Originally Posted by
Beagle Pilot
Agreed. We shouldn't let the immature and unprofessional conduct of a few pilots divide the rest of us.
As ALPA pilots our choice is clear; either we find a way to work together or we will continue to freefall together in a race to the bottom.
Last October at the ALPA BOD meeting 15 MEC's on the Fee-For-Departure Committee met to formulate a strategy to combat many of the problems noted in this thread.
Quote:
October 19, 2008 - More than 120 pilots arrived in Las Vegas before the 42nd Board of Directors meeting began to participate in a summit hosted by ALPA’s fee-for-departure-carrier MECs on October 19. Status representatives, MEC officers, and other pilots from all 15 of these pilot groups, along with ALPA National officers and representatives from ALPA National committees and other pilot groups, met to continue their work coordinating their negotiating, contract enforcement, and support activities. This was the third meeting of the FFDC MECs in their ongoing effort to advance their goal of building career security and opportunities for their pilots.
“The FFDC MECs have shown the courage to lead their pilots by working together to find new ways to protect and enhance the careers of all airline pilots,” said ALPA President Capt. John Prater, who kicked off the meeting. “Their coordinated efforts continue to prove that when one pilot group has a solution, we all have a solution.”
Summit participants received presentations on the demographic trends among FFDC pilot groups and the economic outlook for the industry. Representatives from the contract survey and contract template working groups reported on the outcome of their work in these areas. Capt. Tom Wychor (MSA) facilitated the group’s discussions on the strategic plan, career protection coordination, and advancing the group’s mutual goals through continued collaboration, consultation and discussion among the FFDC MECs, the ALPA Collective Bargaining Committee (CBC), and representatives from other ALPA pilot groups. The FFDC MECs will continue their work and plan to meet again in 2009.
Thanks Beagle Pilot,
This Fee-for-Departure-Committee is the kind of thing we all need to encourage our individual MEC's to focus on. Everyone reading this please spread the word about the upcoming "coordinated" negotiations and how important it is going to be to help each other obtain the goal of an industry standard that we can all live with. Explain to those who don't understand that we are in this together. Every one of us needs to do our part to improve our chosen profession and only then will we receive the respect we deserve.
May your next contract be "industry leading", and if not, may the "worst contract in the industry" be a contract we can all be proud of.
Winglet