Originally Posted by
Qotsaautopilot
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Btw everyone that references anyone on the MEC or an MEC officer in the same sentence as "keeping power", "gaining power", or "controlling power" seriously has no idea how this works. They have no power! They are a mouthpiece! The MEC chairman and vice chairman work for the MEC. The MEC is made up of all the LEC representatives. Those LEC reps work for us, the line pilot! We have the power! Not them! Anyone who believes otherwise is delusional and has no place running for any position.
Ummmm! I think I agree with what you're trying to say there Qotsaautopilot but your delusional if you think that we have the power at any time other than the election cycle.
Under the ALPA Constitution, the line pilots have power TWO, maybe three times:
*Local Representative elections
*Local Repersentative recalls and recall elections
and
*under the SPA MEC Policy Manual, when voting to ratify a contract or accept/decline a Contract change that would substantially affect pay or QOL (paraphrased)
I'm sorry to bust your bubble, but those are the only times (I could be missing one, I've not had my morning coffee) that the line pilots "have the power".
Let's use a recent example for illustration. SPA 109 passed a local resolution this past spring to change the contract negotiators, and to have a vote in the negotiator selection process. In that event, a significant number of Local 109 members showed up at a local meeting, presented their resolutions, debated their resolutions, and subsequently passed their resolutions. Let me ask you this, why is that resolution still sitting on the MEC Chairs desk unimplemented?
I'll tell you why. That SPA 109 resolution carries no weight. NONE. Even if ALL three SPA Local Councils adopt the same resolution, they carry NO weight under the ALPA C&BL's.
Here's what it means…..., and why you see such an effort to sway elections.
LINE PILOTS DELEGATE THEIR POWER TO THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES.
You may think otherwise, but Constitutionally, once we elect a rep he/she has the right to use our vote in any way he/she pleases (except for his/her own position).
Again, the only time you don't delegate your vote to your rep is for his/her election or recall. BTW, your name on a petition is only valid at one time, and that's when it's on a petition to recall your rep.
Where does that leave us? It leaves us in a situation where LOCAL ELECTIONS ARE ESSENTIALLY EVERYTHING! If you doubt that, I need only to show you the attacks being carried out now on certain candidates.
I'll finish with this: No threats, just reality. The ALPA C&BL's give the power to the reps (acting as the Master Council) and the only power the line pilots get if they don't like the way the Rep uses that power is to recall the Rep. Truth.