This is Herb Holland with the MEC hotline
for June 13.
Tonight’s Topics:
1. Contract Negotiations
2. Major Contingency Fund
3. Finger Printing
4. Finger Pointing
5. Crew Scheduling
6. Dealmakers
7. Medical Benefits Debacle
8. Fatigue
9. Salmon Bake and Esteban Concert
10. Professionalism
Contract Negotiations
We have a two-week break before we get back to the table the week
of June 24th. Once again, the only sections on the table are Scheduling
and related sections. Hourly compensation is not on the table. Once again,
we are NOT discussing pay.
Major Contingency Fund
There seems to be some misunderstanding about the status of our $3
million Major Contingency Fund grant from ALPA. The Executive Council
initially approved the grant last July and it was subsequently authorized
by the Board of Directors, pending approval of a budget. The purpose of
this grant is to help fund communications, family awareness, strike preparedness,
and pilot-to-pilot activities as our negotiations approach the end game.
The MEC along with the SPC, Family Awareness and Communications committees
developed an MCF budget that was to be presented to the Executive Council
for approval in September. We all know what happened then. Since our negotiations
were put on hold after 9-11, there was no immediate need for us to continue
developing an MCF budget based on a negotiating timeline that no longer
existed.
Now that we are negotiating on a fairly
aggressive schedule, Secretary-Treasurer Ted Phipps is working with the
chairmen of the committees mentioned above to reformulate our MCF budget
based on the new timeline. In addition, the federal government has put
new reporting requirements on unions effective this year that require
the budget to be set up differently than our original MCF budget from
last year. What is the point to all this? Well, quite simply, our MCF
grant is not gone, nor is it being held hostage. The money is there and
has been allocated for use by the AWA MEC once our budget is complete
and approved. Just for comparison, the ATA MEC received final approval
on their MCF budget in May, nearly two months after they opened their
strike center. This is a process that all member airlines must go through,
and it can take time. But that does not mean we cannot or will not continue
developing the tools we’ll need to prepare for any outcome as our negotiations
continue.
Finger Printing
In an effort to comply with TSA regulation 108.229, the company will
be in the pilot lounge over the next few weeks to fingerprint pilots.
This is not a contract issue. It is mandated by Federal law. If you have
any issue in your background which you might be concerned about, please
contact our contract administrator at the ALPA office.
Finger Pointing
Once again, the company has found itself short staffed, resulting
in 74 cancellations last weekend alone. And just as in early March, rumors
started emerging that there was a pilot sickout. I think the Executive
Vice President’s Tuesday memorandum to all employees answered that question.
And as in March, one cause was trying to fly too many aircraft with too
few pilots.
Crew Scheduling
And once again reinventing the wheel, operations and crew scheduling
have come up with some truly unique ways to staff the airline. First,
the company cancelled ground school and simulator training sessions, sending
pilots out on trips or assigning line holders “AT” status. This
was done totally out of the bounds of the CBA. One pilot, whose uniform
was at the dry cleaners, is flying in his civilian clothes, carrying a
letter from the chief pilot approving of his attire. I hope the company
buys him a clean set of underwear for the layover. They even tried making
an illegal leg “legal” with a six minute turn. A quick heads
up call to the Scheduling committee and the CP’s office put a stop to
that one.
Dealmakers
And one reason that crew scheduling is short of pilots is that this
pilot group is no longer cutting deals which clearly violate the contract.
Pilots are reading the contract and contacting their representatives when
they are confronted with a potential deal making violation. We have not
had any reports of insubordination, so we must conclude that pilots are
not making themselves targets. When faced with a gray area, pilots are
flying under protest and grieving later. And that is the consistent message
being sent out by the MEC.
And pilots are educating fellow pilots
on potential violations. Does this mean you can’t use TAS to pick an open
trip? Of course not! Does that mean you can’t trade one DO for another?
Of course not! Does this mean you can’t trade one golden day for another
in accordance with the CBA? Of course not! And as long as pilots stay
within the CBA no one will ever be accused of deal making.
For Crew Scheduling, the days of “staffing
the airline right” through the underground economy of deals appear
to be over. The message to the company is loud and clear. We will no longer
be slave to the phone. We will no longer fly when fatigued. And we will
no longer mask Crew Scheduling shortages.
Medical Benefits Debacle
Last Thursday the MEC received a letter from the company which, in
our opinion, violates not only an arbitration award but three years of
open and notorious past practice and is a provocative violation of the
same “Status Quo” the company expects of us during contract
negotiating season. Unfortunately there was an internal MEC leak of information
which found its way anonymously to the Yahoo message board and then on
to our AWALPA web board. This leak improperly characterized the proposed
change in company policy and has cost the MEC considerable time this week
in addressing the problem. The leak was inflammatory in nature and its
author has caused considerable distress to MEC operations.
Here is part of that quote (if you want
to read more of this inaccurate statement, please go to our ALPA web board,
under the thread entitled “Rumors and truth”):
“In effect they are going to cut off
long term medical benefits at the age of 60, even though the Contract
specifies that benefits shall be paid until the Pilot reaches his normal
Social Security Retirement Age. It should be noted that the company has
been paying these benefits up to this point.”
The above statement is both confusing and
inaccurate. What happened is this: the company has proposed discontinuing
subsidized medical benefits to pilots who are on LTD and over age 60 at
the active employee rates. In other words, medically retired pilots who
are in this category will see their premiums dramatically increase by
as much as six fold from present rates. We will have the full text of
the company’s letter on the MEC website this evening.
Rest assured: your MEC is fully engaged
in solving this issue before it takes effect on August 1st. This MEC will
not turn its back on its disabled brothers and sisters. But despite our
warnings to the company, the letters went out to the affected disabled
retired pilots today.
Fatigue
At the quarterly company safety meeting this afternoon, the company
claimed that our fatigue awareness campaign has caused fatigue calls to
increase 300 to 400 percent. If this is true, I challenge the company
to show us the data and compare that data with sick calls. Meanwhile,
we are cautioning all pilots: do not use a fatigue call as a scheduling
enhancement device. It is unfair not only to the company, but to the reserve
pilot who has to replace you. And remember, the fatigue education campaign
was NEVER intended to be even slightly disguised as a job action. Do not
pervert safety into your own personal vendetta.
Salmon Bake and Esteban Concert
Now that lines are published for BP 194, don’t forget to get your
tickets for the Salmon Bake and Esteban Concert on Sunday, June 30th.
Call the MEC office at 602-306-4100 for tickets.
Professionalism
As of today we still have 56 pilots on furlough and over 830 contributors
to FPL. The best way you can show your unity through the summer is to
be professional in the cockpit, be professional in the Jetway and be professional
in your dealings with passengers and fellow employees. So continue to
obey the FARs, continue to obey the FOM and continue to follow the contract.
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