Originally Posted by
evodiver
It starts the clock.
You can't have a strike vote without being in mediation if you want to be taken seriously. (Their CEO laughed at them for it, the mediator did not) our CEO would laugh at us for having a strike vote without being in mediation. It's just legal procedure.
Ask the Delta guys why they got their contract. They followed the RLA, UALPA has not and we are that far behind because of it.
I hope the "New MEC" can pull a rabbit out of the hat but they should use the legal procedures available to them to force the issue.
Delta negotiations had also stalled from what I remember. If that was the case, then filing for mediation was warranted. That is not the case with us. Both parties are meeting frequently and evidently negotiating in good faith. The RLA is a slow process, and considering that we just started over with a new team, I’d say that things are moving along pretty quick. This needs to be done correctly, not necessarily quickly. Just like fast hands in the cockpit creates problems, placing the emphasis on speed in negotiations does the same thing.
Our new MEC is using the legal procedures available to them. If negotiations reach an impasse, we will then file for mediation and potentially have a strike vote.