Globemaster2827

Better than if we don't try...

Whaledriver

You can't win if you don't enter!

suddenimpact

I hear the same thing from folks at the 7/11 when they are using their last dollars to get lottery tickets and a pack of smokes.

Sad thing is, the way this was done. Not that I was against it, just lets do it right and not get caught. This ExCo isn't open to advice and surrounds themselves with too many "inexperienced yes men" that are easy to manipulate. The ExCo got some advice from veteran union guys over two years ago on this issue that cited the same exact work action references and NLGA the Judge used to rule for the company. But the new sheriff in town ExCo Chair would have none of it and made a spectacle of it. Company gave us two years of rope to hang ourselves with and we obliged them. The crew calls, ATAMS, etc making it a spectacle shot us collectively in the foot and now the company has an injunction to use against the union and crewmembers.

We might be better off saving the money wasted on a low probability appeal win for the next court case coming up on amalgamation vs section 6. Probably why the company is locked up with us now negotiations wise. Waiting for that case to happen and probably in their favor reading section 1, the timelines in the framework agreement and this injunction of what really happened that brought us to this point.

fr8ghtdawg

If that doesn't work you could blame it on the Kalitta ExCo....That might work!!

suddenimpact

I'm sure the Atlas ExCo has already hatched a new plan to blame Kalitta and make a new list for them as Polar did during the merger with Atlas with the new subcontracted flying going to Kalitta of DHL flying.

Almost a mirror of the Polar/Atlas whip-sawing of years gone by. Guess you weren't here for that like AACS, GSS, STN, furloughs and etc. Yet we keep repeating the fight the same way expecting a different outcome.

FR8Dog7

^^^^^^^^^ This^^^^^^^^^ !

suddenimpact

The Atlas union finally announced the summary judgment by the court on managements second lawsuit and said that we are required to go into "arbitration". No section 6 under the RLA for us in which we would have better leverage (strike).

This is most unfortunate for us union members at Atlas. While I had hopes we would pull this one out, I predicted due to contract language, history and experience told me otherwise although our ExCo told us to hold fast while they tipped beers knowing they could leech more flight pay loss income. A number of the ExCo resides on the negotiating committee where we have no professional negotiators staffed.

It is further saddening that many have put themselves in jeopardy listening to our ExCo to the point of getting terminated. Such as for not flying without coffee in the catering which was probably written out of the catering stocking policy in retaliation by the company for our extreme catering compliance efforts earlier on. Another expected outcome knowing it didn't fall under our CBA but company policy in our case. Collateral damage I guess. Acceptable losses by our ExCo that we might get them back in the grievance process. I do appreciate all who donated to the union fund to help those members though. In today's market, they might get a better job anyway.

I'm not sure if the ExCo is feeling the heat or not, but they have recently shut down our own little Atlas web forum without announcement to the membership. The only alternative is their nonunion facebook page which long ago purged a majority number of members for voting on controlling flight pay loss reimbursement they have been collecting or places like here.

I would say lets take it up on the union forums, but the union got rid of them. So much for two way communications they brag about.

RyeMex

Suddenimpact,

The “union boards” were shut down. That was not atlas’s decision. It was the decision of the Local’s executive board. It was a cost-saving measure, that I would think, as a dues paying member, you would appreciate seeing as they were hardly used.

As for your analysis of the most recent lawsuit:
It is horribly flawed. It seems as though you don’t understand what this most recent lawsuit was about. For clarification, I would recommend that you check your email for the message from the Exco that came out today explaining the implications. Barring that, you can feel free to PM me and I’ll die my best to explain my interpretation of recent events to you.

suddenimpact

That is contrary to what I was told by two chairmen. Being that the Atlas forums were self hosted using existing assets and unpaid volunteers, the cost savings thing bears even less weight to the point of it being a lie. Being that the forums were being shut down was not announced to the membership at all says something else also. Poor management or other nefarious things?

Without the actual court order in hand and IBT bylaw for members to not share internal releases to non-members, I will not attempt to further argue anything this ExCo said pro or con. Especially when they didn't bother attaching the court order as they have in the past. Another flag. The credibility of this ExCo is pretty low as they work their little stunts.

I don't like pointing these things out and would express them on our private forums if that was still an option, but they were stopped from further posts by the membership. While I have no problem with the ExCo being underhanded with the company as the company is to us, I do have a problem when our ExCo is underhanded to it's own members.

FR8Dog7

At least there is one Atlas crewmember that sees through all of 1224's Bull ******! No more web board, another slice of prime rib and a couple of lobster tails for Kirshner and his boys!