July 30, 1998 Hotline

  July 30, 1998

ALPA, Intl

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PBS
Over the last month or so discussions have been ongoing between the Negotiating Committee
and America West management in an effort to resolve contractual obstacles to PBS. Among
the issues on the table have been negative bank fly-back, captain no-fly and other
professional standards issues, bidding for recurrent training events, and the processes by
which PBS is tested and approved through parallel bidding. In addition to the Negotiating
Committee and Contract Administrator Andrew Shostack, the ALPA team included attorney Ken
Cooper, Assistant Director of Representation from ALPA Herndon. Negotiations have been
productive, with the parties achieving tentative agreements on some of the long-standing
unresolved issues.

If the parties reach a full agreement in the near term, the
MEC will schedule numerous road-show type presentations during the month of August
detailing the contract changes, the PBS implementation time line, and providing a
presentation by PBS vendor AD-OPT Technologies. AD-OPT has working PBS software up and
running at TWA and Delta among others. Pilots will then vote on these changes via a
ratification ballot. If approved, software development and PBS training would begin in the
fall, with parallel bidding starting late this year or early next year. Stay tuned to this
hotline for further information.

Distribution of Previous Side Letters
The company has committed to printing all previous contract side letters and letters of
understanding, and distributing them to pilot boxes in the immediate future. In addition,
there will be a review of grievance settlements and system board decisions in the upcoming
Fenix Flight issue.

Acting Senior Director of Systems Operations
Control
America West has named George Williams as Acting Senior Director of Systems Operations
Control. Williams is currently the company’s Director of Air Traffic Control.

Northwest Pilot Negotiations
Two items of news from outside America West. First, on Wednesday July 29th, the National
Mediation Board declared Northwest Airlines and its pilots at impasse in their contract
negotiations. They thus enter a thirty-day cooling off period, scheduled to end on August
29th. The Mediation Board may release the parties to self-help after that date if an
agreement is not reached. The MEC has been and will remain in contact with the Northwest
pilots, as well as the national leadership, as the story develops.

National Airlines
Second, there was an announcement this morning, July 30th, that a new carrier based in LAS
and operating under the name National Airlines, will begin flying early next year. At the
helm: America West co-founder Mike Conway. The airline will reportedly operate 757s, with
startup cities to include New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Local Council Meeting
The next local council meeting will be Monday August 24th, 1:00 pm, at the Doubletree
Hotel on N 44th street in Phoenix. Chief on the agenda: PBS. Also on the agenda, our ALPA
Board of Directors ballot to restructure Council 62. If the Board passes the resolution,
we will elect two captain representatives and two first officer representatives this fall,
plus an LEC secretary-treasurer, to take office March 1st of next year.

The next scheduled hotline will be Thursday, August 6th, or
sooner if negotiations are concluded. Fly safely and thanks for listening.