That's cool.

One thing that may be helpful as a frame of reference here to understand the history is how ALPA came to be at Continental and what happened just after that.

When IACP was on property, it contained a combined Board of Directors of both CAL and CAL EXp pilots. Each member had an equal vote. Although there were two separate labor contracts in place. This may also help to explain how and why CAL chose to negotiate a flow through agreement at Express. There was one union representing both pilot groups. Problems arose in the sense that Scabs really controlled the ALPA arm that represented mainline. So, concepts like Junior Manning were fully endorsed by the local ALPA leadership since it was something that Flight Ops wanted. These same people who were in charge of ALPA at the MEC office in Houston were the same people who were in the Ops Group, which was co-chaired by Debbie McCoy and Fred Abbot.

Not too many people know that Debbie McCoy was negotiated out of a job when CAL got its contract and with the full support of the express pilots. We told Gordon that we wouldn't sign either contract unless Debbie was gone. CAL gave her 2.3 million dollars as a parting gift and through the unity and support of the express pilots, specifically to support the CAL pilots that contract was done. So, it did not go un-noticed by the former express pilots who subsequently came to CAL that there was a problem within ALPA at the MEC level. Anything Flight Ops wanted, flight ops got.

Subsequently after ALPA came on property the two MEC's were split (which was one BOD). Once this occurred, the scabs controlled ALPA because they had the votes to do it. Jay Panarello (Chairman), Bruce Stone (LC 171 Chair), Bob Shoemaker (LC 171 VC), and PJ Markvotiz(LC 171 grievance chair) were all scabs and all decided to hate on express pilots. Combined with the mis-guided efforts of former LC 171 Chair Jimmy Tripson, also a scab and you can see that there was a huge demographic of pilots tired of getting dumped on by ALPA. Some did not understand why this was happening. It took some time for me and others to understand that the name on the door didn't matter. You could call it ALPA, or call it IACP, or call it Ops Group and it wouldn't matter. It was the same people in charge.

The real issue here is how it came to be. ALPA needed the express pilots to vote in ALPA as opposed to IACP and that did happen. Express pilots overwhealmingly voted in ALPA and countered the scab influence. However, once the MEC was split, the influence of the scabs was too much to overcome and the culture of insanity was ingrained.

The culture shifted through some rather heroic efforts of two IAH pilots who recalled Bruce Stone, and Bob Shoemaker. There were some pilots caught up in a triploss scandal and Ex Cncl member Joe Fagone from Fed Ex wrote an exhaustive report on the subject. Every pilot paid back the money except Bob Shoemaker. Shoemaker was recalled overwhealmingly, even Scabs voted to recall him. Scabs are scabs, but what they don't like is a fellow scab stealing their dues money. Over 70 percent if IAH pilots voted to recall those two with over 96 percent participating. Never been seen before in ALPA.

So, the rub is this: many pilots bent over backwards for ALPA to come on property and we heard allot of promises. All these pilots want is what they were guaranteed: Competent and fair representation, the ALPA tool box, career progression, job security, etc, etc. A big deal was made of the merger and fragmentation policy in the road shows. So far, I don't see that stuff they were talking about then in 1999.

The retirements and exclusion of the scabs in the process has improved things, but IAH couldn't turn the corner until Stone/Shoe were done for good, and many here are still trying to get over that dark period of our history. It was a trade off: independence of voice and agenda for a Nationalized agenda. I think it only works if you can get the regionals to represent themselves via another mechanism. I still see split agendas at the national level and that shows up in the legislative arena as well.

ALPA isn't perfect, but its all we got, so I get it. I do believe in about 3 years this will be behind us, but it is going to take a herculean effort for the UAL controlled MEC to check their egos at the door and treat the L CAL pilots in a dignified manner. I do agree with a previous poster about the BAT process. What a problem that is, but it was endorsed by the MEC and that means the MEC was bowing to someone's priorities and agenda.