CALPilotToo

Well, maybe you don't care about the safety record at CAL or any other airline. But I care about the safety of all airlines. We have CAL pilots jumpseating on FedEx just like many FedEx pilots have family flying on CAL. If you don't care about fatique or any other issue at CAL that contribute to airline safety then so be it.

I guess you could care less about any underlining issues that contributed to Comair 5191. I guess safety there isn't an issue for AirTran pilots (in your professional opinion) even though one of their own was jumpseating and lost his life.

CPs like this contribute to the problem instead of fixing the problem. FedEx ALPA should be screaming over a letter like that.

Telling guys who are scared of the airplane to bid off and telling guys who don't want authority to bid down. Yea, that will solve the problem.

That letter did nothing but bash professionals doing their jobs. It never mentions management issues that might be contributing factors.

Sorry, I cared enough to care. I won't post about FedEx issues anymore. I just thought we were all in this together. Maybe not.

Bitme

Cal, glad you posted here. Unfortunately you jumped into something you couldn't have known about, which is the JL boot lickers versus the folks who can see the forrest for the trees. To Jacks credit he's a really nice guy; great to have at a party or in the admin of a squadron and that's why guys jump to his rabid defense so quickly.Or to make another analogy it's like siblings always fighting with each other until an outside bully picks on one of their own and they all circle the wagons.

The bigger problem is that all flight management here don't realize what they really are, which is a $hi+ screen between us line pukes and senior management. SM never wants to hear from the LPs so FDX has our flight managers in place. All that I have known have been chosen because they would do what the VP of Labor Relations tells them, via the VP of Flight ops. Period. Most, have been in various management jobs over the years so their "loyalties" are known. The sad thing is that none of them realize they've been punked. They actually think they're making a difference! Will we ever have a CP with the balls to publicly declare that he'll not cross a picket line; I highly doubt it.

This company is incredibly managed, but very poorly led. It makes money in spite of itself just because the idea is so good and is executed quite well.

As for your comment that FDX ALPA should be screaming at the top of their lungs about this letter; again you're not privy to the intricacies of our pilot group. For ALPA to scream they would need troops behind them on the charge up the hill. Sadly that is not the case here. Although by reading our post contract propaganda one would think that it was the pilots and their solidarity that delivered this contract, the pitiful truth is that if UPS management hadn't gone to their pilots to get a quick settlement prior to peak, we would still be spinning our yarn and knashing our teeth and without a contract. If you don't believe me look BC in the eye and ask him the same question.

Congratulation for getting your guy elected to head ALPA. I liked Duane and I believe he brought ALPA a long way, but it was time we start acting like a Union again.

Lastly, don't give up posting here or on any thread because of a few morons. Over the years you can't believe the hate mail that some of us have received in the organizational fight here, but the truth and common sense will eventually get through. Most of us never thought it would take so long to get where we are, but here we are. Still have a long way to go, but that's why we keep writing.

Gunter

deleted due to saner thoughts

Huck

I predict that within 6 months of Jack stepping down we're going to wish he was still there. Whoever comes in will want to set their precedent early.

"He was a cruel man, but fair...." - M. Python

Bulletboy

I agree with you Cal. Biteme is right on the money. This must be a military mentality, yell at the whole squadron, not the f&ck ups.

There are many factors that contributed to all of the accidents that he listed. To over simplify and affix blame like he did was simple minded and lacked professionalism.

I witnessed JL's lack of class first hand. I was at a retirement ceremony for a long time company loyal pilot. JL came in the room not to congratulate him and thank him for his personal sacrifices to help the company be successful, but to bust his balls about abusing sick time. This was his last day on the property. Real nice. There were quite a few of us that had or mouths open thinking "what a moron."

Oh, but he is a nice guy.

FDXFLYR

Our management hired a safety consulting firm, Enders Associates, to conduct a safety audit two years ago. The audit was completed but management never released the results. Conventional wisdom suggests the report seriously bashed management and maintenance and releasing that information would discredit both. Our management team's best response to these safety problems even after having their fault identified in an independent audit, is to simpy scream at the pilots and hope for the best.

I think they've made a cost benefit analysis and decided how much an accident costs verses the cost of substantial changes to scheduling policy and solving our fatigue problems and they've decided on the less expensive course of action--yell at the pilots. JL sent an similar email to all the FOs but it also failed to mention management's part in our accidents.

There's a political mantra that says if you deny something long enough and hard enough, the denial will eventually become true. Certainly seems to be our management team's plan of action.

TonyC

This ground has been plowed before by the folks that actually own the property.



http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/showthread.php?t=6421




Nothing more to talk about here.





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Bulletboy

I didn't see the letter's posted on that thread. I am sure this enlightens people at other airlines what the discussion was about.

I am not saying I agree to posting it, but I didn't realize this was a closed discussion.

TonyC

It's not a closed discussion, and it wasn't then. There is a question of propriety with posting the letter in public; the folks to whom it was addressed each had a copy in their own e-mail "Inbaskets". The reopening of the subject and the posting of the entire letter by someone who should have never had it in the first place wreaks of suspicious motives.


Merry Christmas




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Bulletboy

You have to be kidding me. Are we talking about the Manhattan project? Just the mere fact that there was a 6 page thread on this private internal issue on this very public forum invites a few wood be Dick Tracey's to run down a copy from one of their buds.

Do you really think that would take more than 5 minutes?

The comment I made was that some of us are interested in fresh perspectives from people at other airlines, not the merits of posting the letter.

If you re-read my post I said I do not agree that it should have been posted.