MalteseX

That's interesting. Hugo Chavez, new dictator of Venezuela, said EXACTLY the same thing to a reporter just last week.

Albief15

On another note--I shared why I don't walk around the office screaming "Dave Webb must go" over on the ALPA boards. In short--if you think he's a complete @ss because he bullheadedly supported the over 60 guys, I agree. But he has also been a bulheaded @ss supporting cutting BLG and enforcing all the contract provisions before furloughing a single guy. This makes those senior types trying to maximize their pay and retirement just as nasty. You don't see them on APC--but we get their emails. Maybe you've heard some of them at the hub meetings. What I can tell you is that he has impressed me (along with the senior block reps) as being committed to being in this mess "together", and that means telling the most guys they need to suck it up for the team too. The junior guys may have me as a rep, but they are lucky to have Vic and Jack on their side too. You EXPECT me to tell to take a hard line against furloughs, but I got nothing on the committment expressed by the block 1 and 2 reps. So--they are NOT very popular guys with some of their constituents right now. Another point you don't see is his aggressive support for early retirements and other methods to try to mitigate the effects of these excesses. Remember dudes--I was one of the guys who lobbied for recalls and changes--and I would still be doing it if I thought is would help. As it is--I think sticking together and working through this the next twelve months will get us farther than electing an interim MEC team. What you don't see behind the scenes are some of the ideas and battles where DW is doing all he can to help the junior side.

I would agree with a lot that has happened I think a fresh horse in the lead before the next contract is required. We are getting one. In the meantime, I am spending more time worried about reacting to the future than punishing others for the decisions they made in the past.

One bit of food for thought--if we do face furloughs, BLG will drop across the board. It goes to 48 before a single dude leaves the grounds. How many senior guys elgible for retirement with a solid high 5 would hang around to make LESS going to work than they would on retirement or disability? I also think some of those guys will leave when the training letters are published and some realize they won't get the seat they craved, will have to go to training after all, or will not get an early retirement.

On ALPA national--if we swung such a big bat that DW had that much influence, Sean McDonald would be a national officer now. Instead, we got blown out of water. National has their own issues--but I don't lay awake at night worrying about them. I spend my time worrying about US. Their legal, EF&A team, and lobbyist are nice assets to have that would cost us a lot to fund as an independent union. I don't think Prater is one of his drinking buddies--in fact the opposite. So those who think DW is moving towards National are probably wrong. Again--this is stuff I've just figured out over the last few months (..or as some of you refer it my mustache growing period).

And I know its painful for a lot us right now. I ain't lookin' for sympathy, as I know I've been blessed the last few years. But today I am selling off my jetski and not replacing it...hard to justify the amount it costs to fill the tank when I'm not doing many interviews (due to age 65 and gas costs) and BLGs are going down. Even though I'm lucky in that I'll move up to a WB on this letter, I imagine with the huge numbers of displaced guys it will be a year or two before I see a class. Two girls are now out of private school into a public school next year. I've tweaked down my cell phone plan, let go of a mini-store wearhouse room, and plan on dropping XM radio later this month when I sell off my portable GPS. Got a hangar and a rental house for sale too if anyone is interested.... In short, while I am not taking the hit many of the nuggets or captains displaced to FO slots are, I am aware of the pain and doing all I can both professionally and personally do mitigate it as much as possible. If I thought getting rid of DW would let me go pick up a new ski, I'd throw him out the window myself. Instead--he seems to me right now to be one of the few with the balls to keep my bros on the property by telling some other dudes to suck it up and share the pain. As long as he keeps doing that...well...I think he's the guy for the job. We'll have a new horse later...so I'm not wasting any time trying to change it now.

kronan

The majority doesn't make decisions for the US. We live in a Republic.

And, the majority did speak, some of us just don't like what the majority said. The young guys said keep it, the old guys (esp. those w/out pensions) said change it....and the overall majority said if you-ALPO-really think it's going to change, we want to change our official policy and lobby for the change to be w/out any additional onerous medical stds and so on.

For those on the bubble of the excess. I feel bad for ya. I'm not in your position so I can't say I truly "feel" your pain. But, I'd imagine that at least some of you took the upgrade at or near 100% and have been living near the bottom of the seniority list for awhile. Certainly nothing wrong with choosing Pay over QOL. But, have to ask you to try and imagine the current situation w/out the Age 60 change. FedEx is downsizing the fleet, and it's not because we have too many pilots and we're trying to conserve revenue. It's because the cost of oil has exploded and that's creating a drag on the economy....in other words, our freight volume isn't expanding as we had forecast. So, to minimize the costs, we are retiring the entire DC10 fleet early, retiring 727s early, delaying delivery and giving back A300s.
There are a ton of training cycles involved in moving all of those guys. And, if you are one of the bottom 20-30 guys in your current seat, I think you'd be excessed even w/out the Age 60+ guys exacerbating the situation. If you were the Jr Capt, there are a ton of guys flying as FOs who voted for the QOL versus the Pay and allowed YOU to upgrade earlier than a pure seniority bid would have allowed.

MaxKts

Where did you get your "facts". The numbers I saw, from ALPA National, showed 70% against changing the regulated age. 30% opposed no matter what and 40% wanting to keep the official policy at age 60 but have input on any proposed change. It was that 40% ALPA decided was really in favor of a change and used as their reason for changing their official stance. So tell me where do you get an "overall majority" in favor of change?

Piloto Noche

Yea! ALPA shoved this piece of crap age 60 at us and tried to play it off as though a majority of the members wanted it. For 30+ Years ALPA stuck by age 60 as a safety issue but were quickly willing to throw it away for another five years worth of dues money from guys at the top of the pay scale.

Busboy

OK. This thinking borders on moronic. ALPA would get the same dues money, no matter who filled the seats. It just means that the same guys will keep paying dues rather than someone junior to them. And, as someone else pointed out...A larger percentage of the ND's were non-members, anyway. So ALPA is actually going to get less dues money, than if they had retired.

You really need to come up with a more reasonable reason for ALPA's change of thinking.

NotsoFast

Alpa had very little to do with "H.R. 4343: Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act". How many of You wrote your Congressman against this Bill? I know I didn't, and it is costing me my seat position. Not one house congressman voted against it, NOT ONE
Ayes:390(90%)2121780
Nays:0(0%)000
No Vote:41(10%)
But now I will write my congressman, Do many of you realize that this is being challenged for Retro, even for the retired guys. How many would come back? A GAO report is do to Congress on what effect HR4343 has on the airlines - I would guess that they have no idea what it has done to us.

If Alpa could make 100% of the congressman vote for something, then we do not give them enough credit. My guess is they had no effect on this.

Look at the newswire "
/PRNewswire/ -- Congress and commercial airline pilots will
come together tomorrow to celebrate the enactment of legislation
that will increase aviation safety by changing federal rules that
prematurely force our safest pilots to retire.
These are our best folks

FDXLAG

Close but my calculations make > $20 per hour delta. Assuming 10 year capt and a 15 year S/O and a 5 year F/O swap seats. After all you appointed me seniority expert.

Busboy

I didn't appoint you the seniority expert. You did.

FDXLAG

Must have missed it but if you say so. My best is at least as good as the next guys.