Originally Posted by
baseball
The merger and fragmentation policy that I have says that MEC's can set up a merger fund, via assessment, but it doesn't say what to spend the money on. The way I have always read it, it says in an ALPA-ALPA merger, ALPA National will NOT let the two MEC's spend ALPA money on attorneys or advisors fees.
So far so good.....
Originally Posted by
baseball
So, that would lend one to "INFER" that ALPA National controls the entire process.
I think this is where the confusion happens. The individual MECs represent themselves but cannot use normal dues funds (collected by ALPA national) for this. Just because they cannot use normal dues does not mean that the money comes from ALPA National or National controls the arbitration---other than establishing the policy in the first place.
Originally Posted by
baseball
Can you provide a source document that says this?
Sure.
Here's a excerpt from a UAL MEC email sent shortly after the merger was announced:
"Referendum on Merger Expense Fund Assessment
At the April MEC meeting, the MEC passed a resolution calling for a membership referendum on a proposed UAL Merger Expense Fund assessment. If approved, this fund will be for the exclusive use of United’s pilots to help offset the costs of the announced merger between United and Continental. The assessment will initially be set at 0.50%. The funds collected from this assessment will be used exclusively for activities associated with this merger. ALPA policy prohibits the use of normal dues to be used in this merger."