MEC Update for Aug 6, 2014
August 6, 2014 at 1:24pm

Fellow Pilots:

Despite some rumors floating around, negotiations between ALPA and Piedmont/Group Representatives have moved forward substantially and constructively. We are now working hard to make sure all language accurately reflects our discussions and resolve the last few items. We believe this can be done relatively soon and will be providing more concrete information in the near future.

Just getting an Agreement has not been our goal or yours. Stabilizing and continuing Piedmont Airlines for pilots who want to stay here, providing more robust career progression for pilots who want to move to our mainline partners, and maintaining the favorable contract standards in the Piedmont Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are the goals we set. We believe that we have negotiated amendments that will allow for a re-fleeting of Piedmont, as the Dash-8 aircraft will be timing out soon. We have also bargained a seniority-based, non-subjective flow-through to US Airways and American, as well as retaining our favorable CBA.

Like every Agreement, this one will have at least a few detractors. Some Piedmont pilots may forget the key goals mentioned above and focus only on the things that they do not like. Well, this pilot group has been clear: You said that achieving our bigger goals meant that we had latitude to make contract amendments that make Piedmont more attractive as a destination for jets and help the Company survive.

We believe firmly that our big goals have been achieved without sacrificing CBA cornerstones. Just as important in this deal is that improvements to the flow-through will be effective upon ratification, but nothing else changes until and unless new aircraft actually start arriving at Piedmont.

Let’s be frank and honest; you may hear complaints from pilots at other airlines who forget or did not know that we negotiated for and were promised jets in 2002. We even won an arbitration on this issue, but those jets were never delivered. Instead, they went to other carriers while we patiently supported their bargaining efforts. Your Negotiating Committee has kept our profession’s interests in mind by always fighting hard for the great contract we have.

Many of us still benefit from a Defined Benefit Retirement Plan, Piedmont pilots still have much lower health care premiums than other carriers, our favorable vacation bidding and scheduling provisions are not found in many other contracts, and many industry peers do not have a real minimum day for both line holding and reserve pilots like we do. Finally, our Dash-8 pay rates are high – even in comparison with bigger or faster aircraft types. So for us and other pilots, the Piedmont CBA has always and will continue to set a high bar. This has been established by previous Piedmont MECs and Negotiating Committees and we were not about to veer off that course.

Thank you for your patience and support over the many months that it took to negotiate these amendments. We look forward tosharing more information with you soon.

Sincerely,
Captain Bruce Freedman
Piedmont MEC Chairman