Two Years Too Long? Another view!
 

Received this last week:

Part 1

Dear Fellow FedEx Pilots: I have written the following article in the spirit of reverence as it was known to the ancient Greek culture—an ethical virtue that brings people together. While I am sensitive to the immediate emotions that might be generated by this article, I am not moved by them. I am interested only in the long term benefits that accrue to our profession from an airing of the ideas. I have no choice. According to published reports, union membership has fallen to just 7.8% of the private workforce—nearly extinct—and its major institutions appear to be in disarray. In my opinion, our profession is headed irreversibly towards a similar collapse. I believe that its traditions must be replaced with common sense strategies, and it cannot wait any longer. This article is written against the backdrop of the current FedEx ALPA slogan: “Two Years is Long Enough.”

Is Two Years Really Long Enough?
Bob Lavender 8 April 2006©

The sentiments expressed in the slogan “Two Years is Long Enough,” are a throwback to the “regulated era" of the airline industry which ended in 1978. During this period, the time frame for negotiations and agreement were fairly uniform across the industry. But, those standards have been replaced by economic and sociological factors that dictate what “long enough” really is.

Because our profession has failed to analyze and control these factors, “long enough” is merely an opinion, and, in my view, it is not shared by a vast majority of important factions. Among them: FedEx managers, our fellow FedEx employees, pilots at Delta, United, and Northwest, legislators, the courts, Enron employees, the American public, and citizens worldwide. At best, these parties do not care how long we go on; at worst, they think that two years is not nearly long enough for us to boil in our juices. It would be self-deception to think that a lack of external support has no impact on duration.

Mathematically, “long enough” is a function of the conditions required to accomplish a task in a given measure of time. For instance, Billy Joe might think that two years is too long to have not won the Texas lottery, but if he continues to buy only one ticket per month, the odds are that it will take him about 14 million months to win the big one. To shorten the time, he needs to buy many more tickets. Likewise, pilots need to alter their economics and their form of solidarity in order to influence the timeline. Until we act on these matters we will continue to be acted upon by the prevailing elements.

Besides having little influence over the timeline for negotiations, our failure to break with past economic traditions also guarantees that we cannot control the quality of the negotiated product. It is not a question of merely closing a deal within two years; anyone can do that. It is a matter of optimizing our position in order to maximize the results. This, we cannot currently do. We are now dominated by local and global forces who know how to compete for the available revenue—and, they are formidable competitors. We need a new strategic formula to deal with these modern conditions.

Strategic Solutions to the FedEx Pilot Dilemma

1. First and foremost, we must enter into a reverent principle-based covenant with each other if we are to eliminate barriers to true solidarity. Since passage or the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, pilots have almost never missed a chance to be their own worst enemy—starting with the A, B, and C pay scales of the 1980s, and continuing today with the Retirement/Age 60 dilemma. The divisions that we, ourselves, have caused encourage exploitation and ridicule by everyone, not just management. We have no one to blame but ourselves…and no one will fix it but us.

2. We must break our economic ties with the passenger carriers at once and exploit our own niche. We are in a different business than they and our interests are sometimes opposed. The idea that we can continue to align ourselves economically with the passenger pilots and not be caught in their economic vortex is preposterous.

3. We must creatively address three strategic issues immediately: Open Skies, Age Retirement/Age 60, and Health Care. I designate these issues as strategic because they symbolize our professional failure to harmonize our interests with each other, with the company for whom we work, and with “globalization.” A willingness to change on these issues will signal a willingness to modernize. Suggestion: Get as far away from the traditional ALPA position on Open Skies as possible. FedEx and its pilots have a considerable cooperative interest in extending the FedEx infrastructure as quickly as possible and “owning” new markets. If you want more leverage, increase your numbers through corporate growth.

4. We must invite outside opinion, criticism, and influence into our midst. I strongly propose that we consult with an Organizational Behavior (OB) expert to help us identify and reduce internal points of division. Enlightened corporations and other organizations routinely use such experts to align their internal forces and make them more competitive (see my article, “Learning to Compete Wisely….” at www.pilotunity.com). Our profession has outright rejected the tools that these experts supply. Suggestion: Appoint an outside board of directors to help bring in new ideas. We need to learn how to compete and it is obvious to me that we cannot do it alone.

5. Pilots must take a new approach to Public Relations; traditional pilot standards are an embarrassment. For instance, whereas, management “sells” its “offers” publicly via outside spokespersons such as “analysts” and other credible channels, pilots rely on the most incredible of sources—themselves. Union officials have failed utterly to devise a modern public relations strategy for use either internally or for the outside world, and it is devastating. Vilification of management is grossly counterproductive. It results in “burnout” at all levels and it alienates fellow employees, especially at a company like FedEx whose credibility and reputation is legendary. The pilots need a solid forward-looking economic strategy along with a positive PR strategy to explain it. Right now we have neither. Suggestion: There must be a public declaration by pilot leaders that traditional methodology has failed and that a new strategic approach is now in progress.

Part 2

Tactical Comments

1. The “strike option”: It is no option at all at this time. The idea that there is, according to the FedEx MEC chairman, “limited excess capacity” in our industry may refer to hull capacity, but not to the availability of pilots. Never before have there been so many looking for work. During our strike at Continental, there were less than 1000 airline-qualified pilots on the street (mostly Braniff)—450 crossed our picket line! Today, there are at least 8,000 pilots on the street and thousands of others who would leave their jobs to work for FedEx. If you think these pilots cannot be quickly trained, you have not lived through a strike and experienced the dynamics of these situations. It’s time to start listening to those who have been there.

2. Business: Recently, FedEx ALPA indicated its desire to have a “business relationship” with the company. This is not a realistic expectation. In order to earn a business relationship one has to be a bonafide business employing rational economic and ethical business principles. The union has not done this, thus, it has no standing as a business and it will be neither respected nor engaged at that level.

3. Railway Labor Act: During every airline negotiation, unions and companies alternately argue that RLA either helps or hurts them, depending on the day of the week. Recently, an MEC member stated that the delays caused by the RLA were the source of our problems and we would be better off once we were released to self-help. This opinion completely avoids the true economic and sociological factors that affect us (i.e., thousands of pilots on the street, intra-profession warfare, etc.).

Like it or not, the RLA is currently our friend. Without a doubt, this is the worst time in airline history to be negotiating a contract. Anyone who wishes to face off with FedEx now must not have learned anything from extreme post-deregulation disputes. Traditional ideas about pilot solidarity are delusional. Experienced pilots know very well that what people say in the cockpit and what they are willing to do are two entirely different things, even under the best of circumstances.

4. Self-Help: I have found that few pilots are aware of the company’s options in self-help. Among other things, it is entitled to impose a contract, lock employees out, and bring employees back out of seniority order (seniority is not a “right,” it is a negotiated provision). If you desire to enter into this mode, you had better be certain that you have the fire power to overcome these tactics.

5. The “Last Offer”: I suggest that the pilots reconsider the last offer put on the table by the company. The day after the union officials announced rejection of this offer (before most of us knew there was an offer), FedEx pilot, Jim Sullivan (elected rep at CAL during our strike, long time ALPA volunteer and successful business owner), stated that we should have made a few improvements to the offer, thrown it back to the company, and taken the deal. Jim has expertise in these things because of his past experiences. Given the economic and sociological deficiencies that we face, I am in agreement. We could have taken the two year option, put some money in the pilots’ pockets, and bought ourselves two years to implement the necessary tools. Instead, the pilots have now earned at least one year of NOTHING while increasing the risk that it could get worse. My advice: Take the offer and start rebuilding.

If it is your opinion that two years is too long, you might consider the situation at UPS. UPS is one of the world’s most successful companies with revenues substantially greater than those of FedEx, and it has a highly unionized work force. Yet, after 42 months of negotiations, and mediation since August 2004, they are still at it! Why? Because they rely on the same traditional economic and sociological models as we do. Does two years still sound like it is “long enough”?

The Wrap Up

Do pairings need to be improved? Does Retirement need to be more secure? Yes to both questions. There are a lot of things that need improvement, and FedEx is capable. But, there are two major obstacles that suppress our ability to maximize the deal at FedEx. First, the economic obstacle: This includes an economic collapse of the passenger carriers, a process of rapid globalization, and, spiraling health care costs. These factors must be dealt with but our representative bodies have too much baggage to do it. Whereas, an enlightened profession would produce true leaders dedicated to solving modern dilemmas, ours has favored tradition and surveys over leadership. It has done almost nothing other than picket airport terminals and complain to Congress.

Second, the sociological obstacle: Starting shortly after the airline companies were deregulated, our profession institutionalized an every-man-for-himself behavioral model that exists to this day. Most pilots seem to know this but almost no one is trying to do anything about it. Pilots have been so busy competing with each other for short term gain that they have not learned how to truly unify in order to both complement and compete with other corporate stakeholders. There has been NO strategic leadership on this matter.

Remember: It is not a question of merely closing a deal within two years…It is a matter of optimizing one’s position in order to maximize results. This is where we are getting destroyed, and I, personally, will not accept it. From a marketing perspective, FedEx pilots have done nothing to distinguish their “product.” Hence, our income, benefits, and working conditions will move towards equilibrium with those of others in the marketplace, including the similarly-skilled, lower-paid commuter pilots—it is happening as we speak with pilots at DAL, NWA, UAL, and USAir! Right now, the only thing that distinguishes FedEx pilots from everyone else is the fact that FedEx is making money, a condition that is both created and controlled by the talents of FedEx management. Unless we employ new strategies such as those provided above, our quality of life will rise or sink with the rest of the pack. This is a risk we need not take.

Experienced pilots will recognize current union techniques as a replay of everything that has been tried over the last 28 years with diminishing success. Hence, we will ultimately settle for less regardless of whether it takes two days, two years, or twenty years. At some point, the MEC is destined to report that they got us the “best deal possible under the circumstances.” They will be wrong. There are a lot of exciting techniques available that could provide better and more secure results. FedEx pilots should be leading the way.

For each FedEx pilot, the important question is not if two years is long enough. It is: How long am I going to put up with traditional failing unionism before I help create something new?

Bob lavender has been a Federal Express pilot for 16 years and owns and operates a nationwide real estate/mortgage business. He was a Continental pilot from 1978 to 1983. He was on strike there for two years and would do it again if it were prudent. He left ALPA last year partly because of the union’s refusal to consider new ideas and publish articles such as this one. He can be reached at [email protected].

NON-MEMBER.

Smarts and seniority are not mutually exclusive
 

FoxHunter is either:

A) A FedEx management mole masquerading as a former Seaboard/Tiger pilot :eek:
or........
B) A F** idiot who drank too much Eskimo hooch instead of the good stuff at F Street. :p

Isn't he the guy that went behind our backs and tried to advocate his own position by mis-representing himself as speaking for all of us?

Don, your rhetoric does not cut it. Nor do the personal attacks work. You sold ALPA to the FedEx crewforce with certain expectations that have not, nor will not come to pass. I think Bob has a great deal more experience in the area of ALPA and strikes than you do.

Sounds Great
 

It sounds like some new and inovative thinking. Let's through away everything we've been working on. Let's call it "interest based barganing". Or maybe "Cost Neutral". Oh, now I rememeber. We tried that and it got shoved down our throat. I don't have the time or inclination to engage each of Bob's Bull**** Bullets. We tried it his way. Now let's get on with it, without him.

I believe Bob and another pilot had a meeting with management in regard to the age 60 issue last year. I believe our ALPA leadership had a fit. That issue is still huge. If you look into it you will find that almost all recent additions to the non-member list is due to this issue alone. According to a graph presented at the ALPA 2005 Executive Board Meeting 80% of members age 56-60 polled were in favor of raising that retirement age, and 61% of those 51-55 were in favor of the change. This of course was before Delta and NWA realized that they will probaly lose their pensions. What percentage of our pilots fall in that age range? I've been on strike twice as an ALPA pilot and both the strikes were short and successful. In both cases the leadership provided ample reasons for the senior guys to support the cause. With the ALPA position on the age 60 issue plus nothing major of issue in the contract they have managed to insure failure.

"The worst time in history to be negotiating an airline contract". Anyone who argues that is a retard.

I am a member, and I will support a strike without question if called to, but I'll also bet a case of beer to all takers that a strike won't turn out the way we want it to.

A good, if imperfect job, or a lifetime supply of beer.

Tough call.

SC7

They don't spend two years or longer negotiating a fuel surcharge do they?
The fact is that we have accepted a pay cut brought about by time and inflation, we are only negotiating for the restoration of pay with a cost of living/inflation adjusment.
The idea that it takes 2-4 years to hammer out a contract with a few changes is so far fetched and BS that no employee buys it. In the universe of unlimited bargaining time, we lose. And we lose every day we don't get a raise to keep up with inflation.
Retro is another name for an interest free loan at our expense, the company treats us like a liability, not the tremendous asset to earning that we are.

FoxHouter,

Glad you are a member again, but your age 60 BS is getting a little old on this board and on flightinfo. What does the 60 yr old rule have to do with this contract? Nothing! Why do we not have a contract yet? Because it would cost FedEx more, they like the status quo. Union playbook 101 my friend.

The poor 50 year old plus captains who did not like the vote take their toys and go home (ie quit ALPA) like little babies, I have no use for them. Their position is the minority so they cry like babies and quit, which is my understanding why you quit. Sour grapes! Welcome back to the fold, at least you are trying to have a voice and paying dues again. However what does this have to do with us not getting a contarct? I hope our next contract inculdes agency shop and makes these losers pay for their free ride.

The so called singing bouns offered from the company would not even cover the increase of my medical costs for the first two years, and I would want to accept this why? It was a slap in the face and not even worth the key strokes for me to vote on it. I am glad the MEC made he decision to not even waste my time to vote on it.

Get a clue. What is going on in the airline industry has nothing to do with us. Apples to oranges my friend.

I am glad Bob is your hero. He is a quitter in my eyes. If he is so successful in his business, stop flying and quit, and as the Brits would say "P!ss off".

I may not agree with everything ALPA National does or supports, but it brings us many resources and even if I am in the minority on some issues I am not going to quit like a sore loser. I will use my voice to and vote to support my position. I wish I could say the same for the other 42% of the crew force who did not bother to vote on the LOA for the ANC move.

USMCFDX

Two Years is too long
 

To Fox Hunter:

I agree with you!!

Fedex or UPS, if a union thinks a strike or other job action is the solution in this day and age, they are sorely mistaken. A company would rather take "the hit" than be in the position the automakers are in. It would hurt, but if there were a strike at Fedex or UPS, the company would do what is necessary to continue in business with or without the strikers. They could and would be replaced.

Quit the your BS.:) The age 60 ALPA position has a great deal to do with the level of support you need and receive. Union playbook 101??? Looks like you have some book knowlege. Bob has some real life knowlege.

You need that minority to win that battle. sorry you just don't understand

No sour grapes here. I was the one that said that agency should have been the only issue for the USPS LOA. No such luck, and we ended up with nothing.

I'm not sure what they were offering you but $40,000 for me would pay for a lot. Probably a lot more for those that have retired since that offer and will probably never see any of it, but then ALPA does not represent retired pilots.

But the leadership used it to convince the crewforce to vote ALPA in when things were going well over there.

I don't think Bob is my hero. I've never met Bob, never talked to him, but I've read what he has written and respect him for that. My heros are guys like Chesty Puller.



And I will use mine to voice my opinion.

And you expect to have that 42% follow you out on strike???? Just look at the HATS!!! My count is that 1 out of 100 are wearing them!!

Why'd you rejoin?
 

Foxhunter:

Why did you re-join ALPA? Your criticisms of the MEC and prognostications of failure and doom for the pilot force continue unabated. Did you have a "burp" on one of your flights and feel you may need union protection above and beyond what would be legally required to provide a non-member?

your either with us or against us
 

Fox
Either your a team player or you ain't. I reviewed your past posting on this site and conclude your not. If you, I, or any other union member has a problem with the way the leadership is progressing with our union than it incumbent on the membership to voice its objections and attempt to moderate the views of the leadership. The other choice would be to take a leadership position and than defend it to the membership. Either way, decisions are made and we all need to support the majority view. You will get a vote on a TA, just like every other dues paying member and the will of the majority will prevail.
Its certainly your right to voice your opinion/objection to the way the union is run. To the degree it sparks useful debate its constructive. The only place you don't get a choice is if we come to a work action, than you are either a member or a traitor. :mad:

A traitor is someone who desserts his country, not someone who desserts his union. If someone desserts his union, he is only trying to support and protect his family. I laud him for that.

Otherwise known as a freeloader and more commonly as a SCAB.

You just don't get it, do you?

Look what happened at NWA. I could very well happen to you.

UPS (pilots) deserve better
 

Sometimes I feel sorry for you. So little self esteem. A proud future scab, happy to stab your fellow pilots in the back. How does it feel to be loathed by those you fly with?? My guess is the UPS pilots wouldn't p!ss on you if you were on fire. Your a pathetic excuse for an airline pilot.

To Kozak
 

Your wife must have a lot of faith in you as a breadwinner.

Actually, a 58% turnout for an issue that does not effect most FDX pilots was pretty darn good. You just don't get many people bothering to vote unless it is a personal issue. You will get a very big turnout for a T/A or a strike vote. Check how many people bother to vote for or against their local reps. The percentages are appallingly low. It's pretty much the same at all the carriers (or the whole USA for that matter). You just don't get a lot of participation. Look to the number of people who are showing up to picket or attend the rallies. That is a good indicator and the numbers are very high. I live in the Chicago area and when we picketed back in Sept about 17 people showed up. Not a lot until you consider that only about 40 pilots live in the combined ORD-MKE area. It was a great turnout! As for wearing hats at work? It would be news to me that there is an MEC directed effort to have us wear them. If you want to wear one, great. I'm happy to wear my hat when picketing or if it is an organized effort. Which it currently is not.:)

Are you taking posting lessons from SkyLow? How about we leave all personal, direct referrences to our families out of these discussions? No matter how contenious they get.

To Ranger
 

I was not making a personal attack. I was simply stating that many things have to be considered. If a wife knows nothing about airline labor negotiations, and is suddenly without her stipend, she will wonder what happened. I doubt that many pilots really inform their spouses about what is really going on with their jobs.

Eightmen out. Please tell me you are not a FedEx pilot...

I would hardly call stiffing the pilot group for two years plus negotiating. Negotiating involves two parties reaching an agreement through give and take and settling on a fair outcome for both. This is not happening. The companies are using the RLB to issue a defacto pay cut and will only negotiate when forced to, not through a sense of fair play.
The idea that wives are kept in the dark is amusing, most of them can read and speak the English language. News of headway in negotiations? There is none.

True, while he takes food from the mouths of the rest of our families. You have some screwed up notions of right and wrong. I would hate to be in a foxhole and have to rely on you to cover my back.

My wife is so tuned in to what I do; she is scared to tears about the possibilities of the first year at FedEx.
She has always been involved and I would say that is true for my pilot friends and their spouses.

To Fr8hauler
 

You got it right! I am a Fedex pilot. I will always speak what is on my mind.
I am also a loyal ALPA member.

To Paidtowait
 

For your wife's sake, don't tell here about some of the stuff you read here. We have a couple of supersized ego, Union hating Captains that are under the deluded thinking that their position is still relavent. They and their ilk are the exact reason they didn't get a raise for 10 years. Most people (97%) were able to learn we needed a Union here and now we've got a pretty level headed group trying to get us a new contract. We've got a solid group of guys supporting them. Negotiations are always trying. Getting emotional about it is a bad way to go. Being emotional for 2,3 or 4 years can really take a toll.

I can't believe I just wasted 30 seconds of my time doing this, but here's a quote (1 of many) from 8menout1:

No intern would have the knowlege I have about IPA. I will not tell you who I am, but I will tell you I was once a line pilot at UPS. Prior to that time, it is a secret. I went into management very early in the game


He's a management tool, but just not for Fedex.

What is the point of being an ALPA member if you will be a scab as soon as the @#$% hits the fan. Be a real man, become a non-member then we will all know what a #$%^ head you are when we fly with you. That way we won't make a mistake and hang out with you and eat dinner together. Get it over with. Take the plunge!

You are right. This clown is just an airline pilot wannabe. Lombardo would not even be this brazen.

8menout1 claims to have been a pilot/manager at both UPS and FEDEX. Odds are he is neither, but there is a worm-like odor from his posts that reeks of junior truck driving management.
In any case most of his statements are so inane they lend a sense of comic relief to any thread. Thanks for the laugh and the crude attempts at disinformation.

Don't worry about it. We will get through this just fine. Just need to stick together. You are at the best airline in the world and both you and your wife should be happy. FedEx mgmt knows it too. They will play hardball and so will we. Then we will get a contract and continue to march.

Thanks for the encouragment.
:)

Too many words have been wasted commenting about a NON-MEMBER's rantings, and he didn't even get the slogan correct.

:rolleyes:








- The truth only hurts if it should -

Obviously Bob has a well thought out article; no one seems to be arguing his facts. Let's see... Unions- weaker than ever, FDX- one of the only airlines still making money, ALPA- stuck in the past with little political capital left, Fuel Prices- through the roof, $500,000,000 pay raise- not brought to vote, union officers and NC- trip pull for years...How many of you were around when we pulled the plug on ALPA last time? When we stood shoulder to shoulder prepping for a strike with our familes that could end our careers? What happened then? Maybe we should start listening to people like Bob and ask ourselves if we are on the right path, or is there a better way...

Lavender's a Loon
 

You mean when we voted in the FPA? The "FedEx Friendly Union", that woud work with management instead of against them in "interest (the interest was purely on the companie's side) based bargaining? Yeah, that sure was a better way! Lavender is an egomaniac (I've read his stuff and listened to him) and his ideas have no basis in reality. I urge everybody to go to his web-site and read his stuff. http://www.pilotunity.com

Exactly go home and read your red letter again!

The NON-MEMBER has a long article, but it's not necessairly any better "thought out" than his decision to abandon the union in favor of his own selfish greed. You want an argument on the facts? OK, I'll give you several.

First, the author's observation skills are brought into question when he cannot accurately quote the slogan "Two Years is Too Long." Basing his article on a variant that he apparently fabricated himself does little to establish any credibility whatsoever on the subject. Making a "mathematical" argument against a slogan which he fabricated only makes him look foolish.

Second, who shares the sentiment is not relevant. Our future is not determined by the opinions of former Enron employees, Delta employees, NWA pilots, other FedEx employees, the American public, or citizens worldwide. Our future will be determined by US, working together through the process. If we stick to gether, we will be successful. If we all pick our individual issues and go our own way like Mr. NON-MEMBER Lavender, we will surely be defeated.

Third, deregulation and the A, B, and C scales have nothing to do with our present situation. We have issues that are current and pertinent, and they stand on their own.

Fourth, 1000 "airline-qualified" pilots on the street will do nothing to keep FedEx Express delivering on its "Absolutely, Positively Overnight" promise, or even on its more recent "Relax. It's FedEx." Once FedEx goes one single day without delivering on that promise, the public will be saying, "Forget it, they're just an overpriced Airborne." The threat of a strike is real, and it is effective.

Fifth, ALPA does not have to be a business in order to have a business relationship with FedEx. To state otherwise is to employ a simpleton's view of semantics. As long as FedEx desires to engage ALPA in a responsible, sincere way, we can accomplish much. IF you don't belive that, explain the process that just concluded whereby we negotiated and ratified a Letter of Agreement dramatically changing by improving the workrules regarding moves to Anchorage.

Sixth, whether one holds the Railway Labor Act to be our friend or our foe, that's the environment under which we operate. To think that we can simply agree to abandon the process in favor of some other that we might mutually agree upon is preposterous. We tried to engage FedEx management in negotiations facilitated by a professional negotiator, going above and beyond the mechanisms described by the RLA, and FedEx management walked away.

Now, I've REALLY wasted too many words discussing the ill-devised opinions of a NON-MEMBER. Happy now?



Why don't you describe the environment that existed when we "pulled the plug on ALPA" the last time. Tell us how we got to that positition, and tell us about the membership statistics. Tell us how that situation remotely compares with the unity that we enjoy today. I suggest that the only comparison is the name ALPA, and the existence of a few malcontents that just had to cry out above the crowd.


We are strong, we are unified, and we are right. You're either with us, or you're against us.

Two Years is Too Long!

- The truth only hurts if it should -