This is from C34:
“BOY, YOU HAVE GOT TO GET YOUR MIND RIGHT”
Anyone who has seen the movie Cool Hand Luke remembers that line. It was what the prison warden told Paul Newman just before he chained and beat him, then worked him day and night until he claimed he had his “mind right.” What that meant was that he had given up all resistance and completely submitted to the authority of the warden.
Well, welcome to the new management at United who intends to beat you until you have your “mind right.” Recently, our MEC Chairman, Captain Jay Heppner, sent all pilots a letter stating that management has been meeting with the Continental pilots saying that they “have to change the culture of those United pilots.” In other words, force us to give up all resistance and submit, unconditionally, to their authority. It seems management is getting irritated that we are doing things like enforcing our contract. They’re not used to that and think we need to be chained and beaten until we get our “minds right.” Management will not be satisfied until we are all cowering and crying, “We have our minds right,” thereby submitting to their unconditional authority.
Last week I became involved in assisting one of our furloughed pilots who had accepted a position with Continental and had run afoul of the chief pilot in Guam who has been known to proclaim his disdain for United pilots. Our furloughed pilot had had a medical issue which had caused him to be off work for several months. Upon being cleared to return to work he was sent to a PC. When he arrived, he was put in the simulator and told “go.”
Having not flown for so long, and not being familiar with the numerous new procedures that had been implemented during his absence, he requested some form of training before being given his checkride. This request was denied and he was told, “That’s how we do it at Continental. If you don’t like it quit.” So he did.
He left the training center and sent his letter of resignation. Imagine his surprise when management then refused to accept his resignation and instead ordered him to appear at a disciplinary hearing in which they intended to fire him not just from Continental, but from United as well (in violation of every agreement we have with management).
It was at this point that I got involved, and on short notice, our MEC Vice-Chairman, Captain Rick Perry, personally represented him at the hearing. The result of the hearing was that management accepted the pilot’s resignation. While Rick did an outstanding job of representing him, it certainly shows management’s petty vindictiveness when, after telling you to quit if you don’t like the way they operate, they refuse to let you resign and instead insist on firing you.
Unfortunately, this Continental way of threats and intimidation is beginning to show itself in our own SFO flight office. With increasing frequency Dan, Ben and I are having to defend pilots on vague and unspecified charges (“violating the Working Together Guidelines” is a favorite), and despite having done absolutely nothing wrong, pilots are being forced to attend Enhanced CRM training (ECRM) as a disciplinary measure. To be fair, the flight office does not consider ECRM discipline, but mandatory attendance is certainly intended to help the pilot get his “mind right.”
For any pilot who has not read “From Wooden Wings”, or who has not read it recently, I recommend you do. It was written by Captain Pat Palazzolo and is the most accurate and complete history of our strike in ’85, but just as importantly the aftermath and management’s vindictive efforts to force the United pilots to get their “minds right.”
Management at the time was made up of pilots who were not ALPA members and who subjected pilots to arbitrary and unreasonable discipline, enlisting the help of everyone they could to demean and weaken the pilots. Just like now, management at the time routinely denied grievances without regard to merit.” Also, “an onerous and demeaning code of conduct was unilaterally imposed on the pilot group that was so vague that a pilot could be charged with an offense for doing just about anything management didn’t like. This sure sounds an awful lot like the “Working Together Guidelines” that have been imposed upon us.
“From Wooden Wings” describes the managers in ’85 as “scabs” so this behavior was to be expected. What is disappointing is that today’s managers hide behind ALPA wings and proudly tout themselves as ALPA pilots. In reality they are fooling no one. We know who and what they are, and we will never forget.
They are also on a fool’s errand, for the United pilots are not made up of weak strike breakers who think only of themselves, but of stronger stuff. And, at the risk of butchering a quotation I was made to memorize many years ago, “These traits and qualities are so deeply ingrained that no stress or strain will ever erase them from our character.”
Faithfully and Fraternally,
Council 34 Secretary/Treasurer