Nice letter. The "Evil Company" is the cause of all of our problems. The Bid's being CNX'd really had very little to do with:

- FDX MEC ignoring the majority of us who were againist retroactivity, But hey I'm glad we did the "Right Thing"

- The over staffing in our FE seats by people who don't have lives outside FedEx and apparantly don't play much golf either

- Our outstanding LOA's that people are just jumping all over

But what do I know. I haven't been here long enough to have my opininion count for much, and I trust those I pay dues to will support us collectively and always "do the right thing." Maybe DW should "do the right thing" and come back to the line with the rest of us low lives.

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Chairman's Message
January 26, 2008



The cancellation of the majority of the crew position awards from Postings 07-02 and 07-03, and the subsequent issuance of Posting 08-01 have understandably caused some consternation and ill will among those directly and indirectly affected. And while the MEC and ALPA staff continue to work to ensure the process is addressed in compliance with our contract, some background might be beneficial regarding what the MEC believes were contributing factors in management’s decisions.

Management contends that a combination of developments led to the award cancellations and new posting, including a soft domestic market, the cost of fuel, and the transition from 3-man to 2-man aircraft. The MEC also believes that the ongoing optimization of the pairings is a factor as well. An additional important piece of the puzzle was the change to the regulated age. It is this last piece of the puzzle and management’s decisions relating to the timing of the change that the MEC believes are at the core of the misjudgments that have precipitated the realignments now underway.

Along with ALPA, FedEx was a participant in the age 60 FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), a regulatory, industry and labor group that in 2006 examined the potential impact that a change to the regulated age might produce. The ARC was tasked with advising the FAA whether to proceed with change. The result was a split decision with FedEx management abstaining. As has been extensively communicated over the last year, the position of your ALPA leadership was that a change to the regulated age was a near certainty and that the change would occur soon. ALPA leadership also believed involvement in the process was critical to mitigate any potential negative consequences. Events have borne out the validity of that position.

Management apparently reached a different conclusion and Postings 07-02 and 07-03 were issued in the second half of 2007. After the bids closed, but prior to the crew position award cancellations, the union became aware that management was going to take steps to mitigate what it now saw as a pilot staffing problem. The MEC communicated its position that the bids should stand, especially the FDA component of 07-03. Ultimately, most domestic crew position awards were cancelled in accordance with our contract and Posting 08-01 was issued.

The MEC believes that as painful and disruptive as the award cancellations are, this action is probably the best business decision in the wake of the questionable logic that resulted in the issuance of Postings 07-02 and 07-03. With the remaining excesses yet to come in the DC-10 and 727 later this year, it is likely that many pilots, if trained for awards now cancelled, would themselves be excessed by more senior S/O’s. This is permitted by our contract as pilots are able to use their seniority, if excessed, to obtain almost any seat they can hold even if it creates a subsequent excess. Additionally, depending upon the length of time a pilot has been out of a seat, training may be significantly reduced. The cost of the resulting two training cycles, absent the award cancellations that have been announced, would be wasted, and many pilots would likely find themselves back in their previous seats.

The MEC believes the best course of action for management would have been to acknowledge the imminent change to the regulated age and adjust their bid postings accordingly. Since that is not the course that was taken, the cancellations and new posting appear to be the only viable alternative to address the situation contractually and economically, as it minimizes the impact of additional training events.

The MEC is acutely aware of the disruption and hardship that a crew position award cancellation can bring. The MEC will continue to be proactive in our dealings with management and is hopeful that our advocacy will be taken more seriously in the future.