The status of the suits is hard to keep track of. The trouble that ALPA members, who were also military guard-reserve members started in 2005. It has been highly talked about how the CAL MEC was sort of a milk-toast group that was too cozy with management.

in Contract '02, which was ratified in 05 brought about the problems that resulted in the suits. CAL management thought it could run fast and loose on federal law and the dues paying ALPA brothers and sisters who were CAL pilots were getting no relief within the formal grievance structure. They were shot down by the CAL MEC left and right. The CAL MEC was non confrontational and did not want any disagreements with CAL management. Their inability and unwillingness to represent pilots who happened to be military members is why all this blew up.

Section 25, the scheduling section was negotiated blank. It said "to be inserted at a later date." That was what the MEC voted on. A blank slate. So, when military members started taking MLLV after PBS came on to property the company freaked out. Why? Because the company forgot to account for military leave when it dreamed of PBS. They ran 3 mock bids after PBS came alive. Not one mock bid included drill weekends, or military leave, or vacation, or sick leave, or LTD, etc. So, the absence management system had no absences to manage or deconflict. Then it went live. The company couldn't cover the schedule. The military guys got slammed by management and where was the CAL MEC? The MEC sucked. So, the military guys and girls had to fend for themselves. It didn't stop there. It soon showed up in other areas as a way to pressure military pilots into NOT taking military leave.

The suit, and suits could have been avoided if the CAL MEC had simply represented and defended the rights of the CAL pilots who were full ALPA members and who paid their dues in more ways than one. But, if the normal avenues of conflict resolution were closed, then the ones that exist for every other US citizen are still open.

CAL management is where the problem was. I think the passage of time shows us that these suits were justified considering the lack of options available to the military ALPA members at the time of contract '02 implementation and the heavy-handed tactics employed by CAL management were outright illegal.

We actually had a check airman authorized by Abbot himself calling the pentagon to verify a Navy reservists status. This guy's source was not a credible source. Not only did the source goof up when trying to verify orders, but he declared that the military member wasn't even in the US Navy reserve. CAL tried to fire the guy based on third hand reports from the so-called source. The check airman was used to give Flight Ops plausible denyability. The Check Airman just recently retired btw. The SEC/NAV had to get involved. This is just one example of the insanity that CAL pilots had to deal with.

It was always about using and abusing relationships to get what CAL management wanted. Pressure the military guys directly and indirectly to get their way.

It was never brought up, but I feel the biggest reason CAL management didn't want to properly and legally fund the B fund for the military pilots was simply to discourage the taking of military leave. If you received NO credit in the B fund, then you were less likely to take MLLV. If you got called every month for taking MLLV, then you were less likely to take MLLV. If your commander got harassed every month, then you were less likely to take MLLV.