So what's up at Polar?
 

Anyone heard how things are going with Polar's contract negotiations? The board has been strangely quiet about the subject.

The last thing I remember being posted was the fact they were near a cooling off period. Rumor has it that Atlas has transferred the 400's to their certificate and are hiring and training furiously....any truth to the rumors?

False rumor for now Fr8box, 400s still on PO's certificate, no cooling off perios "yet", and hiring like crazy @ both "outfits" :) NMB will decide if PO can be released later on this month, and if released the pilot grp will do what it has to do. The board is very well aware of the results of the strike vote here...:)

Cheerios

Thanks for the info....I know people at both places and hope everything turns out well for them.

Aircraft transfers won't happen until cooling off period declared. This will be used to intimidate Polar crews.

Atlas hiring to continue thru end of the year. A number of reasons. Maybe a BIG deal with Boeing, military flying eating up crews and retirements. This can also be used to scare Polar crews, so AAWH gets more bang out of it.

Frankly AAWH can do whatever they want, I don't think the PO CMs are scared nor can be scared. Everyone but 20 voted for a strike knowing that the outcome could mean the street... and if it has to be the street, so be it :ok:

A strike vote and a walk out are two VERY differant things. It's rare for a strike vote to end up not being in overwelming support. No big deal. BTW, 20 people is 6% to 7% of the workforce. Could it be that they felt it was easier to not vote vs voting against? Now all of a sudden the 99.23% is 93%. Not such a bragging number.

I also have little doubt that Polar will strike and a VERY large percent of their CM's will walk. A lot of new hires there at Polar? The big differance vs the last strike is, this will not be a three hour strike. It would not be surprising to see a lockout before they get to walk.

So numbers can be interpreted one way or another, AND? So they can transfer planes as you say, is that a reason to be intimidated? Or there can be a lockout, no kidding, I bet the MEC or the pilot group never thought of that one, glad you educated us :E and that is a reason to be scared? Do you really think we're sh**ting in our pants? Sorry to disappoint you Whale, but no, we are not intimidated.

Lots of new hires yes, like there always have been at PO, most of them came for a type and go on to greener pastures, just look at the turnover. Request for background checks come in constantly and we've lost a bunch to UPS, SWA, JetBlue, AWA, CO etc.... You think they're scared?

Hiring is year round at PO too, can't even keep up, many have had to go back to the sim to restart their clock...

One only fears the unknown, and there is no "unknown" in JC's tacticts.

You know as well as I do that a p**sed off pilot group can be VERY costly, so JC has 2 options, get rid of the pilot group or give them something... Still no reason to be scared :ok:

I understand that Polar have been released into the 30 day cooling off period now!

Not quite...

The proffer of arbitration was made by the NMB, but it has to be refused by one of the parties before the cooloing-off period starts. VERY soon now, though -- a day or 3... :ok:

OK, so the clock should start this week sometime! Good luck to the PO folks, I really hope you get a good deal or at least one you can live with!

I think the official release date will be 2-3 weeks from now but in any case, Let The Games Begin!

Thks for the kind words flite.

Surprise! The clock has started!

16 Sep is the deadline.

WOW! Intruder you really have your finger on the pulse!!!!!!

Polar Air Cargo, pilots enter cooling-off period, Atlas merger suspended
Thursday August 18, 2005
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, parent of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, suspended plans to merge the carriers in the face of a possible strike next month by Polar's pilots.Polar and the Air Line Pilots Assn. were released from negotiations by the National Mediation Board, starting a 30-day cooling-off period after which the pilots will be free to strike and Polar can impose a contract on the union. The cooling-off period is set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT Sept. 16.

Polar is a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and an affiliate of Atlas Air. "While the company is committed to reaching an agreement, we simply can't agree to a contract that further challenges the viability of our scheduled service business," said AAWW President and CEO Jeffrey Erickson. Atlas said it offered Polar pilots an immediate 10.5% pay raise plus profit-sharing "with no work rule changes," putting them "at parity" with pilots at Atlas.

AAWW said it also suspended previously announced plans to combine the operations of Atlas and Polar and merge the crew lists. Polar operates 12 747Fs including six 747-400Fs in scheduled cargo service, while Atlas has 22 747s that it provides on ACMI leases to airlines.

Link

Heard Polar transferred 4 jets to Atlas in wake of the upcoming strike and are furloughing starting today? Any word?

They were not furloughed but TERMINATED because they were brand new hires or still on probation and furlough was not an option for management (scope clause). Unfortunately I think they were hired "to be fired", JC's scare tactics. I feel very sorry for them and no it does not intimidate the rest of us because we know it was JC's strategy from the get go.

Airplanes moved..... let's see, could it be that some of these planes on dry lease were due to end and it was perfect timing for management to use this as another scare tactic during the cooling off period? LOL! Just business as usual for AAWH.

Heilhaavir,

You are right on the money. But maybe the threat of a strike as we approach the peak season is JC biggest nightmare.:ok:

Let me get this straight? Your saying that JC is scared of the strike when your MEC, on day four of the cooling off period (an unheard of short time), is calling AAWH and asking for a meeting. In this meeting, the last best offer from the company (an over 60% reduction from your last demand) is all but accepted, and you say JC is scared. If you and yours believes JC is anything but grinning ear to ear, your in big trouble.

Thankfully your MEC would not agree to the conditions AAWH attached, or we would've had a complete CAVE by day five of the cooling off period. Wording is cheap. I change my prediction, you'll never make it to day thirty.

This is not questioning the actions of your MEC. They are under tremendous pressure from ALL directions. I'm just questioning some of the logic posted here.

Polar MEC Press Release regarding FIRED "Cato24"
 

Copied from another bbs:

Release #05.32

August 25, 2005

ALPA to Polar Air Cargo: Stop the Bad-Faith Bargaining

WASHINGTON, D.C.---In a terse letter to the president and CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWH), the president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. (ALPA) charged that AAWH subsidiary Polar Air Cargo is bargaining in bad faith and demanded that the airline stop its violations of federal labor law.

ALPA stated that the company’s transfer of a Polar aircraft to Atlas Air Inc., another AAWH subsidiary, and termination of the 24 crewmembers who operated the aircraft violates the status quo that was imposed after the National Mediation Board released the parties, starting the 30-day “cooling off” period before either side can take economic self-help action such as a strike or lockout. The company’s action is seen by ALPA as retaliation for ALPA’s obtaining from the NMB a release from mediated bargaining, over the company’s objections.

The letter was sent Aug. 23 by ALPA President Duane Woerth to Jeffrey Erickson, president and CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings in Purchase, N.Y.

According to ALPA, the company also is violating federal labor law by having management officials engage in direct bargaining with rank-and-file members. Management is required to conduct all bargaining with ALPA’s elected union representatives.

“If you comply with this request, the parties can look forward to the resumption of bargaining and the possible peaceful conclusion of this matter,” Woerth said. “We believe that it is both parties’ interests that neither causes the dispute to escalate out of control.”

The Polar crewmembers began negotiations with management in February 2003, when their most current contract became amendable under the terms of the Railway Labor Act. Negotiations have been conducted with the assistance of the National Mediation Board since July 2003. ALPA represents 64,000 airline pilots at 41 carriers in the U.S. and Canada. Its website is www.alpa.org.

I truly wonder when the folks at ALPA will wake up properly, and discover the present day scenario at many airline companies....do as you are told, or face the consequences.

Atlas has every right to transfer aircraft between the two companies, and I am certainly not totally surprised that ALPA has dropped the ball here, and not realized before that the upper hand in this scenario, as with nearly EVERY airline company, is held by the airline management.

Co-operate and graduate, or be shown the door.

True in the distant past? No, but certainly true now.

CX pilots found out first hand, much to their disappointment, I'm sure.