This is APA Communications Committee member First Officer Cyndi Dawson with the APA Information Hotline for Friday, October 19.
AMR POSTS ONE OF THE BEST THIRD QUARTERS IN HISTORY: This week, AMR managers announced third-quarter net earnings of $175 million. This was one of the best third-quarter performances in the company's history and the best third quarter in seven years. The quarterly profit was nearly 12 times better than a year ago, and is AMR’s sixth straight profitable quarter.
The earnings announcement also indicated that AMR’s corporate fundamentals are strong, as both passenger loads and yields are up. In addition, AMR’s balance sheet continues to improve as debt is reduced while available cash increases. Please refer to this week's APA News Digest for a detailed article on the earnings announcement by our own Director of Industry Analysis Drew Keith.
Our reaction to the third-quarter earnings is that these continued profitable performances indicate it is far past time that we, the ones who daily make these profits possible, are rewarded for our continued sacrifices and efforts. It is time for management to join us at the bargaining table and live up to their promise of “shared reward.”
AER LINGUS PILOTS DEFEND THEIR SCOPE RIGHTS: In other airline industry news, an ugly battle over critical scope issues at Aer Lingus was resolved this week. Over the last few weeks, Aer Lingus management attempted to circumnavigate contractual scope provisions by forcing IALPA pilots to accept the opening of foreign bases that would not be subject to the Aer Lingus pilot contract. Specifically, those bases would be operated by new pilots not part of IALPA’s seniority list, and under sub-standard employment terms and conditions.
IALPA refused to accept under any conditions this destruction of their scope provisions. As the battle heated up, APA President Captain Lloyd Hill was in frequent contact with IALPA President Captain Evan Cullen. When the threat of a lockout of Aer Lingus pilots by management was looming, APA pledged logistical and financial support to the IALPA pilots. Reportedly, our pledge of support was essential to motivating Aer Lingus management to settle the dispute. While the details of the final agreement are forthcoming, Aer Lingus management has acceded that all pilots who fly for Aer Lingus, regardless of where they are based, will be on the IALPA seniority list. We congratulate the Aer Lingus pilots on the defense of their contract. Failure to do so could have resulted in a dangerous scope precedent for the airline industry.
SUPPLEMENT W NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE: In a development closer to home, the negotiations to resolve the outstanding grievances associated with Supplement W continued this week. Supplement W of our contract is a multi-party agreement that contains the details of what we know as the “American Eagle flow-through program” and its counterpart, the American Airlines furlough protection program. The interested parties to this agreement are APA, which is representing our interests; ALPA, which is representing the Eagle pilots; and American Airlines and American Eagle managements.
Supplement W was created in 1997 and the original designers did not adequately anticipate the complications associated with events we have endured over the last 10 years, including major furloughs of AA pilots and the acquisition of TWA. As a result, a number of grievances involving Supplement W have arisen.
Several months ago, all four interested parties entered negotiations in an attempt to resolve the outstanding grievances prior to arbitration. This week, Captain Lloyd Hill instructed APA’s negotiating team to either reach an acceptable resolution or send the grievances on to arbitration so the negotiators could return to fully focusing on Section 6. The final hours of negotiation are ongoing even as we speak. We will update all of you next week with the details of the final outcome.
NEW APA MEMBERSHIP ID CARDS: Many of you have received your new APA membership card, which was mailed last week. The card for active members has been redesigned and is intended to be an ID hanger. We would like to remind all of you that the new ID should replace the current P.U.P. ID hangers and prominently identify each of us a proud union member. Once you receive it, please display your union membership card proudly.
APA LIVE: We are excited to announce the launch of APA Live next Thursday, Oct. 25. APA Live will be a weekly live forum starting at noon Central Standard Time. Members are encouraged to call in with questions at 1-877-sky1apa that’s 877-759-1272, or submit e-mails to apalive@alliedpilots.org. For more information, look for the APA Live link on the members' homepage of our Web site. Please join us for this first edition, where you will have an opportunity to meet our National Officers.
APA NEGOTIATIONS WEB SITE AND NEWS DIGEST: Finally today, we want to encourage all members to go check out the new apanegotiations.com Web site. This Web site is designed to serve as an information resource for American Airlines pilots, employees, the media and traveling public. Apanegotiations.com will feature continuously updated information about the state of contract negotiations between the Allied Pilots Association and American Airlines.
We also want to encourage all members to read this week’s APA News Digest. This week’s edition contains a look at upcoming negotiations, a report on AMR’s third quarter earnings, and a report from a recent airline labor and employment law conference in Washington, D.C.
That’s all we have for today’s hotline. It’s time to get prepared and get involved! Thanks for checking this message.
