Good Evening, this is Herb Holland with
the MEC hotline for Thursday, August 29th. Tonight’s hot topics are:
1. Executive Council Resolution
2. Fingerprinting and Passports
3. United Way Campaign
4. Simulator Seat Support
5. Labor Day Parade and Strike Center
6. Fatigue Grievance
7. Career Day
8. Committee Volunteers
9. Aircraft 635
10. On the Road to Recovery
11. Professionalism
Executive Council Resolution
This is a quote from USAir’s August
21st Code-a-Phone message: “ALPA’s Executive Council passed a resolution
this week opposing the formation of an alter-ego airline to Mesa, Freedom
Airlines…ALPA will use all appropriate Association resources to oppose
the formation of Freedom Airlines and its operation as an alter-ego airline.
The formation of Freedom is particularly troublesome in light of the facts
that pilots of CCAir, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mesa, remain on furlough.
As a reminder to USAirways pilots, Freedom Airlines is not an ALPA carrier,
and their pilots are not permitted to occupy the jumpseat.”
For further details on Freedom Air, go
to the MEC page on the ALPA site and click on the article under highlights.
Fingerprinting and Passports
If you haven’t been fingerprinted
or turned in a copy of your passport or birth certificate, you need to
do so immediately. The company is extending the deadline until Friday,
September 6. You’ll have to go over to the company HQ between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m. next week to complete the process.
United Way Campaign
Don’t forget that the MEC, in coordination with the Chief Pilot’s
Office, will be actively participating in this year’s United Way Drive.
This is not an America West corporate campaign. This is a campaign organized
and coordinated by America West employee volunteers. The campaign kicks
off in mid-September and your MEC is lending its full support to help
those in need.
Simulator Seat Support
Speaking of support, if you
are a reserve pilot and called out for Simulator Seat Support, remember
that you are covered by the constraints of Section 25, Scheduling, not
Section 11, which is training. If you are in training, Section 11, J,
8 is controlling: “Simulator periods shall not be scheduled for more
than four (4) hours duration, exclusive of briefings and debriefings,
in any calendar day. A-320 type rating check rides may be scheduled for
up to five (5) hours.” There has been no reported incident when a
pilot performing seat support has been in the sim longer than five hours.
The length of time you may be required to perform seat support is not
defined in the contract. Another one of those gray areas we are attempting
to clear up in C-2000. The question has come up concerning the fatigue
that can result from performing back-to-back sessions going beyond four
hours. If you have gone over four hours in the sim and feel either your
license or the session’s outcome may be in jeopardy due to fatigue, find
a convenient time to stop the simulator session and explain the situation
to the instructor or check airman. Our experience with flight standards
and the training department has always been positive when approached in
this manner.
Labor Day Parade and Strike Center
Don’t forget that your union
will be marching in this Monday’s Annual AFL-CIO Labor Day Parade. Due
to the heat, the uniform of the day will be conservative shorts, ball
caps, comfortable shoes and your ALPA Solidarity T-Shirt. If you don’t
have a T-shirt yet, we will provide them at the parade. We will assemble
on 5th Street between Jefferson and Washington no later than 7:30 AM.
Please refer to tonight’s blast e-mail or the MEC website for further
instructions.
The original plan was to finish the parade and adjourn to the Strike Center
for a tour and lunch. Unfortunately, ALPA National’s real estate representatives
dropped the ball and, as of this hotline, we still don’t have a signed
lease. Lacking a signed lease, we’ll join the AFL-CIO picnic at the end
of the parade. Make no mistake; this is a setback for our SPC and a sore
point between us and ALPA National, but not one we can’t overcome. No
worries, however. Today, SPC Chairman Alan Crawford and Secretary-Treasurer
Ted Phipps located an ideal location off of West Broadway in Tempe. We
plan to sign a lease tomorrow and move in next week.
Fatigue Grievance
This week, the Grievance Committee
received the long anticipated VP denial of Minimum Line Guarantee for
a pilot who dropped below 77 hours due to fatigue. In his two-page denial,
the VP of Flight Ops stated in part: “The policy is consistent with
those in place at other carriers. The company specifically does not want
pilots to fly when fatigued or when their performance may otherwise be
compromised. The FOM Fatigue Policy was, thus, consciously intended, and
written, to be non-disciplinary in nature, underscoring pilots’ ability
to declare fatigue.” A pay deduction for complying with the FARs,
and that’s not discipline? Go figure.
No hotline would be complete without a VP misstatement of the week. The
following statement was pulled directly out of his hotline on August 19th:
“So yes, we’re catching up but we’re also flying more and we have
no one left on furlough, which is good for all of us.” Unfortunately
he was again wrong, because as of today we still have six pilots on furlough.
If you are concerned about whether this was taken out of context, you
can listen to the entire hotline by dialing 480-693-5317.
Career Day
Last Sunday, two Freedom Air
pilots flew a part 91 flight (that’s all you can fly when you don’t have
a certificate) up to Farmington, New Mexico and staged a career day presentation
for the students at Mesa’s San Juan Academy. According to the Freedom
Air pilots, AWA is on the verge of bankruptcy and should we go on strike,
AWA will shut down, immediately go out of business and Freedom will get
all the flying. So, let’s see, an America West pilot pays $50,000 to get
his son or daughter trained at San Juan for an airline career, only to
have that child come back and scab on the parent’s job? That’ll make for
an interesting Thanksgiving dinner.
Committee Volunteers
The clarion call is going out
to any pilot who wants to get involved, who wants to help his union, who
wants to make a difference. Right now we have an acute need for volunteers
on the Central Air Safety Committee, Grievance Committee and the Retirement
and Insurance Committee. Be part of the solution, not just complaining
about the problem.
Airbus 635
As you all are well aware, flight
794 skidded off the runway yesterday evening on landing at Sky Harbor
after the nose wheel collapsed. No crewmembers were injured and passenger
injuries have been reported as minor. Our ALPA Accident Investigation
team is already gathering information and actively involved in the investigation.
Please let the FAA, NTSB, and the ALPA AIC complete their respective investigations.
Do not participate in speculation, rumor or gossip.
On the Road to Recovery
The MEC is happy to report that
Scott Kinney is home and beginning his recovery after some chest pains
sidelined him and he ended up in the hospital for a little bit of surgical
repair. Scott will be benched for a while but would enjoy hearing from
his fellow pilots.
Professionalism
While there can be nothing more
important in our careers than obeying the FARs, obeying the FOM and following
the contract, we also have to be careful that our emotions and frustrations
do not overwhelm us. This is a most stressful time for the airline industry
and America West. The shocks of 9-11, and until recently, the uncertainty
of our company’s very survival and the long delayed C-2000, have taken
their toll. But there are company and union programs in place that can
help ameliorate the stress. And while not a substitute for company stability
and a fair and equitable contract, there is help available. Please call
the ALPA office or your HIMS, Professional Standards or Aeromedical Committees
for help. We’ve come a long way. Don’t give up during the stretch drive.
See you at the parade. Good evening.
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