United targets 'archaic' work rules CHICAGO (AP) =97 The ink was barely dry on United Airlines' bankruptcy= filing=20 last December before CEO Glenn Tilton publicly welcomed the opportunity to= =20 get rid of "costly, restrictive" union work rules. With other airlines=20 watching closely, Tilton might get his wish. Using the leverage afforded by= =20 bankruptcy court, United is on the verge of securing contracts that could=20 sweep many of those rules aside and set the stage for change throughout the= =20 industry. Analysts say archaic and unproductive work rules that pile extra= =20 costs onto airlines' already high labor tabs can't last much longer at a=20 time the industry is mired in its biggest financial crisis ever, made worse= =20 by the war in Iraq. But United's Chapter 11 overhaul, on top of related=20 actions taken in bankruptcy by smaller US Airways, is expected to hasten=20 the process and provide the impetus for rivals American, Delta and=20 Northwest to make similar changes long blocked by their unions. By cracking= =20 down on such practices as featherbedding, padding of vacations and high pay= =20 for pilots' and flight attendants' down time, United hopes to achieve labor= =20 savings just as significant as employees' double-digit wage cuts. "It would= =20 set an incredible precedent for the industry," Joshua Marks, chief of staff= =20 at George Washington University's Aviation Institute, said of pending=20 contract changes at the nation's second-largest airline. The inevitable=20 changes in work rules, he said, will allow an industry notoriously=20 top-heavy in labor expenses to have leaner work forces, lower costs and=20 higher productivity. Employees will pay a price in additional work and=20 lower pay but get to see their airlines stay in business and, in most=20 cases, keep their jobs. United and spokesmen for all of its major unions declined to comment about= =20 work rules, citing the need to keep the contract process confidential. But= =20 in detailed court filings, the airline has documented a long series of=20 rules it intends to eliminate or rewrite using the bankruptcy process. If=20 employees don't reach general agreement =97 as the pilots' union did=20 tentatively on Thursday =97 the company can have a bankruptcy judge impose= =20 its terms May 1. That ensures the end, one way or another, of many work=20 rules that date to an era when the industry was federally regulated. It=20 means a senior pilot at United will no longer be able to make more than=20 $200,000 a year while working six days a month, as is possible under the=20 existing contract. A pilot won't be able to parlay a scheduled 10-day=20 vacation into an entire month off by deliberately bidding for routes during= =20 that period, which was the case in December with a 747-400 captain simply=20 exercising his contractual rights. United would be able to use lower-paid=20 employees to wave in and push away planes from gates at its hubs instead of= =20 employing 472 skilled mechanics for those duties, as it does now. Among myriad other changes, the airline also intends to tighten expensive=20 provisions concerning relief pilots on international flights and generous=20 sick-leave and scheduling procedures, and have pilots and flight attendants= =20 spend fewer layovers at downtown hotels and more at less expensive ones=20 near airports. Darryl Jenkins, head of George Washington University's=20 Aviation Institute, said many of the rules wouldn't be tolerated in any=20 other industry. But the unmatched clout of unions to bring airlines to a=20 halt has prevented their removal =97 until now. "This is where you're going= =20 to make or break your reorganization, with work rules," he said. Tilton and= =20 United acted on that realization as soon as United landed in bankruptcy=20 after three years of economic turbulence, bad management decisions and=20 labor turmoil. "Anachronistic work rules that result in pay for time not=20 worked and more employees on the payrolls than are necessary to perform the= =20 required work must give way to the realities of doing business in today's=20 ultra-competitive environment," the airline said in a March 17 court motion= =20 to void its contracts. "Restrictions on United's ability to maximize its revenues by deploying=20 more and larger regional jets or pursuing strategic alliances with other=20 carriers must fall by the wayside. And limitations on the company's rights= =20 to furlough employees for whom there is no work or to outsource functions=20 that can be done by outside vendors at a fraction of United's current cost= =20 must end," it said. Continental Airlines was the first to use Chapter 11 coupled with the=20 authority of a bankruptcy judge to trim work rules. But it took a repeat=20 trip to bankruptcy and a years-long slump to get the results it wanted =97= =20 something United would like to avoid by getting negotiated contracts rather= =20 than forced ones. United's more than 8,000 pilots, who last year made an=20 average $205,978 and worked nine days a month, are being asked to make the= =20 deepest sacrifices. They will vote next month on whether to ratify an=20 agreement slashing their pay by 30% and making further cuts via changed=20 work rules. "United has very skilled pilots but one of the lowest pilot=20 utilization (productivity) rates of any carrier," said independent airline= =20 analyst Scott Hamilton. "United wants them to work harder for their money,= =20 instead of semi-work for their money." The company hopes that when pilots=20 start voting on the contract next weekend, they remember that the $1.1=20 billion in annual labor savings could make the difference between whether=20 United prospers or liquidates. "The upside for our employees is that=20 survival of United will mean jobs, paychecks, health benefits and=20 ultimately pension checks, which everyone wants," spokesman Joe Hopkins= said. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx 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.ttsailing.org/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************