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10-03-2010, 12:33 PM

Redeye Pilot

On Reserve

Joined APC: Oct 2010

Posts: 24

Item 3: Rumor Control

We’re starting a new recurring Magenta Line item called Rumor Control. Rumors spread just like the children’s game of telephone, in which a group of children sit in a circle, and the first child whispers a made up statement to the child sitting right next to them. Then the second child in turn passes on what they believe they heard to the child sitting right next to them. By the time the original statement goes full circle and comes back to the original child, the message usually in no way resembles the initial statement.

Unlike the game of telephone, rumors can be a damaging tool that management can use to create uncertainly and disunity within a work group. During this merger timeline, everyone is hungry for information and at the same time can be somewhat anxious and apprehensive about our futures. There seems to always be an information void, and management can and will take advantage of this window of opportunity to create an atmosphere conducive to divide and conquer tactics. Two of the three rumors we are addressing today were started by management and, like most rumors, these two rumors have no truth behind them, but they can nevertheless be very damaging.

Rumor - The company wants to create a new early out retirement program.

Answer - False. This rumor stems mostly from the training department, where many instructors say they have heard directly from or spoken to someone who has heard directly from Fred Abbott that his goal is to make this a reality. Well, if Fred feels this way, he certainly hasn’t communicated so to anyone within the union leadership or to our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) that sits directly across the table from Fred on most days of almost every week.

Rumor - The CAL MEC Officers have voted themselves a pay raise.

Answer - False. First, no MEC Officer has ever suggested such a thing and, second, even if they did, they do not have the ability to vote themselves a raise, because the MEC Officers do not vote. Only the nine voting MEC Representatives (The eight CA and FO status representatives from the four domiciles and the single voting Flight Instructor Representative) vote within our MEC structure. This has not occurred and will not occur. Interestingly, this rumor can be traced as having started directly inside the EWR CPO.

Rumor – The union or the company wants to zero out our sick leave.

Answer – False. The ALPA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has no such provision within our Sick leave section proposal to the company. The company has made no indications of requesting such a provision. This rumor may stem from the fact that this did occur at NWA with the Delta/NWA merger. Delta has always had a different sick leave system and they incorporated this system to be included the DAL/NWA JCBA.

If you hear of any rumors that are circulating amongst the pilot group and you want clarification of the real facts, please e-mail that rumor to one of the LEC 170 Officers. Thank you.

Item: 4 Chairman’s Editorial

At one of our Special MEC meetings last summer, we passed a very important resolution. We decided, just like the UAL MEC to include our nonvoting LEC Secretary/Treasurers, plus the nonvoting LEC Flight Instructor Vice Chairman, to attend all MEC meetings in which the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) and/or the Integrated Seniority List (ISL) discussions were to take place. Tara and I extremely happy to have our very own Captain Boyens, as well as all other non-status representatives' voices heard during this critical juncture in our careers. It goes without saying that Captain Boyens brings a wealth of knowledge to the MEC table and, although he has no vote as a non status representative, his voice carries tremendous weight and influence within our MEC.

On Monday September 20th, our MEC met in Denver with the entire UAL MEC, for our first joint MEC Meeting. We agree with the UAL MEC in principal on our four contractual cornerstones:

· Scope/Outsourcing (Job Protection)
· Compensation
· Work Rules
· Retirement

Unfortunately, at present we do have at least one minor disagreement in one component of the core cornerstone item of compensation. We also disagree regarding a dispute resolution procedure, should each respective side of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and the MEC Chairmen be unable to agree on a specific area of our proposed JCBA sections.

I am very proud of how our MEC communicated to the UAL MEC, in no uncertain terms, that if we the CAL MEC have a JCBA Tentative Agreement in front of us that does not meet our expectations, we will have no problem voting the T/A down by a 9-0 margin. We also stated that, if the only way we can achieve our core contractual JCBA goals is through a long and protracted JCBA negotiations process, while this would not be our first choice, then so be it!

To those who believe your MEC has been steam rolled by the UAL MEC, nothing could be further from the truth. We are a world class airline and we will not be treated like second class citizens by anyone. As explained in item one today, we are at the very least equal partners with our UAL MEC counterparts. In fact one could make an effective argument that at present the pendulum swings more in our direction.

I want to make no bones about my stance regarding the eventual T/A on our JCBA. I have a standing NO vote. What does that mean? It means that I have to be overwhelmed by the overall product of the JCBA, in order to change my standing NO vote to a yes vote, rather than having to be convinced on why to vote NO, as many of our former MEC Representatives have stood in the past. This contract has far too many career implications to our pilots for me to think in any other way.

In closing, I have a message for our CEO Mr. Smisek. I have read many reports quoting your desire to make the new United a world class industry leading airline for not only our customers, but also for the employees who work here. I am glad you feel that way, as you really do have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make your vision a reality. I will remind you, however, that you have a limited window of opportunity to bring your vision to fruition. If you think you can do so on the backs of our employees, most specifically your pilots, you will surely fail. I will also remind you of what I said to you when you last visited our MEC last Spring. Our pilot group is just as militant as the United pilot group and we will do whatever we can to legally bear pressure on you to achieve our contractual goals. You are clearly at a fork in the road. I implore you to take the appropriate turn.

That is all for today. Please remember we have 147 pilots and their families on furlough.

Fraternally,

Chairman Captain Jayson Baron
[email protected]
(610) 442-3817

Vice Chairman First Officer Tara Cook
[email protected]
(610) 220-8904

Secretary/Treasurer Captain Tim Boyens
[email protected]
(305) 519-5588