Last Friday, April 20, 2012, US Airways management signed Conditional Labor Agreements (CLAs) and “Agreements of Support” with the three largest American Airlines labor unions in order to pursue a merger between the two airlines. These agreements represent significant steps toward US Airways’ goal of merging with American Airlines. Mr. Parker has apparently been in negotiations with the three unions for several months as the CLAs are quite well developed. As more details emerged, we, like you, learned that in addition to sewing up support from American’s three major unions, Mr. Parker has assembled a financial proposal which is sure to be competitive against American Airlines' CEO Tom Horton’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline.

The enthusiasm with which the Allied Pilots Association (APA) is promoting the possibility of a merger, and their eagerness to sign the contract offered to them by Doug Parker, should come as no surprise considering the alternative that is staring them in the face courtesy of the bankruptcy court: “In fact, if management implemented their 1113 motion, the APA leadership and its advisers believe that the APA pilots would have the worst labor contract in the US airline industry “(APA: “AA-US Airways, our best alternative”)

However, many of the provisions the APA has already tentatively agreed to with US Airways management amount to serious concessions from the America West Contract, and some sections may even be worse than LOA 93! In light of the unilateral nature of negotiations so far, this is understandable, but not at all acceptable. For instance, the AWA scheduling section is, in most respects, industry-leading and should not be discarded in the interest of expediency. The same is true with most other aspects of the West agreement, other than pay. But even West pay, due to the other provisions of our contract, is significantly higher than it appears at first glance. It is our impression that our former AWA management may have mislead the APA into thinking they are getting a great deal in their haste to come to an agreement. But, we believe most West pilots would view vast swaths of the APA Agreement with Doug Parker as major, unacceptable concessions.

We know many of you are wondering what impact this has on the seniority dispute. At this time, the answer is straightforward: nothing. In the not-to-distant future, these events will likely create the “painfully ripe” threshold which Judge Tashima set as a condition for the West pilots to pursue DFR II. To us at Leonidas, and we presume most West pilots as well, the West perspective of this proposed merger is that of curious observers. We have made it clear for almost five years now: The West will not be bullied into acquiescing or forfeiting our seniority rights. When the founders of USAPA removed our collective bargaining voice, they also permanently removed the possibility of a compromise. Hence, there is only one seniority list recognized by US Airways, and that remains the Nicolau. It matters not with whom we might merge, or how much (or little) money is on the table. If handled properly, we think this transaction has potential benefits for every pilot involved, but we will not sacrifice our rights to accommodate it at our expense. And, regardless of whether or not this transaction comes to fruition, we wish our colleagues at American Airlines nothing but the best. However, we must remain abundantly clear today, just as we have been all along: there remains is no ability (or desire) for the West to negotiate away any of the rights embodied in the Nicolau Award, and we will continue to vigorously defend those rights.

Since 2007, we have managed to fund the litigation necessary to defend our seniority rights all by ourselves, as we had no one else to rely on. Many of our pilots have contributed, and continue to give to support our plight even in the face of personal financial hardship. Most of our former AWA pilots continued to fund our litigation even as they were on furloughed status. We salute those who have stood up for yourselves, your families, your fellow AWA pilots, and the rule of law by giving sacrificially to Leonidas, LLC as we seek to protect all of our careers.

Thank you for your support!

Leonidas, LLC

http://www.cactuspilot.com