TonyC,
Thanks for providing this short history lesson for the folks. Such background is critical to understanding what's at stake for every pilot on the property. I'm especially pleased with your raising the bar of our collective conscience regarding our worth to the company....we absolutely, positively deserve an industry-leading contract and should not be ashamed to ask, expect and negotiate for such. Your ideas on raising the appropriate caps on the A Plan to RESTORE 50% income replacement is spot on. This is where we, as the union rank and file, should direct our representatives to focus our collective efforts.
As TonyC, BrianH and others have urged, you must contact your representative(s) directly to make your opinions known. If you are FOR improvements to the A Plan and against PSPP and think you adequately expressed this in the survey, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. As TonyC alluded, the questions on the survey regarding improvements to our retirement were so (purposely?) vague that the results can easily be
manipulated misinterpreted to formulate and advance a contract concept for which there is little popular support. "You said you wanted improvements in retirement so we ordered you a stack of pancakes." You must tell your Rep what you want!
If you don't know who your representative is, start here:
FedEx MEC / LECs
If you are MEM based, representatives represent specific blocks of seniority numbers. If you don't know your seniority number, find it on VIPS. On the FDX ALPA website (link above) click on a Council to reveal the three individual representatives within that Council. Then click on the "Block" link immediately below the representative's photo. This will reveal the seniority block he/she represents. Keep clicking around the various Councils and Representatives until you find the representative for your seniority number. Then, click the handy email link a little lower there to send a message directly to your representative....initiate a respectful dialogue, ask specific questions, politely re-ask or re-phrase if you don't receive specific answers. Through this process, you can convey your thoughts and opinions....but please don't just hurl drive-by, one-sided comments...stay classy!
P.S. If that link does not work, start at alpa.org and click your way through to the FDX MEC section.