America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) - America West Pilots Call for Return to Mediated Negotiations

America West Pilots Call for Return to Mediated Negotiations

The pilots of America West Airlines, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), today requested that the National Mediation Board quickly resume mediated negotiations between the union and America West management for a new contract.

``Management has shown their commitment to compensating the government through the terms of their loan guarantee,'' said Eric Edwards, vice chairman of the America West unit of ALPA. ``Now it is time for management to show the same commitment to the employees who have repeatedly sacrificed and invested in this airline by resuming good faith negotiations with us.''

As part of the agreement with the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, America West committed to keeping labor costs to those outlined in the company's seven-year business plan. ``Management has an obligation to negotiate with the unions representing America West employees no matter what commitments they make to the government,'' Edwards said. The pilots believe that this condition imposed by the federal government could interfere with their collective bargaining rights and are exploring all legal options if those rights are restricted.

``The federal government, which is mediating our negotiations as a neutral third party, could become a major shareholder in the airline,'' Edwards said. ``This could present a conflict of interest that would compromise our legal bargaining rights.''

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020116/dcw058_1.html

Possibly they would prefer to be unemployed.

For some insight into the mentality of the pilots go to the United forum and do a search for the user name "Mark Rogers".

Mark is actually one of the more reasonable members of his profession. Some of the more radical pilots are fighting their own kind of "Jihad" for the recognition they believe they deserve (read $$$$$$$). An example is the guys over at UA with the "Highest Pay 'till the Last Day" sitckers on their bags. The HP pilots are, of course, not immune to envy of the pay their brothers are making at the major airlines, even though the only opportunities for unemployed pilots these days is to go fly for commuter planes for pay a couple of thousand dollars a year more then the starting flight attendants make at HP, which is peanuts.

If anybody can run "Cactus" into a Saguaro, it's the pilots. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif