September 11, 1998
ALPA, Intl
Committees
Northwest Strike
As of 6 pm central time, the Northwest Airlines negotiators and company officials reached
a tentative agreement to end the 13-day pilot strike. Details of the settlement will be
presented to the Northwest MEC on Saturday, September 12. The pilots will remain on strike
pending the outcome of the Northwest MEC’s review of the tentative agreement.
MEC Press Release
The MEC distributed a press release on Friday, Sept. 4 in response to comments made by
America West President and CEO Richard Goodmanson in the Arizona Republic. Goodmanson
stated that the company’s overall poor performance is a result of its labor dispute with
the Teamsters, who represent the airline’s mechanics. His comments directly contradict
statements made by company chairman Bill Franke in an August 28 letter to all employees
admitting that the FAA concerns at America West are serious, and are management’s
responsibility to address and correct.
After reading Franke’s letter, the MEC felt that management
was finally ready to bring quality and safety back to the airline. However, after reading
Goodmanson’s statements in the Arizona Republic, the MEC felt it had to respond. Our press
release criticized Goodmanson’s comments and challenged America West’s management to
publicly commit to correcting its internal problems, rather than focusing the blame on
labor issues.
Deadlines & FAA Letters of Compliance
On August 28, America West Airlines’ initial commitments to the FAA settlement agreement
were met. Company officials notified the MEC that all letters of compliance met their
deadlines and were accepted by the FAA. This now allows America West to continue to work
on meeting the remaining FAA-mandated commitments, which include the deployment of the
Strategic Action Teams. As a result of your MEC’s insistence, these teams will include
ALPA committee members.
PBS Ballots
As a reminder, PBS ballots must be postmarked no later than September 12, in order to be
counted at ALPA National later this month.
LEC Nominations and Ballots
Any pilot in good standing interested in running for an LEC captain rep, first officer
rep, or secretary-treasurer position is encouraged to come forward now. Ballots to
nominate your local council representatives should arrive in your home mailboxes beginning
next week. Do not mail your ballot to Herndon, VA. These ballots are to be returned to the
MEC Office before October 28, or brought to the Local Council Meeting on October 28 at the
Doubletree Hotel. The ballots will be counted at that meeting. Also keep in mind that only
ballots from members in good standing will be counted.
System Board of Adjustment
The System Board heard arguments today from Contract Administrator Andrew Shostack and AWA
Manager of Labor Relations Rhonda Theuer on six cases involving scheduling issues, and one
dealing with vacation awards. The four-member Board will deliberate over these arguments
tomorrow, and must render a decision within 30 days. The MEC will publish the decisions as
soon as they become available.
Executive Board Meeting
MEC Chairman Don Steinman and Vice Chairman Darcy Pierce are in Herndon this week
attending the Executive Board meeting. They will be back in the office next week.
That concludes this week’s Hotline update. The next update
will be on Thursday, September 17. Fly safe; fly your contract; and thanks for listening.
- Northwest Strike
- MEC Press Release
- FAA Deadlines
- Ballots
- System Board
- Executive Board Meeting
| MEC Hotline | ||
| This is MEC Secretary-Treasurer Mike Calabrese with the America West MEC Hotline update for Thursday, September 11. Tonight’s topics are: |