civil penalties. In
our view, the changes implemented by America West in response to the FAA are positive, but
must be seen as a beginning—not a culmination—of efforts to turn this operation
around.

CIGNA Drug Problems
Several pilots have reported that their prescription drug insurance claims are not being
paid correctly, resulting in additional costs to them. The problem apparently is due to
the fact that all prescription drug claims will now be processed by CIGNA’s RxPrime
unit, whether filed under the RxPrime program or under the major medical program.
According to America West Employee Benefits, pilots still have the option of filing under
either program, with RxPrime simply processing the claims either way. Employee Benefits
concurs that CIGNA has incorrectly processed some claims and is working with CIGNA and the
pilot group to correct the errors on a case-by-case basis.

If you experience problems with your prescription drug payments, please contact Mary
Wade at 480-693-8845 or at her email address of [email protected]. When calling,
please leave your name, P#, date your prescription was filled, the name of the drug, the
payment you received, and a return phone number or email address. America West will make
the necessary correction immediately.

MEC Officer Candidate
Interviews

Local Council Meeting

SafetyNet

Contract 2000 Surveys

Maestro Updates

That concludes this week’s update. Remember: On the flight line, every flight counts.
At the negotiating table, every pilot counts. But only if you’re willing to stand up
and be counted. Start today by sending in your survey.

The next scheduled Hotline update will be Thursday, July 22th.

  • ALPA Prevails in First Officers as Instructors Dispute
  • FAA Waives Remaining AWA Settlement Fines
  • CIGNA Drug Problems
  • MEC Officer candidate interviews
  • Local Council Meeting
  • SafetyNet
  • Contract 2000 Survey
  • Maestro Updates
    •     MEC Hotline
      Don Steinman
    for the MEC. Tonight’s hotline topics are:





    The MEC has reached an agreement with AWA Flight Crew Training that modifies the First
    Officers as Instructors program. The agreement, reached on Monday, July 12, provides for
    direct ALPA participation in the screening of pilot simulator instructors, and in the
    drafting of simulator instructor qualifications. As part of the agreement, the MEC
    Training Committee Chairman, or other MEC-designee, will be a member of the panel that
    interviews and selects recruits to the program. In addition, Flight Crew Training and the
    MEC will jointly develop a set of minimum qualifications for pilot instructors. These
    solutions parallel programs at other ALPA carriers, and are designed to enhance the
    quality of pilot training at America West. Look for full details in an upcoming issue of
    Just The Facts.

    One year ago, on July 14, 1998, the FAA announced that it had reached an agreement with
    America West management to settle a $5 million civil penalty against the airline for
    “alleged violations of aircraft maintenance and operations regulations.” As you
    may recall, the settlement required America West to pay $2.5 million up front, with the
    remaining $2.5 million suspended providing that the airline modified its operations in
    accordance with the terms of the agreement.



    The MEC began interviewing candidates for MEC officer positions on July 13th.
    The MEC members will vote at the MEC meeting scheduled for August 3rd-4th
    to elect an MEC Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-Treasurer from the slate of
    candidates. New officer terms will begin September 1st, 1999.

    The next PHX Council 62 local council meeting will be held July 26th, from 6pm
    to 10pm, at the Best Western Grace Inn. The Grace Inn is located at the southwest corner
    of I-10 and Elliot Rd. in Chandler. Members in good standing are strongly encouraged to
    attend.

    The Central Air Safety Committee has distributed a new issue of its SafetyNet publication.
    The issue contains a pilot fatigue survey, which should be completed and returned to the
    MEC office or the ALPA box in the Crew Lounge by August 1.

    If you missed the July 12th deadline for returning your Contract 2000 survey,
    please complete your survey and mail it immediately. Survey tabulation has not yet begun,
    and late arrivals will be included if they arrive in the immediate future. The Negotiating
    Committee comes off-line full time later this month and will need your input to develop
    our Contract 2000 opener. This is your opportunity to tell your union where to go.

    SBS will post an update to Maestro in the next week or so, so home users will have to run
    their update software to download the latest program. The most obvious change will be the
    addition of generic trip adjustment, which will give us more flexibility in using the TAS
    system. Capt. David Weeks and Crew Resources have written a handout outlining the changes.
    It will be distributed to all pilot T4 boxes in the next week or so. The Maestro manual on
    the MEC web site has been updated with these latest changes, and may be viewed online or
    downloaded from the AWA MEC Committees page. The web site address is www.awalpa.org.