General President, Division Director Meet with British Labor Union for BA Cabin Crews
On Wednesday, General President James Hoffa and Airline Division Director David Bourne met with representatives of Unite, the British labor union representing cabin attendants at British Airways. The BA cabin attendants have been in negotiations for over a year. In November of last year, management imposed arbitrary cuts in staffing and service at the airline. Despite proposing specific cost cutting that will save 62 million dollars; an amount equivalent to the cuts imposed, that would have returned staffing and levels of service that BA is renowned for, management has refused the unions offers. The last proposal from management was to be voted upon by union members, only to have it pulled from the table by management before voting could begin.
“What is occurring at British Airways is not a simple labor dispute,” noted Airline Division Director David Bourne. “The actions of Mr. Walsh; the ongoing abuse directed at the traveling public and loyal employees of this great airline speaks volumes. By putting substandard proposals on the table and then removing them before they can be voted upon, it speaks to the total disregard he maintains for the employees and customers of British Airways” he continued, saying, “The American public has seen firsthand the devastating effects on the U.S. airline industry from union-busters like Mr. Walsh; British Airways, its employees, the travelling public and indeed the people and nation of Great Britain deserve better.”
Bourne went on to say, “It is clear that this action by Mr. Walsh is clearly intended to help the Conservative Party just weeks before a national election in the
FAA Authorization Includes an Increase in Minimum Hours for New Pilots
S 1744, the “Enhancing Flight Crewmember’s Training Bill,” an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization bill, has been modified to gain Senate acceptance and has been included in the FAA Reauthorization Bill. Authored by Senator Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) in response to the Colgan 3407 crash that killed 51 people in Buffalo last year, the original language required newly hired airline pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of specific experience and hold an FAA Airline Transport Pilot license if hired by FAA Part 121 airline operators.
Although supported by the Airline Division and CAPA, the Coalition of Airline Pilot Associations, of which Teamsters is a member, and the families of the crash victims, other airline industry opposed the FAA standard of 1500 hours of specific types of flying for new hire pilots. Senator Schumer, faced with an inability to get sufficient support for the original language that had been lobbied for by the families, modified the language to require a minimum of 800 hours of specific and rigorous flying before a pilot can operate an airliner. The FAA will have until the end of the year to develop and implement the standards. Should they fail to meet the timeline, the amendment calls for the FAA to implement the higher, FAA Airline Transport Pilot standards that Schumer and the families had initially requested.
“Airline pilots hold a special trust when they operate, whether carrying cargo or passengers,” said Airline Division Director Captain David Bourne. We are disappointed that there are some who do not believe that a higher standard should be required. Regardless, we commend Senator Schumer for his diligence on this amendment and to the families of Colgan 3407 for keeping this matter in the national spotlight.”
As Atlas Air Continues Growth, Pilots Share in the Success
Fresh off announcements of additional business, strong profits, the recall of all furloughed pilots and new hiring, the pilots of Atlas Air, members of Local 1224 got some more good news this week: profit sharing. As part of their contract, the pilots are entitled to a portion of profit sharing each year. The recent disbursement totaled 12.9% of the individual crewmembers 2009 salary.
“We’re very fortunate that we are part of a company that has survived a bankruptcy in 2005 and this recession very well,” said Captain Stephen Richards, co-Chairman of the AAWW Transition Executive Council. “This distribution in the largest in our history and speaks well to the management of our company and the hard work and dedication of our pilots.”
Labor Developments
United Airlines pilots and flight attendants marked St. Patrick's Day by picketing the carrier's Chicago headquarters to protest a controversial joint venture with Ireland's Aer Lingus…British Airways cabin crew leaders have called on the Government to launch an urgent investigation into the "rushing through" of 1,000 volunteer staff to help break this weekend's strike…Now that flight attendants at American have asked to be released from mediation, the National Mediation Board will have to make a tough decision. Experts say that decision will likely be to deny the request, which APFA made on Tuesday…and Continental pilots hold an unusual bargaining chip in their negotiations to recover some of the $1 billion in concessions they've made over the past five years. The pilots say a job-protection provision in their contract prohibits the airline from sharing revenue with domestic carriers and that Continental needs them to drop that condition if the company is going to proceed with a lucrative joint venture with United Airlines.
Safety, Security & Regulatory
FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive demanding that all airlines check a mechanism that controls tail laps on 600 Boeing 737’s…a government watchdog faulted FAA for allowing Southwest to fly jets that had not undergone mandatory maintenance work, violating stipulated safety rules…federal regulators have hit American Airlines with $300,000 in new penalties over maintenance issues. FAA said Thursday American's mechanics put off maintenance last year on a part designed to ensure that pilots get accurate readings on speed…and the two Northwest pilots who got distracted and overshot the Minneapolis airport have agreed not to fight the revocations of their licenses but could fly again under an agreement they reached Monday with federal authorities.
Airline Industry Finances & Structure
DOT Three-Hour Tarmac Delay Rule
DOT is investigating the extended tarmac delay of a Virgin America flight at
Miscellaneous
The U.S. Travel Association has appointed a blue-ribbon panel to produce a roadmap for easing airport security hassles. The group includes Tom Ridge, former secretary of Homeland Security; Robert Crandall, former CEO of American Airlines; Jim Turner, former congressman and former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee; and Sam Gilliland, CEO of Sabre Holdings.