For the record: Jay Pierce has been doing the will of the body and the will of the pilot group. He has been the CAL pilots only true Master Chairman.
His predecessor sat there at the MEC meetings and listened to the CA rep from Cleveland, who represented no less than 79 pilots and held the pilot group hostage in pursuing his agenda. It could be an 8 to 1 MEC and darn it if the MEC Chairman just did what he wanted to do. That's why he got recalled.
At the Time Jay was on the NC and I am sure Jay paid attention as to what will get a MEC Chair fired. If the EWR and IAH reps wanted Jay gone, he would have been gone a long time ago. Jay had a lot to do with the IAH CA rep getting fired from SPSC Chair, so I know there is no love-loss. But, business is business, and to-date, the Chairman is doing what he is told to do, and he seems to be doing it in an efficient and forthright manner.
The CAL MEC has some interesting people on it, but so far they are working together pretty good and putting aside their petty issues for the good of the pilots. I would give the CAL MEC a solid B as a grade right now in patience, and in deliberate communications.
I would like to see both MEC's on the same page to get the feeling that Jay Happner isn't trying to "lead" us where we can't go right now. If CA. Happner wants to do this, he needs to articulate a plan with documented evidence that the NMB will buy into and that the CAL reps can communicate to the CAL pilots and so that the CAL pilots can also buy into.
Jay Pierce has been telling us contantly in his messages that UAL Management is not meeting our time line and our expectations. I've seen it and I know it to be the truth. But, until the NMB slams UCH management around a little the bully-pulpit is premature.
His communications were not coordinated. If they were, you would have seen a joint Statement from the two respective MEC Chairs, and likely co-signed by CA. Lee Moak, the ALPA National President. That is the sort of cohesive commuications we are looking for.
We aren't looking for "leadership." We are the leaders under the ALPA inverted triangle. The MEC Chairman works for the MEC, and the MEC works for the pilots.