...I don't like the words 'to explore' . That doesn't mean a damn thing....Especially to ALPA/APA leadership...... --- Roger James <ejames@escape.ca> wrote: > AMR pilots willing 'to explore' salary cuts > By Dan Reed, USA TODAY > > American Airlines' pilots union appears to be > warming to management's=20 > request for $660 million a year in labor > concessions.Officials at the=20 > airline and the Allied Pilots Association (APA) > disputed a warning issued=20 > by a union board member that American will file a > Chapter 11 bankruptcy=20 > petition within three months if it doesn't get the > concessions. Both sides= > =20 > made clear that they agree with the outspoken board > member's general=20 > assessment that the airline's financial problems are > serious and=20 > urgent.Separately, Northwest Airlines formally asked > its pilots for=20 > concessions that union officials say would take > pilots back to pre-1996 pay= > =20 > rates, a cut of about 20%.At American, published > reports about the comments= > =20 > of Jeff Sheets =97 vice chairman of the American > pilots union based at=20 > Dallas/Fort Worth Airport =97 helped knock more than > 9% off the stock price= > =20 > of parent AMR. The shares lost 26 cents to close at > $2.58, sinking below=20 > the previous 52-week low of $2.70. > > War jitters and concerns about high fuel prices also > contributed to the=20 > drop. But unlike American Airlines' stock, most > other airline stocks closed= > =20 > slightly higher.Sheets' prediction of a May or June > bankruptcy filing "in=20 > no way constitutes an official APA position," union > President John Darrah=20 > said in a statement issued late Wednesday.He added > that Sheets' prediction= > =20 > was not based on confidential financial information > provided to union=20 > leaders by management in connection with the request > for concessions.AMR=20 > wants a total of $1.8 billion a year in labor > savings from all labor=20 > groups.American spokesman Bruce Hicks dismissed > Sheets' bankruptcy warning= > =20 > as "a non-mathematician doing math" based on > American's reported cash burn= > =20 > rate and guessing at how much cash the airline > management would want to=20 > have at the time of a bankruptcy filing. > > "It's just one guy's rather unsophisticated > speculation."Still, Hicks says= > =20 > it is important that union leaders "convey to their > membership the=20 > seriousness of the situation. It's important that > the employees hear their= > =20 > union leaders saying that what the company has been > telling them all along= > =20 > is the truth."Darrah reiterated the union's position > that American "does=20 > face an extremely difficult situation," and that a > war with Iraq would=20 > exacerbate its problems."We have signaled our > willingness to explore cost=20 > savings with American Airlines management," he said. > > > > > *************************************************** > The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com > Roj (Roger James) > > escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca > Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com > Carib Brass Ctn site > www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ > Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ > Site of the Week: http://www.dbombo.net/muddyangels/ > TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt > ********************************************************* __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/