Thread: 401K Dues
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Old 10-23-2012 | 04:57 AM
  #81  
samballs
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Originally Posted by PCL_128
Scope decisions are made by individual pilot groups, not by ALPA International.



ALPA represented both the TWA and MEH pilots to the absolute greatest extent possible. Expecting the impossible is not a reasonable expectation.



Yes, all of them. And I feel horrible for what happened to the TWA pilots. But their anger and blame are misplaced. The APA and AMR are to blame for their predicament. Not ALPA.



A judge didn't make the ruling. A jury did. And I think we all know how intelligent juries can be about very complex cases.



This is a two-stage process. The first stage is over, and it can't even be appealed under after the second stage is complete. I have little doubt that ALPA will prevail in an appeal, making the second stage irrelevant. But setting that aside, it's likely that the second stage won't result in an award of any significant damages, anyway. A prior DFR ruling against ALPA resulted in a damages award of $1. Not $1 per pilot, just $1. Total. The jury decided that while ALPA had violated its DFR obligation, that no financial consequences resulted. Therefore, no big monetary award. The same sort of ruling is likely in this case. While a jury ruled ALPA in violation of its DFR obligation, a second jury is very likely to see that nothing that ALPA could have done would have resulted in the TWA pilots receiving anymore money, so a monetary penalty isn't justified.

But even if one was awarded, ALPA does have a significant amount of insurance to cover DFR liability. I don't suspect that ALPA will end up needing it in this case, though.
Do you give happy massages to all the national guys?
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