[QUOTE=forgot to bid;899844]After a week of climbing atop the nearest water tower to defend the integrity of Auburn's quarterback against allegations that amounted to nothing more than a wet far in the wind, I'd like to know who in the hell just made ALPA's ineptness a DALS vs DALN issue? Why?


Now let's parse this crap up like it was an article from Foxsports.com:

November 11, 2010

Dear Members who pay my salary:

The recent policy decision by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to require that all persons, including pilots, be screened by Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines and/or highly intrusive pat-down searches is the latest change in a long line of ever-increasing security measures that unnecessarily frustrate and burden airline pilots. And therefore I say, next time you... oh wait, maybe he saved that for the next paragraph...

Instead of merely complaining to the media about the changed procedures or writing to you with advice on the security screening options that you already know, I decided to try to change the U.S. government’s decisions. I guess he didn't. Okay, basically, do what the largest independent union of airline pilots boldly told it's pilots to do to protect their safety.

I have told our members and representatives on numerous occasions that your union’s influence in government, legislative, and regulatory matters is based upon our access to the highest levels of this government, wait for it... and that access is due to ALPA’s long-term commitment to provide member expertise and dedicated highly paid professional staff to find solutions like what to do about the body scanners, but still wait for it..., instead of merely making media noise. we had no idea this was going on because we don't have body scanners in Herndon, but still, wait for it

Last Thursday I contacted the White House with our concerns. here, we go! we told the white house this is B.S. and they said... On Friday evening, ALPA staff and I met with the TSA um, stop stop stop. What did the White House say? Oh thats right, the White House was in India and despite 3,000 people and 9 jets going we're still here...to present our members’ serious concerns so serious we said nothing about it with AIT screenings and pat-down frisking and, more importantly, to offer solutions to the issue such as.... On Wednesday, TSA Administrator John Pistole called me to discuss both the concerns that ALPA has with the new screening procedures and reviewed the solutions that I had offered to the agency. such as... Administrator Pistole committed to me that he and the TSA will work with me, our Security Committee, and ALPA staff sweet, union bureaucracy...to find a solution in the near term to the immediate concerns of ALPA pilots and in the longer term to implement crew access procedures. such as what APA told it's pilots...

Administrator Pistole informed me that the agency is fully on board with implementing CrewPASS, that's the solution!??!which is one of our Board of Directors priorities. Following the call with Pistole, I joined AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka who was drinking himself under the table after last Tuesday...to meet with the Speaker of the House who could care less...and House leadership at the Capitol also out of jobs just like myself to discuss a wide variety of issues that affect workers and ALPA members including the current security dilemma that we face. so it wasn't priority number 1, unlike APA.

I know that each of you has the same question about CrewPASS: where is it? well, we have no clout, so it's nowhere other than BWI and stuff As you know from issues of FastRead and Air Line Pilot magazine which you aholes keep tossing in the trash can and missing great reads on American Eagle pilots over the past few months, we have been working with the TSA, airlines, MEC representatives, and IT vendors to promote the implementation and availability of CrewPASS. which does nothing about the TSA radiation scanners right now and to which the alternatives to it we don't have the balls to tell you to do A few months ago, I wrote to each of the U.S. airline CEOs and your MECs that ALPA had received government approval for nationwide implementation of CrewPASS. I have also shared all details of ALPA’s CrewPASS efforts with APA should have asked them advice on how to handle these types of situationsand SWAPA who got their pilots an industry leading contract for 124 seat 737s above that paid for Delta 744 and 777 Captains, the unions that represent the American and Southwest pilots. do they think we're that stupid to not know who they are? Yet only one MEC, Alaska, has been successful to date in working with their management to have the company pay for and implement this enhanced security access system for pilots. there's a slap at LM for ya

Let me be clear about the problem that has prevented CrewPASS from becoming a nationwide reality: it is simply who pays for the service. why wouldn't ALPA pay for us or partially pay for us? It'd be the biggest return on dues ever.Your companies have so far refused to pay the very minimal annual costs (approximately $50 per pilot) to make this a reality, and there is no government funding for this program. Yet today, as many of you have recently experienced, we are facing a more distinct and urgent need for CrewPASS than ever before. hmmm. Why is it so distinct and urgent? Is it unsafe? Are we allowing our passengers and our families to go through something that is unsafe? If it's so urgent, why isn't ALPA standing up with APA? Making a statement?

Accordingly, I have directed our Communications Department to post a Web survey tomorrow (Friday, November 12) to ask you for your input about the best way to “jump start” CrewPASS and we'll promptly delete them and provide this security access system for you in the very near term. Look for an announcement about that survey in Friday’s FastRead with more details. which I know you promptly delete

Also, since many of you have requested more information and direction on the options that working pilots have when they are faced with airport screening by AIT, I have directed our National Security Committee to develop a comprehensive security operations bulletin with information that it has gleaned about AIT screening and pat-downs at an invitation-only TSA conference held earlier this week, at which ALPA was the only union invited to attend. oh look at us, we're so special Look for that bulletin not later than Friday as well.

The mark of a professional pilot is how well he or she deals with adversity under all circumstances. These are surely trying times, but I am optimistic that this present situation will be resolved in the near future. such as how long it took to get CASS Along with members of the ALPA security team, I have been screened by AIT equipment at various airports and have endured the aggressive pat-downs that are used when AIT screening is declined or anomalies are discovered. I know exactly how many of you feel about this screening process, because I have experienced it as well and completely understand why it is so offensive. awww...

I respect your continued professionalism as we work toward what I am confident will be a successful resolution of this issue. I will update the Board and the members this weekend with further developments.

Yours in Solidarity,
John Prater, President


ALPA apologists, while you hang on every word, just so we are clear, this is how the rank and file read ALPAs letters. Pathetic.

Nice job, as usual FTB.