Originally Posted by
index
The MEC has a special meeting today (the 27th) and tomorrow. On the agenda is a "Negotiating Committee Report."
Has the MEC previously authorized negotiations with the company regarding:
1. early retirements?
2. joint venture compliance?
My guess is that the NC will present a LOA to the MEC for approval. No evidence to back this up other than the fact that a special meeting was called. Has anyone heard any rumblings on this?
1. Don't think so, but possible. A MEC Comm came out yesterday on pilots returning from leave and bidding slots which they would not have been able to as a result of merger fences. Related? Who knows? But if someone had the opportunity to return from leave (disability) then early retire, it sort of fits. The question is, do we let the Company buy off 74 Captains and nobody else? Arguably it benefits everyone not to have 74 Captains displace. Wonder what Carl thinks, what should ALPA do?
2. Yes, sorta (not compliance, but direction was given on the Virgin JV).
Reading the tea leaves, a few reps are talking about what used to be termed "inclusive scope." A global production balance which reaches over and does not hinge on a particular JV's specific circumstance. For instance, what if we happen not to be codesharing out of Narita? What if the Company thinks of a new kind of operation, other than a JV? We want Delta pilots doing Delta flying, even if Delta has not even thought of it yet.
I've no idea if a global balance, or "Inclusive scope," could be a matter of direction. The Reps properly keep those sort of discussions in closed session. As long as we here are not under a NDA, we can connect the dots and guess.
In the case of "inclusive scope," it is a concept which was around at least 5 years before I picked it up, so that would make 20 years that someone has advocated for it. Maybe it's time has come. If not, I'll still be working on it until I retire.