Freighter Captain

For those of you not at UPS, Miller is our former Independent Pilots Association president. He was succeeded by our current president who's mired in a recall campaign. Miller's blog is now up at http://robert-miller.blogspot.com/

BrownClown

All I heard when I was hired at UPS was how BM screwed the pilot group with the building, how out of touch he was with the pilot group, he screwed us with the '98 contract, he's arrogant...etc...
THEN, T.N. is a Marine General who doesn't take and crap! He will lead us into the future! My how the tables have turned. T.N. is now a pariah and B.M. walks on water. Give me a break! Under B.M. the F.O. payslope existed. Under B.M. first year pay actually DECREASED! So if the TA gets voted down all that will happen is money will be shifted to buy the captains and increase retirement. Guess what...F.O.'s get screwed by B.M. again! Now before you say that I must be a YES vote, YOU'RE WRONG. I think Article 13 sucks in many ways. Is the company really going to let B.M. come in and gut it? Highly doubtful.
Having worked at two airlines before UPS I have never seen a bigger bunch of money grubbing open time *****S than I've seen here. All I see are two snakes with different colors. I'm so dissapointed...
If B.M. gets voted into office again I fear for half the pilot group...looks like more of the same to me.

Bitme

Lucky you don't work at FedEx then or you'd be even more disenchanted. Many guys here would sell their mother for a buck. Smith was brilliant when he instituted volunteer and draft; greed is a powerful motivator. Believe it or not when volunteer flying was originally started at FedEx guys flew it for LESS than straight time. :/

BrownClown

I flew feeders in the Fedex system in '97,'98 and I saw the crumbling of the FPA. Sadly, I see the same thing happening with the IPA. Maybe greed is our collective downfalls?

Bitme

I feel bad for you guys, sounds like the FedEx pilot force back in 95 . It's amazing the difference when you finally get group of honest guys leading your Union and most of the pilots on the same page. Also, FWIW it had to come from the ground up not the top down.

Just FWIW from an outsiders view; I thought Miller was trying to create a post 60 job as head of CAPA. Then anybody who embraces "Interest Based Bargaining" has no business leading a Union. Interest based bargaining is a figment of Ford & Harrison's brain washing think tank.

You don't want to hear it, but from a historical perspective projecting forward you eventually need to get your **** together then rejoin ALPA, so we can all wield some real leverage in Washington. Under Miller that will never happen, because 1. he won't unify your pilot group and even if he did he would never reaffiliate with ALPA and 2. because he won't be the Big Dog.

He might be charismatic, but IMHO he only has Bob's interest at heart whether it's intentional or just misdirected. You heard it here first.

BrownClown

i couldn't have said any of that better myself...except when you mentioned joining ALPA...I think I threwup in my mouth a little.
By the way UPS pilots have never been part of ALPA. We were Teamsters first.

Bitme

Sorry, I miswrote. I knew that. I know it may be distasteful and I personally would like to be part of a more, shall we say, aggressive organization, but the bottom line is we all need to be One Union to have any real power in Washington.

FedEx guys went about it by establishing a bipartisan RRC, representational research committee under FPA. The old guard anti ALPA people played an instrumental role in Chairing and basically running the factfinding body. They, are the ones that came to the conclusion to reaffiliate. That's all the pitch I'll give, because your pilots will have to evolve as they must, but the key isn't ALPA, it's the integrity of the people you have in your leadership positions of whatever Union represents you; the advantage to ALPA though is it's incredible resources and reasonable affect on Capital Hill. It also helps to have the $ resources of the master contingency fund, but you guys don't need that as much if the rest of the Brown employees won't cross your line. We don't have that luxury I'm sad to say.

Good luck though in whatever endeavors you choose.

jungle

Miller had his chance. We can do as well with someone else. At this point it isn't a matter of trashing the whole TA, but just resolving the handful of important issues that need work. Voting down this TA and negotiating the terms that need work is part of the process. It isn't going to happen until the pain of not getting a contract hurts the company more than the money they are going to pay the aircrew. We need resolve, unity and new leadership.

FoxHunter

Yea your right on!!!! We need an old time ALPA contract and pilot group that existed at Flying Tigers!!! No draft, not formal VLT system there, but it was common for people to fly on their days off at 100% not 150% pay rate. Not only that if you were below RLG/BLG you did not get payed extra until you exceeded that number. Why do you want a new contract? Greed? Why do you expect a raise? Greed? Why do want to upgrade? Greed? Your just one GREEDY SOB!! Are you?

Bitme

Actually just to keep track with inflation. My purchasing power has gone down over the last 20 years, so if that's greedy then I guess I am.