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This is your
MEC chairman, Marcin Kolodziejczyk, with an
update for Dec. 2, 2011.
The holiday
frenzy has begun, and it’s not just limited
to the airports, malls, and other stores.
While one may logically assume that business
tends to slow down during this time as
people start focusing more on their
preparations for the holidays, I can assure
you that that isn’t the case within your
union. This week has been hectic as usual,
and I want to take a moment to update you on
a few important items.
First, let’s
talk about schedules. Our Scheduling
Committee has had its hands full fielding
pilots' questions and complaints. It may
only be the second day of the month, but
it’s clear that it will be a brutal one.
Why? Because the company has insufficient pilots
and an unrealistic goal of flying per pilot
for the pairings we had. It’s simply
not mathematically possible to have an
average line value of 87 to 89 hours with
12- to 14-hour 4-day trips. As a result,
nearly every seat at almost all of our bases
was unstacked. In ORD, 71 percent of captain
lines were unstacked, 100 percent of first
officer lines were unstacked, and there are
only 3 first officer reserves for the
month. PHX didn’t fare much better; captain
and first officer lines were unstacked,
there’s less than 10 percent first officer
reserve coverage, an average line value
above 90, and still more than 300
hours of open time. In IAD, 90 percent of
captain and 50 percent of first officer
lines were unstacked. CLT saw the lowest
unstacking with 50 percent for both seats.
Hawaii schedules continue to be a debacle,
and the operation is plagued with
insufficient staffing, unsuitable pairings,
and maintenance issues
Now for some
good news. The company plans to recall 112
pilots for CRJ first officer positions
beginning in Jan. 2012, and classes will be
held through June 2012. This number far
exceeds their initial estimates and will (we
hope) alleviate some of the staffing
pressures. Though there will likely be lean
times ahead, we are certainly looking
forward to welcoming our furloughed pilots
back to the line once they complete their
training in 2-3 months. We also look
forward to the time when all of our
furloughs have been offered an opportunity
to return to Mesa. In the meantime, we will
continue supporting our furloughed pilots
through our Furloughed Pilots Support
Program and doing everything within our
power to accelerate the process. Our
projections that the company would be
severely understaffed by the end of the year
have unfortunately come to pass; we can only
hope that the company will engage with us to
ensure that their staffing model
appropriately covers the flying we currently
have and any opportunities that become
available in the future.
Moving on to
the next topic: the company’s mandatory code
of ethics “training.” Before I begin, I
would like to apologize for not addressing
this issue via the hotline sooner. Your MEC,
along with our contract administrators and
Grievance Committee chairman, began its
investigation immediately following the
company’s announcement that pilots would
need to take the code of ethics training or
be disciplined for non-compliance, and
focused on answering pilots’ questions on a
one-on-one basis. Now, I would like to
report that we have filed a group grievance
over the company’s unilateral implementation
of this training event. Pilots are asked to
comply with the company’s request and take
the training then file a GIR upon its
completion.
In closing, I
would like to say a few words about the
recent bankruptcy filing of AMR Corporation
that included American Eagle, a fellow ALPA
carrier. Rumors will likely run rampant,
just as they did when Mesa filed for
bankruptcy in Jan. 2010. Be mindful of this
and remember not to engage in any
speculation. Bankruptcy is a painful
process, as you well know, and we are
committed to assisting the EGL MEC in any
way we can. You can help by reiterating our
support of our fellow ALPA brethren if you
jumpseat with an EGL pilot or run into one
in the concourse.
That’s it for
this week. Happy holidays!
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