Since "I still don't get it" and according to you I should be educating new hires ok I will. He is one of my writings to the membership during the ratification of POS 02. Those new hires who fly with me read this and other of my efforts to wake up this pilot group before we were lied to and ratified POS 02
*MUST READ*
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE
I am fully committed to the integrity and honesty of our union as well as those who lead it. Over the past year I have doubled my efforts to ensure our pilots are represented by a team of pilots who not only believe in you the line pilot, but are also the kind of individuals we can blindly trust to protect and enhance our careers. To that end it is the observation of many pilots including myself that the current negotiating team has lost the focus and drive to achieve the objectives of the pilots they represent.
What is written below comes from an unknown author. I believe the majority of what is written below to be accurate. I am not saying our company does not have a legitimate need for concessions. What I am saying is I believe we do not have the proper team of pilot negotiators in place to negotiate the least amount of reductions in pay, benefits and work rules to an already sub standard contract to assist the company in their current financial crisis.
Tom Stivala and our negotiators have not lived under contract 97. Tom Stivala told your MEC leaders he has received at least four job offers outside of Continental Airlines. If Tom and our negotiators move up within ALPA, Continental management, or leave the company all together, the possibility exists they will not live under contract 2002.
You deserve to know the answers to the questions below. After reading this letter if you share my uneasiness please contact your elected representatives, voice your concerns and demand answers.
Additionally you may not be aware our MEC faces an impending financial crisis. You may want to ask our leaders why the entire MEC which includes all of our Local Council Representatives are on trip loss for the month of February to staff our base crew rooms along side P2P volunteers. Why is this huge expenditure necessary when there is no tentative agreement to explain and no new information available since last month’s system wide road shows? You may want to also inquire as to why your reserve scheduling subcommittee (made up mostly of line pilots) was denied trip loss because of the expense.
Fraternally,
Jayson Baron
EWR B737 CA
[email protected]
It’s a Question of Integrity
Very Soon the Continental ALPA Negotiating Committee will craft a Tentative Agreement.
Very Soon the Continental MEC will vote on whether to send out that TA for membership ratification.
Very Soon Continental ALPA members will vote on a contract that will last 2 to 7 years. No-- It won’t be the “Contract of Your Career”. No--- It won’t be Industry Leading. Yes-- We will “Take Our Place”. That place will be determined by our Negotiating Team. Unless our 9 elected leaders-- our MEC—have the courage to make a few changes to Our Team.
The week of January 10, 2005 may well be our only opportunity to try to change the mindset of our Union’s Negotiating Committee and Union Leadership.
Some of us feel this NC Team has succumbed to negotiating Stockholm syndrome, under the constant barrage of daily bad news in the airline industry. Some of us feel this Team has grown far too close to management. Some of us feel this Team has taken care of its needs first. Some of us feel our MEC must at a minimum make several changes to this Team.
How can we trust that this Team is watching out for our careers instead of their own future?
We must ask the hard questions to determine the integrity of the individuals on this Team prior to giving them our Trust and prior to our MEC sending in this Team to “Speak for Us”, and negotiate OUR Contract.
Let’s ask for answers to the following questions before our MEC sends in this NC Team: The answers to the questions below, are merely calculated estimates. The individual answers from Stivala, Muir and Karnes or their refusal to answer, should reveal their integrity, honesty, and priorities as Union negotiators.
Q: Was one of your first negotiations with management in 2000, to change the provisions of C97 and provide the NC members with PS4 travel benefits instead of Contract 97’s PS5 travel for committee personnel?
A: Yes.
Did Captain Stivala use PS4 status for family members personal travel?
A: Yes.
How much money did Captain Stivala make as a Reserve B737 Captain in 2003 and 2004?
A: approximately $225,000. Cost to Union with expenses approximately $325,000 per year.
Q: Same for Captain Rick Muir?
A: Same Answer.
Q: Same Question for F/O Bill Karnes?
A: As a B737 Reserve F/O, with 5 years seniority,
better than $125,000. Cost to Union, almost $200,000.
Q: How many Hours has Captain Stivala flown for Continental in the past seven years since January 1998?
A: Upgraded to B737 Captain in 1998, flew @130 hours of IOE/Consolidation. IN seven years since IOE, have flown @ 150-200 hours total.
Q: How many Hours of Flight Pay Loss has Captain Stivala received in the last 7 years?
A: Approximately 8,300 Pay Hours.
Q: Same Questions for Muir and Karnes?
A: Approximately the same answers.
Q: How many days of Reserve have you spent on C97 as a junior Captain?
A: Zero
Q: How many Holidays such as Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, or personal important days like, kids birthdays, wife’s birthday, anniversaries, have you flown, or been on Reserve duty, since 1998?
A: Zero
Q: Are you trained on the airplane you are being paid for:
A: No.
Q: Following the 9-11-01 system reduction bids, did you bid Guam Captain to ensure that you maximized the amount of Flight Pay Loss that you received?
A: Yes.
Q: Have you ever been trained on Air Mike or flown from the GUM domicile?
A: No.
Q: Were you unable to hold any domestic Captain position following 9-11 furloughs and therefore would have taken a pay cut like others with your system seniority?
A: Yes
Q: In 1997, when you were the IACP IAH F/O Rep, did you support President Nikolai to fire the C97 Negotiating Committee and replace them with yourself and the IAH Captain Rep?
A: Yes.
Q: When Captain Stivala was a People Express pilot, did you pay your share of the PEX Pilots merger Fund?
A: No, Paid Zero, but then again neither did Pacelli.
Q: Have you ever discussed your future at Continental or a non pilot job working with former CAL Sr. VP Mike Campbell?
A: ???
Q: Did you meet with former IAH Captain Rep Tripson to plot the recall effort against MEC Chairman Captain Pat Burke?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you and your Team of Muir and Karnes support NC Chairman Panarello’s successful effort to recall Captain Burke at the March 2002 MEC meeting?
A: Yes
Q: Did you sign a resignation letter in August 2004 effective if the MEC did not approve a FPL policy?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you suggest to IAH Captain Rep Stone in August 2004, an amendment to the FPL policy to include a “best-held” provision?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you know this would raise your pay rate to $203.79 per hour as a B737 pilot at more than 97 hours pay per month?
A: Yes.