Well, this discussion should have been kept in-house on the UAL forum, but since it's out there.... many of us at UAL are ****ed at the MEC because of the opportunities that have been lost since the merger was announced. But lost they have been, and now the real issue is why those opportunities were lost. IMO, Wendy was not the right person for the job. She may be smart and experienced in MEC politics, but that does not make her a good leader. She began her tenure with the idea that a more conciliatory, engagement based approach would get us a new contract faster (like the Delta/NWA JCBA). The problem with that kind of thinking is that it was very naive to believe it would work with UCH management. Just look at the names at the top of the org. chart: Tilton, Smisek, McDonald, Abbott. Her "be nice" approach just emboldened their resolve to continue to screw us.

From day 1 of this merger, she should have been telling management, the media, and the pilots that the only way the merger would work would be if the pilots were brought on board early with an equity stake and a robust TPA that protected all UAL pilots interests until the merger was complete. Instead, she was talking about s-curves and synergies, as if she was wearing her BOD hat. The results show that was a failure, another year and a half of our careers spent treading water.

IMO, the video she just released was a self-serving hack job. Because 7 of the MEC members vehemently oppose the course taken by Wendy and her 8 supporters (who, BTW, do not represent a majority of the pilots) does not make those 7 "clowns", or any of the other pejoratives used by her "camp". There is an honest difference of opinion on how to do business WRT management, and they are not going to just roll over and say whatever. Too damn much at stake.

The next MC must have the leadership skills to unify a large majority of the pilot group, and the intelligence and courage to use all available means to get the JCBA we want. And the pilots have to be willing to follow.