Memphis trip to MEC meeting pirep
01-16-2008, 05:35 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 2,889
Memphis trip to MEC meeting pirep
I need to temper any comments I post with the clear disclaimer that I cannot and will not betray the any confidential information. That aside, I’ve gotten a lot of “okay—what is up?” questions as well as “…so what did you think…?...”. In the interest of opening up the info as much as I can, I wanted to share a few thoughts and insights…some professional and some personal.
First of all—I was extremely pleased with the turnout for the MEC meeting last Tuesday. I think in the future I will indicate in every bit of correspondence that we are planning on cutting your BLG—because it sure seems to get folks off their butts and into the meetings—which is a great thing. Seriously—thanks to those who made the effort to be there.
I’ll talk issues first.
BLG reduction. Yep..its happening now. However, your PAY cannot be reduced below guarantee without interaction with union by company. That hasn’t happened yet. There is a lot of room to fix a lot of issues (others covered this already. Of note—Dave Webb has long been a proponent of a cap and bank system to limit carryover, and to have a “cap” on hours you can work. I have disagreed with this, as I think we should be allowed to work as much as we want, and the elasticity this gives both the pilot and the company benefits both. However, in the unlikely event of a furlough, all bets are off and I would support all kinds of restrictions. My point is DW has been a proponent of caps all along, and he has made emphatically clear that the MEC is against any putting ANYONE out of work or allowing anyone to make extra money while others are either on the street or are facing cutbacks. He pointed out that in the 70s there were guys working draft while some guys were “displaced” to hub jobs. There are some old wounds (not necessarily just his but a collective group of old FDX guys) about similar issues here and at other places in the past, and my impression is that NOBODY on the MEC would support any carryover, extra flying, or similar good deals while BLGs are sliced or pilots are furloughed. So—please note the snowflakes in hell—but I am in full agreement with DW on this point.
Side note: Discussion is clear that any drop in BLG would result in a drop in MEC officer pay. No need to raise your hackles…if bad things happen those guys will take a pay hit. That was already in play before I attended the meeting.
Furloughs. My own opinion here: Hor$e****. We are making money. There are real challenges on the horizon, but there are plenty of other areas to make adjustments. I think the PC comment was designed to distract, intimidate, and then measure the results.
This leads to my next point—which I made at the LEC meeting. We need to collectively (that’s the membership body here) grow a pair. I have worked with lots of pilots from AA, UAL, DAL, and NWA that were furloughed after 9/11. The whole retraining and re-manning of an airline is a cumbersome, expensive process, and I am not convinced there aren’t a lot of cheaper alternatives. However, to be effective and stand against this threatening language, etc you have to understand the costs involved in a furlough to the company and understand they will use the threat to reduce any benefits they can. To keep what you have, you have to have enough of a gut and poker face to say “bring it b1tch!” My concern is that if the MEC tries to stand tall the membership will quiver. So—I am telling you this right now—if we tell the company to “stuff it” and that the manning problem is theirs to fix, the members need to understand how committed we are to protecting jobs for every person here I seriously doubt there would be a need for ANY of that—but like a strike—being ready for it means you probably don’t need to. I’m willing to discuss this offline over food or booze for those really want to discuss this.
LOA issues: Still a sore point for some. I still detest STVs clauses. I think we went cheap. Its done. It is painfully apparent that despite the vote tabulation there was a lot of different positions on this—which I found encouraging. For those who don’t know this—Vic Tansey bid the Paris CDG…so he did put his money where his mouth was. Age 60 is still sore with some of these guys too. There is more contention than the votes suggested.
Unity/Representative Democracy/Leadership: All concepts that get bantered about quite a bit. A theme I hear is you need to do what you think is RIGHT for the body, not just your block. There are times to stick together, but (I think) times to stick up for your own block. I’m sure they’ll be some arguments down the road, but I think the motives of most of the guys on the MEC are still solid. I do think, however, the credibility can be questioned based on some previous calls—and the way to fix that is to let you know where I (we) stand on certain issues…and that means a lot of communication.
Comm: My biggest peeve. Can’t do much until March but in the future I’d like to at least allow our LEC meeting to be available via conference call. Vic is already pricing some options. I’ll keep you posted once I am officially on board. I’m already hearing concerns about filming/video, but I’ll continue to push for real time access and perhaps net based webcasts. It’s a fight I see coming—and it will be “scary” for some to even consider—but I think we can get there. Anyone seen the block 6 rep’s letter? Two days after the meeting Sunday he posted a good synopsis. Great letter—and I think it is indicative of the fact some on the MEC are trying hard to improve comm. Big picture is I think we will be a more powerful, more effective, and more confident union the more we can communicate. A theme I hear a lot—and some of it is VERY valid—is there is responsibility for the union to inform, but also for the membership to actively receive that comm. That means going to the web site, reading the info, and voting on issues when given the chance. I agree with that premise, but I also think having a meeting on an NFL playoff day and getting upset about low turnout is unrealistic too. Yeah—your career is worth a lot more than a day in front of the tube—but I will do all I can to make it easier for you to participate. “Lunch with Albie…” starts in Feb. I’ll post on the websites days I’ll be in MEM or around the hub for a trip to the Catfish Cabin or other local join where we can sit and discuss whatever is on your mind. I will have some answers—won’t have a bunch of others—but I’m there to listen and pass info back and forth. Together we’ll do what we can to get the info going both ways.
Also—I’m looking for someone to help the comm guy out. Its not a volunteer position—you get paid for trips you miss to help you. If you are internet savvy, want to help me out, and don’t mind giving up hub turning at 2 am to work in a nice office and help out...call or email me.
Now some personal observations…
Sleepy and Jeff Stark both made themselves available for Q&A prior to my trip, but I have been in a sprint for 2 weeks (note lack of posts!). The 10 days prior to these meetings—I spent 5 days in GA working on my plane under the tutelage of a bunch of fellow Navion drivers that are a lot more mechanical than I am. I flew home Friday night and then took my wife and 2 of 3 daughters to central FL for a cheerleader comp, then on the return had sinking fuel pressure and some secondary indications (suspect a leaking fuel selector—unrelated to annual work), so I did a precautionary SFO into Cross City Airport late at night. Always seem to get my glitches right after my annual—dang it. (Single engine night X-C—note to self: Never IFR!) Spent Monday locating rental car, coordinating mechanics, etc etc. Drove home to quick turn next am to meeting… pack, repack, go….pack, repack, go….
So…I show up with my business casual/recurrent training attire only to find every swinging johnson wearing a suit and tie. Geez. They even compliment each other on attire and compare ties. So—I’m sure my red-neck @ss stood out a bid. I need to take a trip to men’s wearhouse and pull a suit and coat out of the closet. I’d like to wear my riding boots and favorite jeans—but I’m if I’m on trip removal I’ll do what I’m paid to do…so I gooned this one. I thought I was done wearing suits after my interview. Wrong. Damn it. So—if you want to help me—don’t buy me lunch—buy me a nice tie. Looks like I gotta clean up…
Next—someone pointed out MEC means “men eating constantly”…and the catering is good. But so far I’ve seen meetings start early and run late. There is some legitimate effort being expended. Booze on dues is a no-no…so I’ve already been tapped to cough up for the booze fund (which I am glad to pay Point is I sense a VERY serious concern about the appearance of abuse of funds. Again—I was encouraged. ). I am missing some of the informal socials because I still have some loose ends with some interview clients, but I’ll have a better plan in March when I officially step up.
So—that’s my report for now. What I can’t publish I can probably discuss, so grab me in the hub, call me, or let me know what’s on your mind. Email is best….my ALPA phone and account will be open soon and I’ll let you know when that happens.
First of all—I was extremely pleased with the turnout for the MEC meeting last Tuesday. I think in the future I will indicate in every bit of correspondence that we are planning on cutting your BLG—because it sure seems to get folks off their butts and into the meetings—which is a great thing. Seriously—thanks to those who made the effort to be there.
I’ll talk issues first.
BLG reduction. Yep..its happening now. However, your PAY cannot be reduced below guarantee without interaction with union by company. That hasn’t happened yet. There is a lot of room to fix a lot of issues (others covered this already. Of note—Dave Webb has long been a proponent of a cap and bank system to limit carryover, and to have a “cap” on hours you can work. I have disagreed with this, as I think we should be allowed to work as much as we want, and the elasticity this gives both the pilot and the company benefits both. However, in the unlikely event of a furlough, all bets are off and I would support all kinds of restrictions. My point is DW has been a proponent of caps all along, and he has made emphatically clear that the MEC is against any putting ANYONE out of work or allowing anyone to make extra money while others are either on the street or are facing cutbacks. He pointed out that in the 70s there were guys working draft while some guys were “displaced” to hub jobs. There are some old wounds (not necessarily just his but a collective group of old FDX guys) about similar issues here and at other places in the past, and my impression is that NOBODY on the MEC would support any carryover, extra flying, or similar good deals while BLGs are sliced or pilots are furloughed. So—please note the snowflakes in hell—but I am in full agreement with DW on this point.
Side note: Discussion is clear that any drop in BLG would result in a drop in MEC officer pay. No need to raise your hackles…if bad things happen those guys will take a pay hit. That was already in play before I attended the meeting.
Furloughs. My own opinion here: Hor$e****. We are making money. There are real challenges on the horizon, but there are plenty of other areas to make adjustments. I think the PC comment was designed to distract, intimidate, and then measure the results.
This leads to my next point—which I made at the LEC meeting. We need to collectively (that’s the membership body here) grow a pair. I have worked with lots of pilots from AA, UAL, DAL, and NWA that were furloughed after 9/11. The whole retraining and re-manning of an airline is a cumbersome, expensive process, and I am not convinced there aren’t a lot of cheaper alternatives. However, to be effective and stand against this threatening language, etc you have to understand the costs involved in a furlough to the company and understand they will use the threat to reduce any benefits they can. To keep what you have, you have to have enough of a gut and poker face to say “bring it b1tch!” My concern is that if the MEC tries to stand tall the membership will quiver. So—I am telling you this right now—if we tell the company to “stuff it” and that the manning problem is theirs to fix, the members need to understand how committed we are to protecting jobs for every person here I seriously doubt there would be a need for ANY of that—but like a strike—being ready for it means you probably don’t need to. I’m willing to discuss this offline over food or booze for those really want to discuss this.
LOA issues: Still a sore point for some. I still detest STVs clauses. I think we went cheap. Its done. It is painfully apparent that despite the vote tabulation there was a lot of different positions on this—which I found encouraging. For those who don’t know this—Vic Tansey bid the Paris CDG…so he did put his money where his mouth was. Age 60 is still sore with some of these guys too. There is more contention than the votes suggested.
Unity/Representative Democracy/Leadership: All concepts that get bantered about quite a bit. A theme I hear is you need to do what you think is RIGHT for the body, not just your block. There are times to stick together, but (I think) times to stick up for your own block. I’m sure they’ll be some arguments down the road, but I think the motives of most of the guys on the MEC are still solid. I do think, however, the credibility can be questioned based on some previous calls—and the way to fix that is to let you know where I (we) stand on certain issues…and that means a lot of communication.
Comm: My biggest peeve. Can’t do much until March but in the future I’d like to at least allow our LEC meeting to be available via conference call. Vic is already pricing some options. I’ll keep you posted once I am officially on board. I’m already hearing concerns about filming/video, but I’ll continue to push for real time access and perhaps net based webcasts. It’s a fight I see coming—and it will be “scary” for some to even consider—but I think we can get there. Anyone seen the block 6 rep’s letter? Two days after the meeting Sunday he posted a good synopsis. Great letter—and I think it is indicative of the fact some on the MEC are trying hard to improve comm. Big picture is I think we will be a more powerful, more effective, and more confident union the more we can communicate. A theme I hear a lot—and some of it is VERY valid—is there is responsibility for the union to inform, but also for the membership to actively receive that comm. That means going to the web site, reading the info, and voting on issues when given the chance. I agree with that premise, but I also think having a meeting on an NFL playoff day and getting upset about low turnout is unrealistic too. Yeah—your career is worth a lot more than a day in front of the tube—but I will do all I can to make it easier for you to participate. “Lunch with Albie…” starts in Feb. I’ll post on the websites days I’ll be in MEM or around the hub for a trip to the Catfish Cabin or other local join where we can sit and discuss whatever is on your mind. I will have some answers—won’t have a bunch of others—but I’m there to listen and pass info back and forth. Together we’ll do what we can to get the info going both ways.
Also—I’m looking for someone to help the comm guy out. Its not a volunteer position—you get paid for trips you miss to help you. If you are internet savvy, want to help me out, and don’t mind giving up hub turning at 2 am to work in a nice office and help out...call or email me.
Now some personal observations…
Sleepy and Jeff Stark both made themselves available for Q&A prior to my trip, but I have been in a sprint for 2 weeks (note lack of posts!). The 10 days prior to these meetings—I spent 5 days in GA working on my plane under the tutelage of a bunch of fellow Navion drivers that are a lot more mechanical than I am. I flew home Friday night and then took my wife and 2 of 3 daughters to central FL for a cheerleader comp, then on the return had sinking fuel pressure and some secondary indications (suspect a leaking fuel selector—unrelated to annual work), so I did a precautionary SFO into Cross City Airport late at night. Always seem to get my glitches right after my annual—dang it. (Single engine night X-C—note to self: Never IFR!) Spent Monday locating rental car, coordinating mechanics, etc etc. Drove home to quick turn next am to meeting… pack, repack, go….pack, repack, go….
So…I show up with my business casual/recurrent training attire only to find every swinging johnson wearing a suit and tie. Geez. They even compliment each other on attire and compare ties. So—I’m sure my red-neck @ss stood out a bid. I need to take a trip to men’s wearhouse and pull a suit and coat out of the closet. I’d like to wear my riding boots and favorite jeans—but I’m if I’m on trip removal I’ll do what I’m paid to do…so I gooned this one. I thought I was done wearing suits after my interview. Wrong. Damn it. So—if you want to help me—don’t buy me lunch—buy me a nice tie. Looks like I gotta clean up…
Next—someone pointed out MEC means “men eating constantly”…and the catering is good. But so far I’ve seen meetings start early and run late. There is some legitimate effort being expended. Booze on dues is a no-no…so I’ve already been tapped to cough up for the booze fund (which I am glad to pay Point is I sense a VERY serious concern about the appearance of abuse of funds. Again—I was encouraged. ). I am missing some of the informal socials because I still have some loose ends with some interview clients, but I’ll have a better plan in March when I officially step up.
So—that’s my report for now. What I can’t publish I can probably discuss, so grab me in the hub, call me, or let me know what’s on your mind. Email is best….my ALPA phone and account will be open soon and I’ll let you know when that happens.
01-16-2008, 07:06 PM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Position: leaning to the left
Posts: 4,184
A suit and tie?
You're selling out to "The Man", man. Joining "The Establishment".
Let's use more of these" " " " " ". Very "O" like. Sorry.
Seriously though. Thanks for the info. Keep it up.
You're selling out to "The Man", man. Joining "The Establishment".
Let's use more of these" " " " " ". Very "O" like. Sorry.
Seriously though. Thanks for the info. Keep it up.
01-16-2008, 07:30 PM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: 727 Captain
Posts: 205
Thanks Albie for stepping up. I appreciate the info.
But just to stir the pot a bit, it isn't like we were attacked by a bunch of terrorists and are now faced with a major career set-back. This "set back" is the direct result of a small but growing segment of our own peers looking out for themselves. If there was as much fraternal "kum by ya" as you suggest we now muster, why don't these older bretheren see the damage that's being done and graciously step away from the trough?
Of course that question is rhetorical. They will not. We all know this. But you propose, and DW will so eloquently inform all of us, that not exceeding some lower BLG is the "right thing to do" for the good of our profession and the union.
Your sentiments are of course right on the mark. But once again, those of us that know what the right thing is, will be carrying water for those that do also, but don't care.
But just to stir the pot a bit, it isn't like we were attacked by a bunch of terrorists and are now faced with a major career set-back. This "set back" is the direct result of a small but growing segment of our own peers looking out for themselves. If there was as much fraternal "kum by ya" as you suggest we now muster, why don't these older bretheren see the damage that's being done and graciously step away from the trough?
Of course that question is rhetorical. They will not. We all know this. But you propose, and DW will so eloquently inform all of us, that not exceeding some lower BLG is the "right thing to do" for the good of our profession and the union.
Your sentiments are of course right on the mark. But once again, those of us that know what the right thing is, will be carrying water for those that do also, but don't care.
01-16-2008, 07:57 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2006
Posts: 2,889
On a career level, if it were up to me I'd put every over 60 guy I caught on the property on an ice flow and send them off into the Arctic.
On a professional level, I'll do whatever I have to do to safely support the crew I fly with to do the job safely, legally, and reliably.
On a personal level--I'll remember that a lot of the guys over 60 flying were furloughed, had their own hardships, or were some of the good guys (like Buck in a post I mentioned that mysteriously disappeared) that helped me along my way. Then I'll whip out my iPhone and look at the pictures of my kids, my wife, my farm, and my toys and realize that I have it better than about 99% of the world right now. And I'll press on. I suggest we all do likewise...
On a professional level, I'll do whatever I have to do to safely support the crew I fly with to do the job safely, legally, and reliably.
On a personal level--I'll remember that a lot of the guys over 60 flying were furloughed, had their own hardships, or were some of the good guys (like Buck in a post I mentioned that mysteriously disappeared) that helped me along my way. Then I'll whip out my iPhone and look at the pictures of my kids, my wife, my farm, and my toys and realize that I have it better than about 99% of the world right now. And I'll press on. I suggest we all do likewise...
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