NFL, Union Agree to 24-hour Deadline Extension

Mar 3, 9:33 PM EST
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Pro Football Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's favorite sport is still in business - for another day.

The NFL and the players' union decided Thursday to keep the current collective bargaining agreement in place for an additional 24 hours so that negotiations can continue.

"The parties have agreed to a one-day extension," federal mediator George Cohen said in a one-sentence statement after the sides met with him for about eight hours. The CBA was set to expire at midnight, which would likely have prompted the first work stoppage since 1987 for a league that rakes in $9 billion a year.

"For all our fans who dig our game, we appreciate your patience as we work through this," union executive director DeMaurice Smith said as he emerged from the talks. "We are going to keep working. We want to play football."

Indiana Working Families ‘Standing Up for Hooisers’

by James Parks, Mar 3, 2011

For the 11th straight day, working families will converge at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis to protest the General Assembly’s anti-worker agenda.

Tonight’s “Stand Up for Hoosiers” rally will focus on working families and will feature various local entertainers, faith leaders, workers sharing their stories and a candlelight vigil. AFT President Randi Weingarten also will speak to the crowd.

While Indiana House Democrats remain out of state to prevent passage of anti-worker legislation, House Minority Leader Pat Bauer returned yesterday for negotiations. Rather than bargaining or compromising, Republicans refused to deal on bills that would take away the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other public employees.

Wisconsin Voters Back Public Employee Rights

by James Parks, Mar 3, 2011

Most Wisconsin voters oppose Gov. Scott Walker’s efforts to eliminate the rights of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Wisconsin voters released today shows that 52 percent oppose weakening collective bargaining rights and just 39 percent are in favor.

The poll also revealed that nearly half of Wisconsin voters (49 percent) believe it’s good that most teachers belong to a union. Among those with children in the public school system, 58 percent believe that’s a good thing.

Breaking: Walker Says He May Negotiate Some Issues, But Not Right To Bargain

by James Parks, Mar 3, 2011

This just in: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he won’t concede on the issue of taking away public employees’ collective bargaining rights, but he may on others.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Walker also threatened to start issuing layoff notices to state workers as soon as tomorrow if his bill calling for them to pay more for their benefits and taking away collective bargaining rights isn’t passed by then. The layoffs wouldn’t take effect for 31 days and they could be revoked later

Technology Outage Causes Air Delays at Southwest

By DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writer – Wed Mar 2, 6:55 pm ET

DALLAS – Southwest Airlines Co. has been struggling with technology problems that led to delayed flights and snarled its revamped frequent-flier program.

The airline said Wednesday that it suffered a 90-minute telecommunications outage that delayed 300 flights on Tuesday by an average of 20 to 40 minutes.

The outage left airport agents unable to swipe boarding passes over readers as passengers got on planes, said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz. Agents had to handle the boarding process manually until the outage ended. No flights were canceled, he said.

Southwest customers also had problems using the overhauled Rapid Rewards frequent-flier program immediately after it was rolled out Tuesday. They were unable to get information about their accounts or make any changes to them. Some said their accounts went to zero points.

Mainz said that glitch was fixed overnight and Rapid Rewards was working properly but more slowly than usual on Wednesday. Customer-service representatives were swamped with calls, he said.

United Drops Elegant Advertising for Functional Campaign

By Lewis Lazare Media & Marketing Columnist Mar 2, 2011 2:07AM

A golden age in the annals of airline advertising officially ended Tuesday when the merged United Airlines unveiled its first ad campaign from the Kaplan Thaler/New York ad agency, best known for creating the iconic Aflac duck.

Chicago-based United’s new campaign, the first to reflect last fall’s joining of United with Continental Airlines, does away with the elegant, illustration-centric print ads and television commercials that for the past four years were a hallmark of the United advertising created by the Minneapolis boutique shop Barrie D’Rozario Murphy.

United’s ads from BDM helped elevate the carrier’s image even as the airline was struggling to right itself after a difficult bankruptcy. Barrie D’Rozario Murphy will continue to work on marketing projects for the new United, but it will not be the lead ad agency.

The United advertising just now breaking incorporates imagery associated with previous Continental campaigns, which have been handled for many years by Kaplan Thaler. It is certainly a functional campaign, if not hugely creative.

The first series of print ads breaking later this month focus — with a bit of humor — on specific product benefits of the combined carriers, including an expanded route system, a roomier Economy Plus seating section and the DirecTV available on select Continental aircraft.

US Airways Reports February Traffic Results

Press Release Source: US Airways On Thursday March 3, 2011, 8:00 am

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE:LCC - News) today announced February and year-to-date 2011 traffic results. Mainline revenue passenger miles (RPMs) for the month were 4.0 billion, up 4.1 percent versus February 2010. Mainline capacity was 5.2 billion available seat miles (ASMs), up 5.3 percent versus February 2010. Mainline passenger load factor was 76.8 percent, down 0.8 points versus February 2010.

US Airways’ President Scott Kirby said, “Our February consolidated (mainline and Express) passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased approximately 10 percent versus the same month last year while total revenue per available seat mile increased approximately 9 percent on a year-over-year basis. The demand environment during February was exceptionally strong and we believe the run rate PRASM increase US Airways experienced through the end of the month will be sufficient to fully offset the increase in fuel prices reflected in the forward fuel curve as of February 28."

Delta Flight Attendants Sue over Profit Sharing

South Florida Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 5:35pm EST

Several Delta flight attendants sued the airline Wednesday in Minneapolis claiming their profit sharing checks were lower “based solely upon their prior union membership,” according to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA).

The suit was filed on behalf of pre-merger Northwest flight attendants, who are now Delta Air Lines employees. The union claims Delta management withheld higher profit sharing checks from more than 7,500 pre-merger Northwest flight attendants.

Delta said it has not yet been served the suit, but released a statement in response to AFA’s press release:

“Until representation is fully resolved, NMB rules require that we continue to administer two separate sets of pay, benefits and work rules. This means, for example, that pre-merger Northwest flight attendants received a separate pay increase on January 1 as well as other items that are not part of the pre-merger Delta package. Providing in addition the higher pre-merger Delta rates of pay and profit-sharing would not be equal, it would be preferential. All of our employee groups -- union or non-union -- have had pay, benefits and work rules aligned when they’ve resolved representation, not piecemeal.”

Union Bill Whizzing Through Ohio Legislature

Mar 3, 2:28 AM EST
By ANN SANNER
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- While much of the nation's attention remains focused on a stalled proposal in Wisconsin to restrict collective bargaining rights for public workers, an Ohio measure that in some ways is tougher and broader is speeding toward reality.

A Senate panel and then the full chamber approved the Ohio measure Wednesday amid jeers from onlookers. The bill would restrict the collective bargaining rights of roughly 350,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees, while Wisconsin's would affect about 175,000 workers and exempt police and firefighters.

"For as far-reaching this thing is and how many lives it will affect, I can't believe how fast it moved," said Columbus Police Sgt. Shaun Laird, who wanted lawmakers to spend more time debating the changes.

NFL, Union Head to CBA Deadline Day Thursday

Mar 3, 3:04 AM EST
By BARRY WILNER
AP Pro Football Writer

The NFL and the players' union no longer have months or weeks or days to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. If they don't get it done before Thursday turns to Friday on the East Coast, pro football's first work stoppage since 1987 is almost a certainty.

Yes, America's most popular sport could see the 2011 season jeopardized.

Both sides are trying again, beginning Thursday morning with a 10th day of federal mediation. Neither side is making optimistic proclamations.

"We're talking," union president Kevin Mawae said Wednesday. "It's better than not talking."