1. MEC Quarterly Meeting
2. One Sleepless Night
3. Sick Calls
4. Deal Makers
5. No More Crew Meals?
6. Professional Standards
7. Security Training
8. Industrial Relations: Cactus Bob Returns
9. R and I
10. Next Local Council Meeting
11. Unity Event
12. May COBRA Assessment
13. Negotiating Committee
14. Professionalism
MEC Quarterly Meeting
The MEC completed an extremely
successful two-day quarterly meeting. We will have the minutes and all
15 resolutions which were passed posted on the Web Board as soon as Ted
Phipps finishes writing them up. I will touch on the high points throughout
this hotline. We had either written or in person reports from all of our
committee chairmen. We successfully experimentedwith a different meeting
format. In our continuing attempt to open meetings, we solicited comments
from all members who attended as the meeting progressed.
One Sleepless Night
The night of May 1st/2nd was particularly difficult for me. I didn’t
mind being woken up at midnight and then again at 3 a.m. That is part
of the job. But I was fatigued myself when I got the calls and didn’t
use my best judgment. We had four legitimate fatigue calls from pilots
flying out of LAS. Each crew member was released, but the ones who were
released in LAS were deadheaded home on the midnight troop ship. I didn’t
think about the consequences of their deadheading home and then having
to drive. I called all of them the next day, ostensibly to get the facts
on their fatigue calls. I was really calling to make sure they made it
home OK.
Hence, a new piece of the MEC Fatigue Policy:
if you are at an outstation and call in fatigued, the company has the
option of deadheading you home or finding you a hotel in the city where
you are fatigued. If you have any doubt about your ability to drive home
after deadheading to PHX, stay where you are. Insist on a hotel room.
You have the option under the deadheading section of the contract to return
home SA2P at your leisure. If crew scheduling refuses to get you a hotel
room, call any of your reps, give us the facts and your union will pay
for your room. No, that does not mean an MGM Grand Suite, but it does
mean a comfortable room where you can recover. The outline of the new
fatigue policy can be read on the Web Board, under the thread entitled
LAS Fatigue, posts 13 and 14. I’ll copy both of them at the bottom of
this hotline, as the hotline is already too long. A full comprehensive
copy of the MEC’s Fatigue Advisory will be sent to your home shortly.
If you have any questions about the policy, and before you make any decision
you are not comfortable with, call the office or call your LEC rep.
Sick Calls
If you are on a trip and decide to call in sick or fatigued for that
matter, be prepared to pull yourself off the trip immediately. Don’t violate
FAR 91.13. Be very careful saying the words: “I’m OK to continue
to PHX, but I won’t be able to go any further.” When tapes can be
used against pilots, they never seem to lose them.
Deal Makers
The MEC voted unanimously to start fining pilots who violate any
provision of the contract. Dealmakers will get one written notice and
then be subject to a substantial fine. Details will be in the MEC minutes
and widely distributed before the program begins.
No More Crew Meals?
The bid packets for BP 193 have been distributed without listing
crew meals. The crew meal program has NOT been cancelled; just one more
mistake by crew “planning.” We’ll work on getting a list out
to everyone’s mailbox. And speaking of crew meals, Del Brummett is doing
a great job at policing the crew meal agreement. He is working closely
with the company and problems are being identified and fixed.
Professional Standards Conference
Last week, America West Captain Mike Calabrese, coordinator of the
ALPA National Professional Standards Committee, completed a successful
weeklong conference in Manhattan Beach, CA. More than 150 participants
from 25 airlines from around the world showed up. As we are all aware,
Mike Calabrese developed an industry-leading Pro Stan program that was
memorialized in a Letter of Agreement with America West. One of the provisions
of the LOA was for company management participation in such conferences.
As you might expect, America West operations managers were no shows at
the meeting. This is, of course, a violation of the contract.
Security Training
The company is making an attempt to work with pilots on scheduling
the FAA/TSA mandated security course. Contact Mark Lee in training scheduling
if you need special assistance in scheduling your training. Contacting
him will not be considered making a deal. Dropping below 10 days off as
a reserve in order to complete the course is against the contract.
Industrial Relations Committee
After a five-year hiatus, “Cactus
Bob” has rejoined the MEC leadership team; this time as chairman
of the Industrial Relations Committee. No more Mr. Nice guy. Bob’s back
and he’s packin’ an attitude.
R and I
The R and I Committee is at critical staffing. If you are willing
to volunteer for a thankless, unpaid job listening to human misery, listening
to how the company abuses the Insurance Benefits section of the contract,
listening to personal problems you never thought ever existed, banging
your head against the wall, watching the slow pace of corporate bureaucracy,
running up against one brick wall after another, then this IS the committee
for you. Actually, if you join the committee, we will give you a free
cell phone and lots of free night and weekend minutes.
Mike Plapp is also looking for volunteers
for the Hotel Committee.
Next Local Council Meeting
The next Local Council meeting
will be held at the Doubletree Suites on Thursday, May 30th, starting
at 6 p.m. We will be electing an interim First Officer Rep. at the meeting.
No proxies will be allowed.
Unity Event
Don’t forget to set aside next Thursday, May 16th for a major unity
event at the Doubletree Suites, 44th and Van Buren starting with a light
buffet dinner and adult beverages at 6 p.m. So we know how many chicken
wings to order for Scott Germain, an R.S.V.P. would be appreciated by
Tuesday noon. Call Sandy at the office, 602-306-4100 or send an e-mail
to [email protected]. Happy hour refreshments will be courtesy of your MEC
(and your dues dollars). Phil Comstock will be our special guest speaker.
May COBRA Assessment
JUST SAY NO! Don’t pay the May bill. It was sent out in error by ALPA
billing in Herndon. If you paid, it will credited back to your account.
Negotiating Committee
Our Negotiating Committee is in Herndon for the next 10 days, putting
together the final details of Section 25, scheduling. Their whole emphasis
is exploring the world of greed: greed for pay or greed for days off.
A nirvana world where equilibrium is king, where choice is queen and flexibility
is all aces. Look for the company’s jaws to drop when we resume negotiations
the last week of May.
Professionalism
Once again your MEC is fielding calls from pilots whose patience-low-level-light
is flashing bright red. Take heed: relief is just a pin away. And it is
a RED ONE. We have finally received the 2002 FPL pins and will start distributing
them this weekend to those 660 pilots who have contributed to FPL. Wear
that pin with pride, just as you wear that uniform with pride. After all,
this is OUR airline. We are number one and it is all of us doing our jobs
that continue to make us number one. Make safety your number-one objective
this week. Don’t fly when you are sick; don’t fly when you are fatigued.
As of today we still have 56 pilots on furlough and 28 captains sitting
in the wrong seat.
Thanks for listening.
Basic Guidelines which will be formulated
into precise language. If you are uncertain about these guidelines, contact
your MEC or status reps before making that fatigue call.
From: JOHN MC ILVENNA [email protected]
Date: Thursday, May 09, 2002 12:37 AM
We essentially changed MEC policy this
week from what we spoke about. Our new policy is to simply be very aware
of any fatiguing pairings that you may have and simply call in fatigued
when and if you are fatigued. Do not call the CP office in advance. Call
them from the jetway or cockpit and get away from the airplane. Once you
use the “F” word there is no going back as you have just incriminated
yourself if something were to happen if you continue. Apparently the Company’s
senior managers prefer to cancel flights than to deal with the fatigue
problem in a pro-active and preventative manner. Marketing runs the schedules,
Flt Ops mgmt continually tells us they have no say. SOOOOO…. Do what
you gotta do to get away from the airplane.
Please keep track of the time, date and
crew scheduler you talk to. When calling in fatigued from LAS, do not
attempt to deadhead home – find a hotel tell the crew scheduler on the
recorded line that you are too fatigued to continue and that state law
requires drivers to avoid driving when they know they are impaired.
If Crew Scheduling refuses to get you a
room, please wake one of us up, get a reservation, wake up a FODO and
go to the hotel. We will back you up and reimburse you as required and
file the necessary paperwork with the Company.
More on this in an upcoming eNews.
Regards,
John Mc.
From: HERB HOLLAND [email protected]
Date: Thursday, May 09, 2002 03:33 AM
To all:
John got to the web board before me and
has covered our new fatigue policy. It is consistent with the FOM 09.010.08
(9.167).
But keep in mind the following: if CS chooses
to have you: “(2) Deadhead to home domicile and be released….,”
you must evaluate whether you feel able to drive home after deadheading.
As John has stated, if you think you will be too fatigued to drive home,
wake one of us up, get a hotel room in LAS (or where ever your final destination
may be) and get a good night’s sleep. You are able to do this under the
provisions of the CBA, Section 8, G: “A Pilot scheduled to deadhead
on the last leg of his pairing (which this would be) may do so on any
flight.” You just don’t get positive space if you take a different
flight. But this MEC is committed to your safety, not only in the cockpit
but also on your drive home.
Regarding your pay: There is no provision
in the Contract which allows the company to take you below 77 hours for
calling in fatigued. The company may try to use Section 4,H,4, proration
of pay: “Pilots who voluntarily dropbelow the bid period guarantee
shall incur a prorated loss in pay.” But if you call in fatigued,
it is not a VOLUNTARY, but a mandatory call. And as such should not be
subject to Section 4,H,4. We will obviously have to test those waters.
To fly fatigued would be a clear violation
of FAR 91.13, FAR 61.53, FOM 9.165, 9.167, 9.168, and FOM 3.100. That
would look great in the
headlines: “America West docks pilots who refuse to fly when fatigued.”
I don’t think the company would want that kind of publicity. And if you
attempt to get back on the pairing and are NOT permitted to do so, then
you have definitely NOT voluntarily dropped below the bid period guarantee.
And you should NOT be penalized.
As the company continues to increase the
number of marketing driven 24 hour MSOT and WOCL incursions and other
fatiguing pairings, we would expect that fatigue calls will increase.
One of our most important jobs as an MEC, assisted by the Scheduling and
Central Air Safety Committees, is to educate every pilot to the dangers
of flying certain particularly onerous pairings.
We cannot stop pilots from flying black
flag pairings. But we will make it quite clear why they are dangerous.
For your MEC, the mission is clear: to help make America West the safest
and most efficient airline in the industry. This is OUR company and we
all take pride in delivering the finest product in the industry.
We hope that the company will join us in
our endeavors to follow the ALPA motto: “Schedule With Safety.”
If they don’t want to be part of the solution, then they ARE the problem.
As I often emphasize, however, do not use fatigue as a scheduling enhancement
device. That would be unfair to the reserve pilot who is already flying
too much. Play by the rules. Continue to obey the FARs, continue to obey
the FOM, and continue to follow the contract.
“The story of coal is always the same.
It is a dark story. For a second’s more sunlight, men must fight like
tigers. For the privilege of seeing the color of their children’s eyes
by the light of the sun, fathers must fight like beasts in the jungle.
That life may have something of decency, something of beauty — a picture,
a new dress, a bit of cheap lace fluttering in the window — for this,
men who work down in the mines must struggle and lose, struggle and win.”
From the autobiography of Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, “The
Most Dangerous Woman in America.”
| Good evening, this is Herb Holland with the MEC hotline for Thursday May 9th. This will be a long one, so have patience. Tonight’s topics: |
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