contrail67

yea..just going with the last guys spelling of it...

SoCalGuy

"Here Kitty Kitty......."

ewrbasedpilot

I know.......just pulling your leg!

oldmako

With all due respect and not directed at you personally, hoping and praying will have zero outcome on the 70 seat (and on down to 50) issue. The PILOTS and their families hold the key. You and I must be ready to walk the line, and if necessary walk away from this job. If we don't, then the job will surely disappear over the next 10 years as tilton/smisek continue to cover our flying with whomever they can. Their mission is to stomp us like bugs, line their pockets and continue the movement toward the virtual airline.

Now is the time to be padding your strike fund and getting your financial house of cards in order. I hope you've heard the term "six months saved" by now and are well on your way. We can argue till the cows come home about whether or not the administration will allow us to walk but that is not the point. We must demonstrate the will and the resolve to park these things at the direction of our union.

Anything short of that and we'll get rolled.

Just my opinion.

EWRflyr

With all due respect and not directed at you personally, but the day to start building up a strike fund is the day you enter this industry. Every time we are in contract negotiations or merger scenarios we are told "time to start getting your financial house in order *WINK*" as a hint to tell us we may need to strike. Most financial analysts say to have 6-8 months of an emergency fund anyway. This industry has proven to be more volatile than most IMO and 9/11 proved that. It pay to ALWAYS be ready, not just when we think we'll need to be.

Boneman

It is a hollow victory. They are still flying 70 seat RJs out of our hubs, on our routes using our gates and gate agents in violation of the intent of the CBA. Yes, the decision puts a crimp in the revenue generated from these flights, while making it harder for our customers to book a flight. It also makes it more difficult to non-rev or jumpseat to work for us. A cease and desist order is what is needed and that will only come if the Union challenges the company in court.

oldmako

EWRflyer,

Need not worry about me Homes, it's in the bank. It was depleted during my furlough but has been replenished since recall. I'm ready. Worry about those who hope and pray and are unwilling to do ANYTHING else. F'n pillow biters.

EWRflyr

Didn't think I did, but the above advice is what I give to all newbies in any segment of this industry. It's wise to be prepared for anything that any management does at any time at any airline.

LifeNtheFstLne

Jan. 12, 2011


ARBITRATION COMPLIANCE

As you are well aware, on Dec. 30, 2010, ALPA won its case in the expedited arbitration over the Company’s planned flights using 70-seat jets out of CAL hubs using the CO designator code. The arbitrator ordered management to “cease and desist advertising and placing the CO code” on “UAX jet aircraft with a certification of of fifty one or greater seats from CLE, EWR, and IAH…” This was an important step in our ongoing efforts to enforce our current contract until we can negotiate new scope provisions that meet the goals of our pilots in the JCBA.

When we told you of the arbitrator’s award in late December, we also indicated that we would be closely monitoring the Company’s compliance with the arbitrator’s decision. As it quickly became apparent that there were numerous and substantial compliance issues, we immediately took additional steps in protection of our contract—communicating documented violations to management and advising them that we require information about how they would rectify the deficiencies. When progress remained slower than we deemed acceptable, we issued formal demand letters from our ALPA attorneys. We also asked you, the pilot group, to act as our additional eyes and ears and report back to us with information about compliance issues. Please continue to send this information to [email protected]. Thanks to your efforts, we have continued to press the Company for strict and immediate compliance and are carefully building our case for further action.

While the Company has taken steps toward compliance, we have not been satisfied with the speed nor the degree of performance to date. The fact is management could be in complete compliance with the arbitrator’s award by simply substituting 50-seat jets for the 70-seat aircraft or by up-gauging the flights to B-737s and having them flown by Continental pilots. Another alternative is to move the flights from Continental’s SHARES reservation and management system to United’s Apollo system. When management first announced their intentions, we warned them not to proceed with plans to use the CO designator code on the relevant UAX flights pending the arbitrator’s ruling. In moving forward anyway, they chose to create the very problems they now face. It is now their job to find and implement the solutions.

On Monday, Jan. 10, we demanded that management come into compliance with the arbitrator’s award and provide us a letter explaining how the various identified problems have been corrected no later than Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011. (Read the letter.) We received the Company’s reply to this letter yesterday. In short, management believes that the Company’s current efforts, which have focused primarily on not selling future 70-seat UAX flights with the Continental code, and only secondarily, on some but not all aspects of de-identifying already sold 70-seat UAX flights as Continental flights, are in accordance with the award and that arbitrator Bloch should decide any differences between the parties as to whether his award requires additional remedial action. We have informed the arbitrator and management in writing that he is not empowered to decide such issues unless and until both parties agree that his is the proper forum in which to do so. The arbitrator has scheduled a conference call to hear a more complete explanation of both sides’ positions later this week.

Our pilots and our union will not accept continued noncompliance. We are not without options and there are several different paths available to achieve compliance with the award. The MEC has been updated on the issue throughout this process, with the most recent informational call held earlier this week to discuss and evaluate our alternatives. We will inform you about the details of the union’s course of action after we know more from the arbitrator. As we have said, this effort is only one part of a continuing program to preserve our rights under our current contract, which we must continue to protect until we have negotiated new scope provisions in the JCBA that meet the goals of our pilots for the future.

We will continue to keep you updated.

Daytripper

They're going to have to be hit in the pocket book...and hit hard. That's the only thing that may get their, and the BOD's attention.