Been out doing other stuff, so this may be old. When I was hired, back in the stone age, our scope was Delta pilots flew everything over 70 seats and there were no restrictions at all on flying 70 and under. Unlimited. During C2K we added numerical restrictions on 51-70 seat aircraft and also added mission restrictions on all aircraft 70 and under including hub to hub flying, hub overflight, and several others.

So while some have tried to paint C2K as a scope sale for pay, we actually tightened up scope tremendously over the previous language while also getting pay raises. It may not have been tightened as much as some would like, but to characterize it as a trade of scope for pay is just wrong.

Similarly, we reduced scope limits in the JCBA during our merger. We all received increases in pay rates and in retirement contributions and at the same time we tightened the scope restrictions where the final JCBA was tighter than the sum of the two parts from our original contracts.

I don't see how this issue with a negotiating committee gets spun into a discussion about some people wanting to ruin scope. This seems to me just a smear campaign. We don't like how democracy is working, so let's create some personal attacks. If you look at the last Council 20 update, it talks about how the agenda of the Negotiating Committee is set by the MEC and not by the committee members. This is the accurate description. The makeup of the committee does not set direction, they merely are the people who execute the direction.

The policy manual was set to give the MEC guidance on how to conduct their business. It is both proper and to the letter of the guidance that they review their team leading up to the negotiations. Maybe the review will show that they have the right team and they will waive the election. Maybe the review will show that they want to make a change. I don't know, I haven't spoken with my reps and I have no idea what the reps feelings are. In a democracy, you elect a rep, you give your input to your reps, along with thousands of other pilots, and then they set that direction. Sometimes you win elections and sometimes you lose. How you handling losing shows more about a person than how you handle winning. If your opinion doesn't carry the day, do you try to blow up the system or do you support the system even though it didn't go your way.

Teamwork means something. You can't be a Terrell Owens "team" player. He supports the team as long as they throw the ball to him, as long as he gets to make the touchdown catch, and as long as he is the famous star. Somebody else makes a touchdown, now it's time to pout and throw a fit.

There was a merger committee election. Some didn't like the outcome and used their democratic tools to try to change it. Was that a conspiracy, was that underhanded, was that a steam roller? No, they exercised their rights. There may or may not be a negotiating committee election, I have absolutely no idea. I don't care. The MEC has their democratic rights to pick the people who work for them and there is nothing wrong with them exercising their rights. Whomever, the MEC picks, I will support their efforts to get us more money, more scope, more of everything. That is being part of a team.

I have supported the current negotiators in their efforts and will support the future team whether it changes or not. That is what real teamwork is about.