Two Year Contract Extension at United?

Seggy

Well-Known Member
MEC will vote on a resolution later this week on whether to move forward or not.

October 6, 2015


Dear United Pilots,


Windows open. Windows close.


As you know, fuel cost is at its lowest consistent price in over ten years, and the company is poised to make record profits for this year buoyed mostly by those low fuel costs. Conversely, revenues are beginning to decline for the airline industry, and the forecast for GDP has been lowering each quarter. These opposing economic conditions, at a minimum, present a degree of uncertainty looking forward. In anticipation of ramping up for next year’s negotiations, we completed the recent United Pilot survey.


This survey was extensive and delineated the most important things to our pilots today. Following the completion of that preliminary comprehensive survey, United elected a new CEO. Shortly after his election he indicated his desire to chart a new course and has made those overtures to the employees. In the normal course of business, the MEC discussed early openers at its June Special meeting and again at the July regular meeting but did not provide direction or guidance. The September Special MEC meeting was scheduled to seek direction, input, and guidance on early negotiations so as to best utilize and schedule our MEC’s resources. During this special meeting, a potential resolution authorizing exploration of these early negotiations was brought forth, and fourteen MEC members voted in favor of those discussions. Six MEC members voted against considering the resolution thereby precluding any clear direction (15 votes were required for the resolution to be considered). The September MEC meeting minutes can be found here.


The purpose of a Union is to create and protect jobs, and to seek improvements in the wages, and work rules and conditions of its members.


As the leader of the 12,283 Pilots of United Airlines, it is my duty and responsibility to continuously seek those improvements. This is not a responsibility I take lightly. With any negotiated agreement that substantially affects the wages or working conditions of our members, there is a system of checks and balances that protects the process and our members – the MEC must first accept the agreement, and the Pilots must ratify the agreement.


A leader does not follow old trails but creates new ones.


By now, you may have seen or heard of the company’s offer to extend our current contract by no more than two years and discuss only these topics:

a. Compensation

b. Retroactive longevity for furloughees for pay and vacation

c. MOU 22 Replacement

d. Reserve assignment process improvements

e. FRMS

f. NSNB (100 seat aircraft) on the United Mainline Property flown by United Pilots


Are these the only items that need remediation in our current contract? Of course not. Every airline’s pilot contract has scores of items that need to be fixed: our two pilot groups’ contracts prior to the JCBA were no different. Our current UPA is a living, working document, and like all Pilot Agreements it is not immune from necessary updating and changes through Letters of Agreement, Grievance settlements, direct negotiations, etc. One negotiating axiom that doesn’t change is the more items you want to negotiate, the longer the process takes. The vehicle to fix all of the items that require repair is the Section 6 negotiating process which also allows the company to fix all their items. Openers for our current contract are not scheduled until at least May 2016.


The Company has offered to enter negotiations for 45 days to resolve the six issues above. Should the Parties be unable to reach an agreement on these six topics within 45 days, the entire Section 6 process is still available as a backstop. At that point, there would be no ambiguity or alternative to the path forward.


This is a paradigm shift in thinking about traditional negotiations. In the past, the way we’ve traditionally negotiated has taken years. The question today distills down to: do we fix a few items in the current contract with a short extension, or do we go about fixing lots of items sometime in the future? It is up to the MEC to make that decision on behalf of the Pilots they represent. Windows open. Windows close.


Learn from the mistakes of others so as not to repeat them.


Recent failures of others’ Tentative Agreements (TA) in the Membership Ratification process has resulted in autopsies of those TAs and of the processes. We would be deficient if we didn’t do our own due diligence. You’ve recently completed an initial survey in preparation for traditional Section 6 negotiations beginning next summer. We will initiate polling as soon as possible that will be focused on the six items mentioned above, a-f, to ensure we are in sync with the wishes of our constituents and to ensure our success. Please continue to participate and assist us with this valuable information.


Fraternally and respectfully,


Captain Jay Heppner
Chairman, United Master Executive Council
 

Attachments

  • McKeen Letter.pdf
    147.4 KB · Views: 219
Did Susie Derkins say yes?
Obviously not.
She instead went with Thad, a conservative, gun toting, anti-union football player, who went on to UCLA on a full scholarship and proceeded to get a degree in some attainable to a career choice, in order to spend time at home with his wife, Susie on the weekends.
And they hired Rosa, a naturalized citizen, to vacuum the house every Wednesday when he takes the family out to Bible study and and ice cream.
 
Obviously not.
She instead went with Thad, a conservative, gun toting, anti-union football player, who went on to UCLA on a full scholarship and proceeded to get a degree in some attainable to a career choice, in order to spend time at home with his wife, Susie on the weekends.
And they hired Rosa, a naturalized citizen, to vacuum the house every Wednesday when he takes the family out to Bible study and and ice cream.

I'm guessing she didn't like Rutgers football players like Seggy. :)
 
I understand. I'm messing with you.

Remember, I was paying dues when you were sweating nervously before you asked Susie Derkins to the junior prom. :)

Lots of people who have been paying dues for three decades don't have the slightest clue how anything in ALPA works. Not saying that's you. Just sayin'. :)
 
Lots of people who have been paying dues for three decades don't have the slightest clue how anything in ALPA works. Not saying that's you. Just sayin'. :)

But I do, sweetie.

Lots of guys on Airliners.Net have been posting for years, but a couple may actually fly airplanes.

That doesn't make any sense after typing it, but well, I'm outta cake.
 
But I do, sweetie.

Lots of guys on Airliners.Net have been posting for years, but a couple may actually fly airplanes.

That doesn't make any sense after typing it, but well, I'm outta cake.

But obviously the ones that DON'T actually fly a 727 know way more about how it works than those that do.
 
From today's update...

MEC Approves Exploration of Contract Extension


Today the MEC met in both open and closed sessions on a number of matters critical to our union and our contract. Primary among those matters was the consideration of the letter from P. Douglas McKeen, dated Oct 2, 2015, requesting discussions on a number of clearly defined areas in the UPA in exchange for a short term extension to the pilot contract.


The MEC directed the MEC Chairman and Negotiating Committee to enter into discussions with the Company to explore a potential contract extension. If no Tentative Agreement (TA) is reached with the Company by Friday, Nov 20, 2015, ALPA will close negotiations and resume the current timetable for Section 6 negotiations, which could begin as early as May 2016.
 

Has to do with extensions under FAR 117 limits and pay.

What do you think they'd like to change with the reserve assignment process?

Everyone on reserve starts out on long call. I think the negotiations will center on when you have to check your schedule the day prior when you start a reserve block and the time you show on your first day. As of now, the earliest you can involuntarily show coming off on days off is 10:00 AM.
 
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