Originally Posted by
TonyC
I think we have a winner. Pilots based in Memphis get to elect 3 Block Reps in their Local Council. Pilots based elsewhere get to elect 1 Block Rep. All those Block Reps together comprise the MEC, the body responsible for steering our ship. They are our elected leaders. They are responsible for their decisions and directly accountable to us. Did we elect them to be rubber stamps for "Subject Matter Experts", or did we elect them to lead?
I value the contributions of the committee volunteers, the staff, and the MEC Officers, but they are not the decision-makers. Well, at least they should not be. After our final negotiating session on 1 Sep failed to produce a TA, somebody made the decision to extend the process and add more meetings to the schedule. Who was that? What was the rationale? Was it the Negotiating Committee and the MEC approved of the decision, or was it the MEC, based on a multitude of factors including the advice of the Negotiating Committee? Did the MEC make the decision, or have they even been briefed about it? Do they know anything more than what was published in the Negotiator's Notepad? Who's conducting this train? Who's piloting this ship?
It absolutely would make a difference. It's not just a name at the bottom of the page, it's about accountability. We can't recall committee chairs, but we can certainly hold those we elect to lead accountable when they don't.
.
It seems crystal clear to me that the MEC is driving this train exactly where they want it to go. Otherwise they would communicate the change in the manner they choose to communicate that information. That doesn’t mean you or others agree, (for example, I didn’t agree with the focused negotiations). But the members have positively chosen to allow the MEC to do what it’s currently doing (I didn’t lead a recall effort). The membership can respond to lack of leadership at anytime just as they can respond to challenges from leadership. Do you trust membership or not? You can’t trust the membership to do one and not the other.
As for accountability, that hasn’t changed because of whose name or lack thereof is on the bottom of the email. You are still free to recall or vote in different reps. That’s has not changed since the current contract was ratified and everything that’s happened in between to today.
So again, is it simply whose name is on the bottom of the email or the content of the email itself you have an issue with? Accountability is still spelled out in the constitution & by-laws, regardless.