Originally Posted by
Check Essential
There seems to be some disarray in our team.
I thought that was the major reason people gave for opposing the DPA right now. We didn't want to have change and disarray so close to section 6 talks. But now were going to change negotiators and that's OK?
I agree that changing these committee members should normally be a routine matter and no big deal, but this seems different. This looks like some sort of "showdown" over direction and philosophy. Is that the case?
Would any insiders care to explain for us rank and file types what is really going on here?
Is this about scope? Do we have a hardline faction vs. a more "flexible" group on the MEC?
Maybe the line pilots would like to provide some input if this is a major turning point in our approach to the future.
My answer is that this is just more mudslinging. We do not have some hardline faction vs. a more flexible group. Anyone that thinks or acts like there are factions or sub groups on the MEC is wrong headed and needs to change their thinking. There are just ideas and ideas differ.
TSquare wants longevity based pay and I don't. Do we have to get into personal attacks where he is socialist and I am fascist or he is hard line and I am flexible? Can it just be that we have different ideas, we debate the merits, the group decides and then we move on as a team.
Think about any team that is effective. What do you think when you see a sports team give interviews after the game when the offense blames the defense and the defense blames the offense and the coach claims the team isn't following his instructions. Do you think, "Wow that is an effective team that is bound for success"? Or do you think, "That is a group getting ready to implode"? What would you think of a Captain you are flying with that starts to blame you for every delay and every bump you encounter in your flights. Great leader or loser passing the buck?
Look at effective organizations and you will never see an effective organization that spends any time at all playing the blame game or spewing out their personal fears and questions in public. Some say this is Nazi like regimentation of opinion but that is hogwash. Effective organizations play out their differences in private and then move forward as a team. No public handwringing, no second guessing, move forward as one. If this MEC can't get that together then we are done for.
This doesn't mean you don't step back and evaluate where you are going and change direction when necessary. The average time between today and election for most of these MEC members is less than 2 years. That means that the pilots have chosen their representatives, they represent the democratic will of the group and they are the legitimate leaders of our union. I expect them to work out their differences as a group, in private as much as possible, and then move on. That is how I feel about this issue at hand. Let the MEC work out their issues and then move on.
If some think that trying to tar and feather people based on rumors and gossip mongering will make us stronger, then they are sadly mistaken. We are facing a group that will always present a unified front and if we continue to play these stupid games where silly human pride wins out over supporting the team, we WILL GET RUN OVER. Like you read about.
You can take a dart and throw it at the seniority list and pick out the first three guys who the dart lands on and make them your negotiating committee. Give them some training and put a strong unified team behind them and they will succeed. Find the best three negotiators in the universe and have them work for a divided, bickering group that trashes each other when their silly human pride gets in the way and they will fail. 100% of the time. Find any negotiator in any business and they will tell you the same thing.