Originally Posted by
Purple Drank
Summary of the Special MEC meeting yesterday
OK, that's good to hear. But then he introduced the C15 version of expectation management, and is clearly setting the stage for another rushed deal. I see a lot of excuses in their infancy, but not a the steely leadership we ought to be seeing in this negotiating environment.
He then offered his ten points on negotiations and strategy:
1. Estote Parati. Timing is everything, so be ready for everything.
2. Keep an eye on the calendar – next year is an election year.
3. Preserve the credibility created by the survey, and preserve the trust of the pilots.
4. Education is everything. The best leadership in the world can’t do anything with an uninformed membership.
5. Commit to consensus. The agreement might not be everything you want, but is it still a good agreement?
6. Root out misperceptions of collective bargaining and the RLA process.
7. Develop the ability to say YES; a tentative agreement is not proof that a better offer is available.
8. The chain of command is much shorter on the management side of the table. Don’t send anyone to the table who isn’t empowered to make decisions. To make an offer, management must first be confident that the union will ratify it.
9. Social media (including anti-social media) is a fact of life; make it a part of the plan, and a component to success.
10. Smaller lists produce faster results; don’t hang so many ornaments on the Christmas tree that you can’t get it out the door.
These look more like Ford/Harrison supplied talking points than a union leader going into negotiations under the best negotiating environment in many decades. Already looking like money will be left on the table. That is, unless the membership put their collective feet down and reject the rhetoric associated with weak TA's sold as "the best we can get, the next offer will be worse....fear, uncertainty, doubt sales campaign.