Good evening, this is Herb Holland with
the MEC hotline for Thursday June 6.
Tonight’s Topics:
1. Professional Standards
2. Meeting with the CEO
3. Family Awareness Event
4. RJs
5. Deal Makers
6. Fatigue
7. Negotiations
8. FAA Duty Limits
9. A Line in the Sand
10. Professionalism
Professional Standards
As the summer and negotiating
season heats up, so too has our anxiety level. This has to be expected
as we approach the end game of C-2000. Appearing shortly at a mail slot
near you will be a Jepp-size message from Professional Standards Committee
Chairman Jill Jesensky. It describes in detail what you should do if you
are confronted with a crew conflict issue. Please follow the instructions
and let’s have a “cool” summer.
If you don’t have the Pro Stan number handy,
get the number from the CP’s office or from Crew Scheduling. But unless
your situation is dire or time critical, do NOT discuss the situation
with anyone but a Pro Stan member. The process works best when we solve
the problems “in house.” Your mediator is the Pro Stan Committee
and all information kept within the committee is guaranteed to be confidential.
If you go directly to the CP or crew scheduling you have no such guarantee.
Meeting with the CEO
On Tuesday, Captain Rep David Chambless, Contract Administrator Andrew
Shostack and I met with CEO Douglas Parker and Vice Presidents Steve Johnson
and Jeff MeClelland. The MEC requested this meeting in an attempt to develop
mutual themes for getting through the summer. We discussed pilot shortages,
grievance backlogs and contract violations as well as empowering pilots
to participate more in safety, security and other related committee topics.
This pilot empowerment theme has been a focus of your MEC for the last
four months.
NO contract issues were addressed. C-2000
is in the trusted and capable hands of our negotiators. It was a productive
meeting. I apologize for being vague, but it is only through confidential
meetings such as this that both management and labor can better develop
working relationships.
Family Awareness Event
Don’t forget to bid around June 30th if you plan to attend the Salmon
Bake and Esteban Concert. We will have weekly reminders and a letter describing
the event will be sent to your home this week. That original party animal,
Archie Turnbull, is working up a great show. If you have to fly that night,
make sure your family can make it. This will be the event of the summer.
RJs
The CRJ 700s may be delayed well beyond the scheduled mid-July start
up date. This is due to both the production line strike in Canada and
fuel tank design and technical difficulties.
Deal Makers
Once again, beware of crew schedulers bearing gifts. If you have
any questions regarding contract legalities, call the MEC office or one
of your elected reps. Don’t forget the “56.” ‘Nuff said.
Fatigue
And don’t forget to obey the FARs and the FOM when it comes to potentially
fatiguing pairings. A very upbeat note on this subject, however. In the
current bid period, 193, we listed the “worst of the worst”
potentially fatiguing pairings. There were 53 pairings flown approximately
230 times. Well, as Scott Andrews and I were working on the list for BP
194, we found only 24 pairing which failed (or passed) the “worst”
list test and they were only flown a total of 30 times! This represents
an 83 percent DECREASE in the number of fatiguing pairings! This is an
unprecedented drop.
While we will still remain diligent in
exposing the worst pairings, we do want to thank all those in flight operations
and crew scheduling who spent the time to “repair the repairable.”
We will all sleep more soundly knowing that a major effort at “Scheduling
with Safety” has begun at America West. I also want to thank Scott
Andrews, Frank Helton, Terry Stadler, Rand Harrell, Jon Turner, the MEC
elected officers, the Chief Pilot’s office and all of you who have contributed
to this effort to “Schedule with Safety.” The BP 194 “list”
should be finalized early next week.
Negotiations
I am going to defer to the Negotiating
Team to inform you of the details, but this week’s sessions, both with
the mediator and in sub-committee, continued to produce positive results.
We have a long way to go, but there is noticeable movement and cooperation
from management.
FAA Duty Limits
The ATA, trade group for the airline industry, lost its appeal of
the FAA’s interpretation of the 16-hour duty period rule (FAR 121.471)
at the Federal Appeals Court level last week. FYI, this is really a non-event
for America West, since our compliance is well ahead of the industry.
Crew Scheduling has fine tuned their efforts to track “close calls.”
But don’t forget two things regarding duty periods: good to start is NOT
good to finish, and the company may share your fine, but they don’t share
your career-threatening violation.
A Line in the Sand
The deadline for articles to be published in the next “Sandy”
is June 13th. This is your forum to express your ideas and your frustrations.
Professionalism
This week has been a stressful one for America West operations. Due
to some planning mistakes, the company has had to cancel a much higher
than normal number of flights. Maintenance and crew shortages have been
the main culprits. Of course, we want to get our point across that we
are assets and we are here to stay. BUT, during the heat of the summer
negotiating season it is IMPERATIVE that we all strive to that higher
level of professionalism which will ultimately be reflected at the negotiating
table.
One additional thought concerning professionalism
“off the court.” Of course it is hot out there, but when you
are off duty and going to the crew lounge or to the Tempe Tombstone, use
some discretion in your attire. These are places of business and if you
are wearing a pilot ID, fellow employees are observing your behavior.
Cutoffs, dirty T-shirts and flip flops? Is that the image we want to portray?
As you can tell, not a lot of news this
week. As we listen to the sounds of Esteban, the MEC just asks you to
remember: we still have 56 pilots on furlough and 28 captains sitting
in the wrong seat. Continue to obey the FARs, obey the FOM and follow
the contract.
Good Evening.
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