FWIW, there IS a tape. Below is the transcript. Check with UAL SPSC Chairman Pete Velzeboer, as he is the one being interviewed by one of the hosts, CAL pilot Sherry Walker. As to the veracity of the comments reportedly made by Abbot, well, didn't that rumor come from one of Dean Coester's "friend of a friend" meltdowns on the Facebook page? There is no way a company officer could or would make fiduciary impacting statements like that.

NOTES FROM THE MONTGOMERY SOCIAL


Below is a transcription of three specific questions that I asked UAL SPSC Chairman Piete Velzeboer. Piete agreed that I could record them so that I wouldn’t misquote his statements. The only thing left out in the text is the “ums” for clarity. Hope this helps dispel some of the fear and myths out there. My sincerest thanks to Captain Velzeboer. He is a stand-up guy, and I appreciate his help in understanding these concerns--SW

1. LOA 25

SW: Can I first just get one thing on the record


PV: Sure


SW: So that everybody in this room understands. The question on LOA 25 with regards to whether or not it was a back room deal cut because Jay Pierce, Cook, and Baron had your side by the “whatevers?”


PV: No, absolutely not.


SW: How did it come about?


PV: Well ok, I gotta tell you, I’m not privy to the inter-meetings of my MEC or the joint MEC. There are certain things that they discuss in and amongst themselves. That’s fine, and I think that is a good thing.They need to do it without a conduit to the outside or whatever. My job is boots on the ground. I organize strikes, I organize Pilot to Pilot, I organize family awareness, and I am not political. I am not an elected rep so I wasn’t in on those meetings. But, I will tell you that that particular LOA was put together by the two MEC’s. The only thing that delayed it was the final language, writing it up. I can tell you a little about the final language of the thing, and why that took so long. I won’t pose it if you don’t want to hear it, but it was not an underhanded, you know gun to the head, type deal. LOA 25 was done to to do something and boost the position of the new hire, the furloughed United Pilots that have been hired by CAL and try to give them something at no one else’s expense. That was the whole “jist” of it. And, that’s what they did. We could not lift them any higher on this side of the seniority list integration. What happens after that, I have no idea. And again, going, i’m not hear to talk about the future in most aspects. I will not talk about conjecture. I will not talk about “if.” That is beyond the scope of my knowledge.”

Later:


2. Can the TPA be arbitrarily extended or modified by one or the other side? My point was to determine if, upon TPA expiration either MEC could approach the company, unilaterally to rescind or extend any of the provisions.


SW: Would you reiterate again, the TPA is an agreement between ALPA National and the Company?


PV: Correct


SW: And that neither unions, no matter what letters they put out or whatever could make an agreement outside of it?


PV: Correct


SW: So Lee Moak is the one, ultimately, to make the decision whether or not to change anything with regards to the TPA agreement.


PV: Yes, this contract will be signed by Lee Moak.


SW: So, with regard to the TPA or any movement to be made on that, Lee Moak is the one to make that decision, not Heppner or Pierce?


PV: I’m sure he would do it if in consensus with them.


Later:


3. I asked about the fear of whip-sawing should the TPA be allowed to expire.


SW: The fear of the “quote un quote” Easternization of United, we dispelled that myth last night, to some extent.


PV: What I said last night was that in our contract 2003, in our scope section, paragraph 1F1, there’s a restriction to UAX block hours as a ratio to our block hours, and there’s also a restriction as to the minimum amount of block hours that United must fly. Now there are some carve outs for that that the company can if they chose to do that. We’re pretty much there. I don’t know what the exacts are but we’re not very far away from the minimum block hours, or the ratios. So, can they transfer? United has to fly a certain amount. United has aircraft on order. They have tentative orders with Airbus and Boeing, playing one against the other, but they are somewhat in the distant future. They don’t have delivery slots or whatever. I don’t have any doubt in my mind. I personally think that if United wanted airplanes they could go to “Airplanes Are Us” and get some. There’s all kinds of open slots at Boeing and Airbus or you could buy somebody else’s slots. So no, UAL’s protections stand.