C12 Update - Council Meeting Protocol
Moderators. Please do not delete this very educational post. As recalls roll throughout our bases the information contained below is imperative for all United pilots to know. I have done my best to comply with forum rules to insure no full names, email addresses and phone numbers are included.
If I made a mistake (edited on iphone) and didn’t completely change all names to initials or remove an email address or phone numbers. Please edit and remove as it was an honest mistake.
Thank you.
Fellow United pilots please take the time to read this very important C12 (ORD) update.
Council Meeting Protocol
ALPA’s organizational structure is often referred to as an upside down pyramid because the power is supposed to reside with the members who are on top. The membership directs its representatives, who make up the MEC, who direct the MEC officers. The members direct their representatives through council resolutions; this is how the work of ALPA is accomplished. A resolution is the voice of the council. It is the will of the pilots.
As council representatives, we represent our council first, the entire membership at our airline, and all ALPA pilots. Maintaining these long standing United ALPA processes and protocols is imperative to the health of our union. Council 5 (EWR) held a council meeting last week. Attendance was extraordinary, a level not seen since the strike of 1985. Most members carried proxies, allowing absentee votes to be cast on advance agenda items. All resolutions passed by wide margins.
Resolutions are the method by which members speak to the MEC. Council resolutions may come in the form of an advance resolution published in the meeting notice or as a floor resolution presented at the meeting. A chair can rule that any resolution is untimely or out of order. However, at any meeting, the ruling of the chair may be challenged. If the challenge to the chair passes, the members have overridden the ruling of the chair. A good leader respects our democratic process whether or not they agree with the membership. Responsible leadership embraces the will of the body. Our union’s health depends on representatives respecting the will of the council and bringing that message to the MEC.
Occasionally, resolutions are called out of order or untimely.
OUT OF ORDER
This should only be done when: the resolution would conflict with the ALPA Constitution and Bylaws, if it would conflict with a motion already voted on at the meeting, or if it would be unlawful.
UNTIMELY
In general, a resolution will be ruled untimely to allow a maximum number of members the ability to attend the council meeting at which the resolution will be voted on.
Unfortunately, sometimes officers will call resolutions out of order or untimely for political reasons. They may call a resolution out of order citing problems with: formatting, grammar, spelling, or decorum, all of which can be easily corrected with editorial changes during the council meeting or at the MEC. In simple terms, ruling a resolution out of order should only be used to prevent something as egregious as a motion condoning a job action. At a meeting with an unprecedentedly large number of members present there is no reason to rule a resolution untimely.
Muting the membership through the use of such self serving and duplicitous tactics undermines the membership’s faith in its own union. This will inevitably lead to a loss of trust and other negative outcomes that can destroy our association.
The membership passed ten resolutions at the Council 5 meeting in Newark last week. Three of them directed ALPA National to send out recall ballots for the LEC officers. These resolutions passed by approximately 500 to 100. ALPA National will be sending out recall ballots for the council officers. This is not in dispute. Of the remaining seven resolutions, one was ruled out of order because it needed to be on the advanced agenda for at least 15 days prior to the meeting. The maker of this resolution agreed and asked that it be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. The remaining six resolutions were ruled untimely. In each case a challenge to the chair was made and the membership overrode the ruling, thus making the resolutions timely. This is the proper and widely accepted process under Robert’s Rules of Order.
Following the meeting, the Council 5 officers sent an email to the members stating that ALPA legal and the ALPA Vice President of Administration/Secretary William Couette had to review the resolutions, claiming they were out of order and untimely.
Let’s be clear–this is completely out of process. It is unnecessary for ALPA National attorneys to review the business of a council except in the rarest of circumstances.
None of the resolutions that were passed at that meeting meet that standard. The resolutions, as passed at the meeting, should be put on the agenda for the next regular MEC meeting in October. When a council speaks, the officers must listen. The pilots have spoken. Their voices should be heard.
Local council officers, as well as ALPA National officers, should never put their thumb on the scale at the local level to subvert the will of the membership. Nor should they allow themselves to be used as political tools. Doing so is an egregious and harmful act to our association. If this harm is allowed to happen to one council among us, it will harm all council’s among us. As ALPA members we encourage the Council 5 officers and ALPA National to follow the will of the membership. Failure to do so damages the very foundations of the ALPA structure.
The following resolutions were passed by overwhelming majorities at the Council 5 meeting last week.
August 17, 2022
United ALPA Council 5
Establishment of Fairness in Council Communications During Recall
WHEREAS; Recall of union council officers is a serious matter which demands that all members of the council have an equitable discussion and access to differing opinions before voting, and
WHEREAS; Communicating with all members of Council 5 can only be conducted through the ALPA National Campaign email system or Council 5 blast mail system controlled exclusively by Council Officers, and
WHEREAS; The pilots of United Airlines are at a critical juncture on a number of timely matters, and
WHEREAS; an improper use of the ALPA National Campaign email system has already occurred in an effort to oppose the recalls of Council 5 Officers by one of the officers’ supporters, and
WHEREAS; It is fundamentally unfair and violates the spirit of a bottom-up democratic
organization to allow only one side of an issue access to communication with the council, and
WHEREAS; there is precedent in United ALPA history wherein the officers of a council engaged in a recall effort published both pro and con communications from the membership using regular council communication tools,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; The pilots of Council 5 direct the Council 5 officers to
publish a PRO-RECALL statement using the normal Council 5 communications tools of the
Association, whether the Council 5 officers choose to use regular council 5 communications to publish a CON statement, or not.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; The pilots of Council 5 direct the Council 5 officers to publish
the PRO- RECALL statement without any editorial changes upon request (within 24 hours) of the maker of the recall resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; Should the Council 5 officers publish more than one con letter,
the maker of the recall resolution will be given the opportunity to publish (through regular council communications) an equal number of pro-recall communications. Such a request by the maker of the resolution will be complied with and emailed within 24 hours of the request.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; The pilots of Council 5 direct its officers to send out through the normal council communications all new business (resolutions) conducted at today’s meeting as written to include WHEREAS and RESOLUTION sections.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES
Consideration of Recall of Captain Representative/Chair GJ
Carries: In Favor 497, Against 101
Consideration of Recall of First Officer Representative/Vice Chair CM
Carries: In Favor 505, Against 85
Consideration of Recall of Secretary-Treasurer PW
Carries: In Favor 462, Against 118
August 17, 2022
United Airlines ALPA Council 5
Resolution Supporting the Resignation of
UAL MEC Master Chairman, Captain MH
And a Vote of No Confidence
WHEREAS, United ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) Chairman, Captain MH allowed a substandard and concessionary Tentative Agreement to be brought forth to the pilot group for ratification; and,
WHEREAS, MEC Chairman, Captain MH supported sending a Tentative Agreement to the membership for ratification in violated of the UAL MEC Policy Manual, Article XI – Section 19 which reads as follows:
(9) All future Agreements between United Air Lines and ALPA shall contain retroactive application of any pay raises or retirement or benefit improvements to the amendable date of the contract.; and
WHEREAS, MEC Chairman, Captain MH supported sending a Tentative Agreement to the membership for ratification in violated of the UAL MEC Policy Manual, Article XI – Section 19 which reads as follows:
(6)The MEC rejects any agreement that allows the use of airmen who are not current and qualified in their assignments. (October 1991); and
WHEREAS, MEC Chairman, Captain MH has supported and allowed the MEC Communication Committee to violate UAL MEC Policy Manual, Article XI, Section 18, D, (4), which reads in part:
(4)“When the acceptance vote is less than unanimous and at the request of any MEC member on the opposing side of the acceptance vote, pro and con statements with rebuttals will be prepared by MEC members, or their designees, and mailed to the pilots within 15 days of the MEC vote.
Any explanatory video information shall be posted on the ALPA-MEC website and advertised via email and MEC updates not later than 30 days after the MEC vote. Any video must fairly represent the concerns of both the majority and minority of the MEC as expressed in the respective pro and con statements and their rebuttals. (March 2012)” Any video must fairly represent the concerns of both the majority and minority of the MEC as expressed in the respective pro and con statements and their rebuttals”
WHEREAS, MEC Chairman, Captain MH has, and is, allowing the National Affairs Steering Committee (NASC) to balloon from 2 Members to 11 Members and operate significantly over budget. And,
WHEREAS, MEC Chairman, Captain MH continues to support the retention of the current UAL MEC Negotiating Committee, absent the Chairman. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the pilots of Council 5 no longer have confidence in United MEC Chairman, Captain Mike Hamilton’s ability to advocate for them.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
August 17, 2022
United ALPA Council 5
Resolution Requesting the United ALPA Council 5
Captain and First Officer Representative,
As Delegates to the 2022 ALPA Board of Directors Meeting,
REFRAIN from Voting for TI
for ANY ALPA National Position
WHEREAS; former United MEC Chairman, Captain TI failed to secure an industry leading Contract for United pilots during the largest airline industry upcycle on record which coincided with the most profitable years in United’s history, and,
WHEREAS; Captain TI was the prime mover of the current substandard and concessionary Contract 2022 TA, and
WHEREAS; Captain Insler ignored repeated calls for more updated scientific polling of the pilots during and immediately after the COVID Pandemic and instead relied on data from 2018, and
WHEREAS; Captain TI ushered in a Pandemic LOA that deeply divided the pilot group, and
WHEREAS; Captain TI recently addressed the United MEC asking for their support for his campaign to become the next ALPA National President, and
WHEREAS; Captain TI was unable to secure a contract in his 3 terms as Master Chairman and during the most profitable time in the companies history, the members of Council 5 believe it their duty to the over 60,000+ current and future members of the Air Line Pilots Association, to prevent Captain Insler from exercising his failed style of leadership on the entire body of ALPA in the United States or Canada.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 declare their lack of confidence in Captain TI to serve in any future ALPA positions including national officer positions;
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 demand that the Council 5 delegates to the 2022 Board of Directors Meeting refrain from nominating and/or casting the Council Votes for Captain Insler for any National position; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 direct their elected delegates to eschew campaigning FOR Captain Insler for any future union positions including, but not limited to national positions at any time from the date of this resolution forward.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
August 17, 2022
United Airlines ALPA Council 5
Resolution Supporting the Resignation of the
UAL MEC Negotiating Committee
& Vote of No Confidence
WHEREAS; the UAL MEC Negotiating Committee delivered a concessionary Tentative Agreement after four (4) years of negotiations and three (3) years after the amendable date; and,
WHEREAS; the UAL MEC Negotiating Committee, in bringing forth a concessionary Tentative Agreement appears to have completely disregarded MEC direction; and
WHEREAS; the UAL MEC Negotiating Committee delivered for ratification a Tentative Agreement in violation of the UAL MEC Policy Manual, Article XI – Section 19 which reads as follows:
(9)All future Agreements between United Air Lines and ALPA shall contain retroactive application of any pay raises or retirement or benefit improvements to the amendable date of the contract. (January 1989); and
WHEREAS; the UAL MEC Negotiating Committee delivered for ratification a Tentative in violation of the UAL MEC Policy Manual, Article XI – Section 19 which reads as follows:
(6)The MEC rejects any agreement that allows the use of airmen who are not current and qualified in their assignments. (October 1991); and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 no longer have confidence in UAL MEC Negotiating Committee’s ability to advocate for them; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 demand the immediate resignations of all remaining Negotiation Committee members.
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 direct the Chairman or acting Chairman of Council 5 to submit a resolution to the MEC for the recall of the Negotiating Committee.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
August 17, 2022
United ALPA Council 5
Background Information on the
United MEC National Affairs Steering Committee
Clarification and Member Composition Limitations
BACKGROUND:
The following is an excerpt from the United Master Executive Council (MEC) Policy Manual, Article XI, Section 17 - NATIONAL AFFAIRS STEERING COMMITTEE (NASC)
Scope
(1)To provide the MEC with timely information about ALPA International issues and to prepare the MEC for the ALPA Board of Directors meeting.
Composition and Term of Office
(1)The Committee shall consist of a Chairman and at least one (1) additional member appointed by the MEC Chairman subject to confirmation by the MEC. Appointees should be current or past members or officers of an ALPA MEC. Any United pilot serving as an ALPA International Officer(EVP, 1st VP, etc.) will be an ex officio member. (July 2001)
(2)The Chairman and Member(s) shall serve a term concurrent with the MEC Chairman.
Duties and Responsibilities
(1)Provide MEC information on ALPA International issues to ensure timely action by the MEC in best representing the interests of all United pilots. (January 1997)(2)Provide training to MEC members on all relevant issues, procedures and protocols prior to each ALPA Board of Directors meeting. (January 1997)
Attend ALPA Executive Board and Board of Directors meetings to assist attendees in issue preparation. (January 1997)
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
August 17, 2022
United ALPA Council 5 Resolution to Control and Limit the UAL MEC National Affairs Steering Committee (NASC)
WHEREAS, Section 17 of the United MEC Policy Manual describes the duties, responsibilities, and composition of the NASC; and
WHEREAS, Council 5 expects their representatives to exercise detailed and continuous fiduciary oversight of all MEC expenditures, and
WHEREAS, the NASC has traditionally been comprised of two (2) members as recommended in Section 17 of the United Master Executive Council Policy Manual; and
WHEREAS, the NASC now appears to be used as a slush fund for those seeking ALPA National elected office and an apparatus for doling out patronage positions in contradiction to the ALPA Constitution and By Laws; and
WHEREAS, current NASC membership has ballooned to the eleven (11) members, listed below, and all of which will be afforded Flight Pay Loss and ALPA per-diem reimbursements, on a committee that is already over budget by more than $147,000, all at the expense of United pilots for a cost in excess of $206,000, in order to attend the ALPA National Board of Directors meeting being held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on October 18-20, 2022; and
Edit removed names on NASC and flight pay loss hours.
Editorial correction BW 12 years service)
WHEREAS, this kind of frivolous expenditure of dues dollars demonstrates a gross failure and dereliction of LEC Representative fiduciary duty to Council 5.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the members of Council 5 direct their Representatives to submit a resolution at the next MEC meeting to limit the NASC to no more than two members, and ensure the NASC only engage in the defined "Duties and Responsibilities" as outlined in the MEC Policy Manual.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, If necessary, the third member of the NASC shall be the Executive Vice President (EVP) elected by the UALMEC.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
August 17, 2022
United Airlines ALPA Council 5
Resolution to Publicly Rebuke
United ALPA Council 5
Captain BW
WHEREAS; On July 18th, 2022 the members of Council 5 received an email from the ALPA Campaign distribution system with the title “In Opposition To The C5 Officer Recalls, and that letter was signed by Council 5 756 Captain BW,
WHEREAS; Captain BW has held numerous ALPA Committee positions and several elected positions, including Council 12 Chairman.
WHEREAS; Captain BW has been trained by ALPA, has extensive knowledge of the ALPA Constitution and By Laws, the ALPA Administrative Manual, and many other Union source documents.
WHEREAS; Captain BW illegally manipulated the ALPA Campaign email system in an attempt to unfairly influence Council 5, and by his actions, Captain BW has embarrassed the pilots of Council 5, and cast doubt upon the reputation of the ALPA Election system.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; the members demand a public apology from Captain Ward be published in the next council newsletter and that Council 5 Officers also publish a clear and unambiguous rebuke of Captain BW actions in the next Council newsletter.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; the members of Council 5 direct its Council Officers to put forth a resolution at the next MEC Meeting to remove Captain BW from any Committee positions and further rebuke his actions at the MEC.
Motion ruled NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ
Motion to OVERRULE the Chairman - PASSES
Motion TIMELY
Motion CARRIES BY WIDE MARGIN
MOTION TO FILE ARTICLE VIII CHARGES AGAINST CAPTAIN BW
Motion ruled OUT OF ORDER AND NOT TIMELY by LEC Chairman GJ because Article VIII resolution must be on the agenda for a certain period of days.
Next Council 12 LEC Meeting:
Date:
September 13t at 1000 CT.
Location:
To be announced.