Old 11-03-2014, 10:53 AM
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Zero13
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Joined APC: Jul 2007
Posts: 27
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Fellow ALPA Members,
On the morning of October 31, our management changed the landscape of negotiations by requesting mediation from the National Mediation Board. They made this decision despite the prolonged efforts of our MEC to engage in negotiations using unique concepts intended to produce an agreement between cooperative parties. While I preferred our MEC succeed in these distinctive efforts, that process required an enlightened management and recognition of our contributions to over $8 billion in accumulated net profits for FedEx Corporation over the last 5 years. Unfortunately, current management has squandered this opportunity and now we face the stark reality of going back to the tried, tested, and true process articulated in the Railway Labor Act (RLA). We have been there before and we will once again prevail in protecting and improving our contract because of you. The wall of pilots in front of AOC, around the country, and at our international hubs was clear evidence of your commitment.
We are fighting a phantom bankruptcy. Management seems to be enamored with the idea of adjusting our benefits downward to match that of bankrupted airlines. We cannot allow that to happen and I will work tirelessly to make sure it does not happen on my watch. Thanks to cost-cutting measures initiated by management and diligently implemented by us, our company has experienced record profits and is poised for spectacular growth; Wall Street concurs. However, our contributions to the success of FedEx will only be recognized at the bargaining table when we collectively change the circumstances. The RLA allows us to do just that. Your rights and protections do not change in the process.
We have earned our pension, both the “A”-plan and the “B”-plan. We have earned our healthcare. We have earned the right to protect and improve our quality of life. We have an obligation to protect and improve our future by negotiating on behalf of the next generation of pilots. This contract is about improvements, not concessions. It is about fixing the problems identified since our previous contracts. Success is up to us and I am asking for your vote.
As we are in the final days of this campaign, I also want to say, ‘Thank you!’ Thank you to all who have voiced such strong support. It is humbling to know that my years of union work has made such an impact. My grandfather, father, and uncle were all union leaders in their time, and I am proud to have served in the past; I hope you will allow me to serve once again. I believe my experience as a former ALPA negotiator, a former CPA, and a former elected union representative is valuable. As your Block 11 Representative, I will be part of the leadership team that will successfully complete this contract on our terms.
Please take the time to review my website, Elect Mike for Block 11 and read some of my endorsements listed below. If you are still not convinced I am the best person to represent Council 26 Block 11, please contact me so I can address your issues and concerns and perhaps earn your vote. Voting continues until 0900 central time Monday, November 10 at Air Line Pilots Association, International using your normal login.
We create the circumstances. Success is up to us.
Michael E. Arcamuzi
901-210-0701
[email protected]
Elect Mike for Block 11

Vic Liberti Endorsement:
After being elected a Block Rep years ago, I was strongly advised by ALPA legal to not post anything on social media sites while in office or even after serving. I took that advice but today I'm making an exception.

People get involved in the Union for many different reasons, some have a pet cause, some seek power or recognition, and others (the good ones) want to serve and share their knowledge and experience to better our lives.

The latter group also has character, integrity and honesty at the top of their resume. Mike Arcamuzi is one of those guys and my hope is you elect him as Block 11 Rep.

I met Mike years ago when he was the Block 2 Rep. I had some minor problems and as my Rep, he jumped right on it (probably a waste of his valuable time) and had it resolved. I never said thank you and all I remembered about him was his haircut (typical member).

Well a few years passed, Mike working on the MEC got us a contract and then decided to step down. I am a big believer in term limits and that got my respect. He finished his job and he moved on. I decided to run for Block 2 Rep to replace him. As the campaign began I asked Mike for his endorsement, he looked me straight in the eye and said no, he favored the other candidate. He could have blown me off with some political correct answer and did nothing, that's what most political people would have done. Not Mike, he showed character and although I was disappointed, he earned my respect.

I was elected and a few years passed, some of you might remember the story of a crew detained in Almaty, well I was the Captain. Phone service being what it is in Almaty I could not contact my family. The only call I got through was to Jack Lewis (Chief Pilot at the time). Jack contacted the Union and my wife got a call explaining everything, not from a Block Rep, or the MEC Chairman, but from Mike. Our family will never forget that.

I could go on and on about all the committees Mike served on and all the time he volunteered to better our lives but I'm sure that's been put out somewhere else.

Political views always differ. I am very conservative, Mike is quite liberal, but in the end, honesty and character are what makes a leader. Mike was there for the last contract, let's put him there for this one.

Regards,
Vic Liberti

Former Block 2 Rep and Council 22 Chairman


Captain John Whitehead Endorsement:
Fellow ALPA members:
When I first transformed from a staunch anti-union person to someone accepting the need to organize here at FedEx, I was not sure where to start and who to trust. Through mutual friends, I was introduced to Mike Arcamuzi via telephone. We met face to face while I was on a layover in Chicago (where Mike was living at the time). I found Mike to be a realist. He was not anti-company. He was not a single minded ALPA man. He was not emotional about the issues the pilots faced. Instead, he was very business-like in his understanding of FedEx history, its culture, and what had changed at that point to bring us to discuss a union. He saw things for how they really were, not how he wished them to be. As we shook hands to say goodbye, Mike offered his personal services and he handed me a check for $500 as seed money towards the organizing effort. He put his money where his mouth was.
As time passed, Mike followed up on his promise to help. He never sought the spotlight. His goal was strictly to do the work necessary in whatever manner was appropriate.
I have the utmost respect and trust in Mike. He is a bright fellow, unashamed of his support for the FedEx pilots and their contribution the company bottom line. He will work to create compromise where appropriate yet he can make the difficult, unemotional decisions when those events present themselves. Those are essential attributes of a true leader.
Mike has a clear vision of how FedEx management operates from his job as a long time line pilot and from prior union work. He also understands the delicate balance between butting heads with management and the need to protect our customers – the people that make our paycheck (and management's) possible.
Please take the time to read and learn about Mike at his blog Elect Mike for Block 11. I think you'll find he is an open book, willing and ready to step up to the task of representing you and your family at the MEC level. Mike has my complete support.

John Whitehead
Capt. MD-11


Captain Jack Anzur Endorsement:
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am writing to recommend that you vote for Mike Arcamuzi as Block-11 Representative. I've known Mike for over twenty five years and have worked with him in leadership positions at ALPA-1, the FPA and ALPA-2. Mike's intelligence, integrity, drive and dedication to improve the lives of FedEx pilots and their families make him the best choice.

More significantly there are three areas that clearly make Mike's election critical as we move deeper into contract negotiations.

Firstly, Mike has over thirty years of history working in leadership and critical decision making positions within our union. The importance of this cannot be over emphasized. History gives an individual perspective, judgment and the ability to weigh issues more broadly. With few exceptions individuals currently serving on the MEC lack history.

Secondly, Mike brings negotiating experience to the MEC. He has sat at the negotiating table across from management. Simply put, this isn't his first rodeo. Many of the tactics currently being used by management are rehashes of things they've tried in the past. Having a negotiating background gives Mike invaluable insight that no other MEC member possesses.

Thirdly, Mike understands Retirement and Insurance. He has dealt with complex R&I issues while serving as an elected representative and as R&I chairman. Again, no other MEC member has this background and understanding. Mike understands the importance of a blended approach to retirement containing both defined benefit and defined contribution plans (as both have strengths and weaknesses). He understands that management can and must be challenged regarding their interpretations of regulations which affect our retirement plans. He understands the importance of strengthen and protecting these plans through solid negotiations, legislative changes and lobbying efforts.

In closing, I urge you all to vote for Captain Mike Arcamuzi. He brings in-depth background, judgment and strength of character we need at this critical time.

Captain Jack Anzur
( Former, Chairman Local Council-07, Block-1 Representative, R&I Chairman, Chairman ALPA National Strategic Planning committee for Negotiations and R&I, Chairman P2P, Secretary/Treasurer)

Captain Wally Huggins Endorsement:
Fellow ALPA members:
Having departed an MEC officer's position several years ago, I have consciously tried to remain distant from the politics and drama of the MEC. Being relatively senior and definitely older has aided that effort. It's just a fact I don't have as much to lose or gain as a First Officer with thirty years to go.
That being said, recent events have prompted me to pay more attention and care more about the composition of our MEC. I believe it was, is and will always be a good idea to look back and glean lessons learned from the past successes and shortcomings of MEC's and committees. But recently we seem to have been on a path similar to efforts made in the 90's in which union representatives assumed management would rightfully recognize the value of the FedEx pilots and instinctively want to reward us in good faith. After a time in the late 90's, we all began to realize we were already past that point.
For better or worse, a good while back, I think we crossed the point at which a relatively small but critical element to FedEx Express (the pilots) was going to be compensated on good faith. It seems to be part of the natural evolution in many companies that as they grow larger, more levels of management develop to contain costs. There are notable exceptions, like perhaps Southwest Airlines, in which managements act to mitigate the situation but unfortunately, many times employers and employees grow distant and, at times, adversarial. Contract negotiations can act to only further the deterioration. I believe that's where are today.
Because of our situation, I will be casting my vote for Mike Arcamuzi as the Block 11 representative. I will do this because of the mental archives Mike possess of lessons learned long ago, his intellect and ability to analyze critically, his integrity in everything I've ever seen him do, and most importantly, his unequaled energy and passion for improving the condition of every FedEx pilot on the property and those yet to be hired.
Mike has no aircraft-specific agenda, no parochial interests, will ALWAYS speak his mind (ask his bosses), and will never let you down. Rumors and selective memories to the contrary, the MEC Mike sat on was pretty high functioning. It was comprised of a hugely disparate group of people from different union backgrounds and perspectives. Mike was a standout on that MEC for all of the above cited reasons and his ability to work with just about anyone.
This unsolicited letter is not "against" anyone. Having occupied those spaces, I have nothing but respect for those who work on committees and the MEC whose intentions are to help the pilots. Rather, I am for Mike because I saw him at work very close up for years under all kinds of circumstances. Mike is nothing if not a pilot advocate; I believe it's in his genetic code. I hope you elect him to the MEC. You would be well served.
Respects and Out
Wally Huggins
50790
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