You work at RAH and there's not one but TWO made for the pilot group. If you aren't a member that's your own fault.
Teamsters Local Union No. 747 Home is completely free and is the tool used by the MEC, Union, and other pilots to exchange information, dispel these stupid rumors, get help with grievances, send out updates on contract negotiations and find clarifying answers to contract questions. The union has sent out mailings and emails about the site and there's no doubt that people all around you have talked about it at some point many times over. You might just be amazed at the amount of information that is readily and freely available if you wouldn't be too lazy to sign up. It's the first line of information from the MECs on a lot of information. If you'd like to even pretend that you're part of the union then take the time to signup, get the emails with up-to-date information regarding contract talks etc, THEN go on a public board and ask a group of people who have absolutely no idea about some phantom aircraft flying from the other side of the world over to our MX in one of our bases (which you said would have happened several days ago to start with). You guys keep creating your own unfounded rumors then pick the least credible to place to talk about them. You expect some Mesa FO in PHL to have super secret inside information that NO ONE out of the 2k pilots here would?
Just think about that for a second.
1. Don't believe any rumors for a FA.
2. Don't start any rumors with "I heard from a guy that talked to MX".
3. If you do have a rumor then go to a place that has the actual possibility of confirming or denying it. Why not ask Mexico about US intelligence secrets while we're at it?
4. Sign up for the free forum the union has established that even has a RUMORS section. You can't mention anything about the union if you aren't even willing to sign up for a free site that gives up-to-date information of it's stances on things.
People keep wanting to have something given to them instead of them finding it out for themselves. Perfect example was the IBT national taking trusteeship over the local. All the speculation and "I heard this" when there was a long detailed memo posted right on the site for all to read but none bothered even going there to look they just waited till someone finally copy and pasted it here or on rp.org to read. How do you expect to do anything as a pilot group when half of them are too lazy to even sign up for the free website they made to use as a communication tool with that said group? Half the crap people complain about, lack of communication, is actually on their end and not the unions. The tools are there but it's up to you to use them. If you have a question or rumors about the company what sense is there in asking a bunch of people that would have no way on earth of knowing vs the actual pilot group who usually have a better handle on things? You want an answer to this then go there and
ask the guys that actually go and pick up the aircraft. You want to know what's on order then talk to the guys that fly down to Brazil and speak face to face with the company and engineers there. Good grief this is the perfect example of things being blown completely out of proportion.
It's a known fact that if you say the word 190(before anything can be confirmed or denied):
1. People will say RAH is ruining the industry
2. Someone from Midwest will come in and blame the pilots for something
3. The RAH contract will be mentioned as being substandard
4. Someone will say "but we're working on the contract"
5. XJT people will turn red and just make loud noises
Why start all the fuss it's the same every single time and ends as a big argument about something that had zero credibility to start with. Essentially "Flamebait".