US Airways Pilots Meet To Hammer Out Agreement

[NewsBot]

The so-called East and West pilot groups at US Airways -- which are operating under separate contracts and separate seniority lists -- met last Friday for the first time since an independent arbitrator attempted to merge their seniority lists on May 3.

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[Doug Taylor]

I do have to admit that it's nice that Doug Parker didn't get his way with our pilot group so I can watch this from the sidelines.

Well, more or less.

The text:

By Jennifer Michels/Aviation Daily
The so-called East and West pilot groups at US Airways -- which are operating under separate contracts and separate seniority lists -- met last Friday for the first time since an independent arbitrator attempted to merge their seniority lists on May 3.

US Airways management has no part in these meetings, and is waiting for the pilots to come back to the table. As US Airways CEO Doug Parker told analysts recently, the former US Airways pilots, known as the East pilots, have asked for the company to negotiate with them separately. "We aren't interested in doing that, and that's where we remain...right now, it's an ALPA to ALPA issue."

Pilots have staunchly opposed the method used to merge their seniority lists. All 24 officers and members of both Master Executive Councils met in Denver Friday, and left open the possibility that they would get together again over the weekend.

The America West side of the group earlier last week declined to meet in Washington, D.C., out of frustration with ALPA national President John Prater and his inaction on forcing the arbitrator's decision. But Prater says that the East pilots learned the hard way what happens when they turn the fate of their careers over to a third party; captains with up to 20 years with the company lost their captain's seat, and would be flying junior to a more America West pilot.

The pilots' meeting comes only two days after a group of US Airways pilots filed with the National Mediation Board (NMB) for a representation election, which would decertify ALPA as the representing union. The group, called the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), was formed by pilots who are unhappy with the order of the merged seniority lists. The new union said it sent the NMB 3,000 signatures in support of an election to take over as the representation body from the Air Line Pilots Association.

USAPA may have unwittingly unified both the East and West pilot groups. John McIlvenna, chairman of the America West pilot group, said USAPA "has no plan, no funding, and no interest in representing all US Airways pilots." Jack Stephan, chairman of the US Airways pilot group, said the best hope for solving the seniority issues is within ALPA.

The NMB must now determine whether it will launch an investigation as requested by USAPA, and then must determine the appropriate craft or class, the number of eligible voters, whether an election should even occur, and the schedules for an electronic vote.

[Chris_Ford]

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[bike21]

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