I’ve been reading the comments on the various boards noting the biggest complaints regarding our current representation and this TA debacle. I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are some of the more compelling items. I’ve also thrown a few ideas of my own in the pot regarding what I think must happen to see real change.

Whether we stay with ALPA or go independent we need to come to a consensus regarding what a bottom up union looks like. Can we agree the current system is broken? Can we also agree the current structure has weaknesses, allowing rats to infiltrate and compromise our bargaining position?

Not to get ahead of ourselves, the first item of business needs to be a massive recall of every rep in every base that did not follow the directives given them by their membership. This discussion regarding what elements we want in our union should not take any focus off of that mission.

If the membership chooses to live with DALPA for the time being, I believe it should be on a probationary basis. If the Harwood’s of the world try to rule from the belly again or we cannot root them out, we should hit the kill switch and vote DPA in immediately!

If DALPA is our bargaining agent, BIG changes need to be made. We should be willing to adopt the best ideas from DPA and anywhere else we can find them. I’ve listed some of these ideas below in no particular order. Feel free to add to the list.

No more closed session meetings. The whole “showing your hand in poker” analogy has been way overplayed. Look at the results it got us. Time for a new paradigm. An open negotiation with heavy emphasis on restoration with everybody on board will get us more than the secret back door, become best friends with Richard and Ed, deals.

Line pilot oversight committee (thanks to the guy who suggested this on another board and other ideas I borrowed below!)

No more guys appointed to high level jobs such as negotiating committee, etc. They need to run and be elected. No more “shadow MEC’s”!

Term Limits

Implement video conferencing for when candidates run as well as presentations on contract items with Q & A with the membership.

Complete transparency and dialog where the membership gives direction. As we have seen from this last TA, guys are thirsting for knowledge and want to participate. Facilitate that with technology. Along with this, provide regular meaningful updates on contract proposals. Actual information, not meaningless cryptic innuendo and tag lines. The membership can use this information to debate on the various mediums now available and provide feedback to their reps. The goal of all this is to allow the LEC representatives to receive timely line pilot input and make changes as appropriate BEFORE we get too far down the road. This will avoid a situation of unexpected blow back from the pilot group resulting in another failed TA.

We will not compromise our principles. Our profession, union and country have defined a bedrock of principles. For example, we will not compromise our privacy or seniority on this contract.

Seniority Block Representation- Your Rep comes from your seniority group regardless of base affiliation. The Reps know the issues of their constituents because they are living the successes and trials of their group. Keep your Block Rep if he or she is representing you effectively; remove them if they are not.

Create Block surveys with real-time feedback keeping Reps accountable for Members’ wishes.

Financial Transparency- Members have full digital access to finances.

DALPA president paid like SWAPA Pres. (line avg +30%).

No regular business/trip drops on holidays for DALPA work.

Routine work done over teleconference.

Hotels for DALPA will be the same as used for crew layovers.

Meetings held in crew base locations only.

Alcohol not provided at meetings.

Five year non-compete clause (ALPA guys can’t immediately climb the ladder by helping management out).

All grievances pursued in a timely manner.

Simplified contracts professionally written without the shoddy language signed off by DALPA in recent years (read loopholes everywhere).

Delta Pilots MEMRAT regarding any dues rate, constitution or side letters.

Financial efficiency – This one is tough to do without going independent but there are many things we can do to stop the waist of dues dollars either way. It should be noted, one advantage of going independent would be to ELIMINATE subsidizing the regional carriers who want our flying (i.e. More than 16% or approx. $689,000 in 2010) of the MEC’s account allocation for operating income is redistributed to smaller ALPA carriers. ALL independent dues would go directly to meeting Delta Pilots’ needs and desires. Also, freedom to take back flying without fear of lawsuits from the regional carriers who share membership in ALPA with us - No Duty of Fair Representation conflicts with regional affiliates.

Financial responsibility – Reduce excessive and unnecessary spending of Member dues. (For example - $6,500/mo housing allowance for the President, $4,500/mo housing allowance for V.P.s, $1,600/mo car allowance, $498,000 annual compensation for the President, $120,000/year secretaries, $175,000/year magazine editors, massive bonus pensions, $329 per night hotel rooms, $260 per day per diem, etc.)

Officers and Block Reps fly partial lines every month and earn a reasonable reward for service to the Delta Pilots.

Reps fly a half line minimum.

President/Reps are elected by membership.

No more NDA’s. They do more damage than good. We’ve watched too many guys get mesmerized feeling a part of something, being presented tailored information from management. It just doesn’t work. We can check the earnings reports. We can set our own objectives. That’s all we need to know.

A proper Pro/Con paper for every TA and side letter is mandatory. The union will NOT use their political power to block pro/con papers from being passed out or put in V-files. The union will NOT ask the chief pilots to censor any flow of information geared toward the decision making process.

IF the MEC is going to have an official Facebook page, it is prohibited to delete any comments unless it is unacceptable for public viewing (i.e., racial in nature, F-bomb). Dissenting views will NOT be deleted ever.

Membership should decide how and when union reps receive flight pay loss. Certainly they should NOT be paid for a one sided sales campaign!

Establish a secure electronic voting system that is anonymous yet easy to self verify. This system would be completely separate from the DALPA website. You would receive an email or text (your choosing) when you vote and every time you change your vote. When the vote is complete a log of all confirmation numbers will be provided to check against your vote.

Make the survey results for C2012/C2015 available to the membership. The current administration already screwed the pooch with our weak contract and subsequent management quotes to the press. Survey results will not further harm us but will likely help us. If we want to decide if survey results are public prior to future contracts we can vote on it.

Professional negotiators. Hire from a firm similar to Ford and Harrison. Let’s not show up to a gun fight with a rubber knife again.

Set Goals, Measure Goals

Accountability for the union and its leaders!

Please add??? Let's create a manifesto then with the help of our new union leaders, convert it to law. Let's not make the same mistakes again!