FDX MEC officer election call for change
 

I sent the following recently to the FDX MEC status representatives. I've been asked to post this publicly. It is my hope that those FedEx pilots who agree will urgently contact their rep prior to the vote this next week.

To the FDX MEC
Change.

Over the past six weeks since I've been back on the line, I've heard this word constantly throughout my time in the sim building, in the hub and out on layovers. I sense a palpable difference in attitude since last fall, made starkly evident to me by my three months away from work. Pilots now realize that the 2 contract extensions and our attempt to reshape the union/management relationship have failed. Pilots want a good contract and respect from management. They're restless, frustrated and ready for change. With this MEC officer election, the pilots understand now is our chance.


As a former multi-term elected ANC representative, safety and SPC committee volunteer, I've got extensive personal and professional experience with all four MEC chairman candidates. You'll have plenty of opportunity to weigh their strengths and weaknesses, and I won't go into those here. Any consideration of "who's best" misses the point.


Ultimately, your choice comes down to the word change. I submit that the MEC's choice shouldn't be one you're comfortable making, but one that makes management uncomfortable. For if you choose either of the candidates who've been part of the process over the last several years, then we lose and management wins. Management will continue to push them and us around, because they've already done so.


On the other hand, if you choose either of the candidates who've not been a part of the current process, you send a real signal of change to both the pilots you represent and to FedEx management. And, at the same time, you've made a choice of an individual who has a successful experience in concluding negotiations on terms well ahead of just a CPI hourly wage adjustment. You've also chosen a person with extensive experience with ALPA staff, committees and union volunteers. You've also chosen an individual who has first hand experience in bringing differing attitudes on an MEC into one coherent direction.


I urge you to choose Change. Now is the time.

Amen!! I am in total agreement with Madddogpyrat. I've e-mailed my reps, and all three either e-mailed or called me in return. I made it clear to them that our new MEC leadership needs to be more aggresive.

Thread creep: got 5 Draft calls in 24 hours (4/16-4/17), I'm enjoying my days off.

I emailed my three block reps ... and everyone else who has a vote.
Same message as above.

It's very easy to do so on ALPA FDX pages. Just copy, paste, and send. Take the time, it matters.

Received replies from all reps. No one showing their hand but acknowledged change in leadership direction and philosophy needed.

Our group needs to morph from slithering passivity and individualism to upright on two feet with a spine and collective strength.

We are at an impasse. It is time for customers and Wall Street to get a clue.

My LEC/block reps know my preferences (and responded promptly). Every member should do the same.

While we may not be at an impasse,(I think they TA'd another minor section last session) I don't think the company has brought a single penny to the table

From the "horses mouth"?
 

I attended the ALPA Family Awareness Event at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum near IAD last weekend. It was a really interesting guided tour of the museum!*?

SS addressed the pilots and families in attendance. He says we are 90% of the way through negotiations and we are ONLY waiting for the Company to bring MONEY to the table to address the last remaining sections.

SS says "industry analysts" think final negotiations "might" be postponed until after the new fiscal year? Maybe after Management accomplishes their $1.6B cost cutting objective. At any rate HE clearly thinks it's out of our hands ...

You didn't think he would say it was ALPA's fault, did you? He also says that he's not running for re-election. So ... whether we want to or not, we're going to change horses midstream.


:confused:

Nice letter. Why didn't you sign it?

Multi term ANC rep...he did sign it...
 

I thought it was as quite clear who this was...made no attempt to not do otherwise...

Yes in with the new not recycled guys from the past!

Anonymous poster asking why someone didn't sign his name. Pretty funny

Who are you, who who, who who?

Who would be considered "new" amongst this group.

I'm not in the inner circles so I don't know the gossip of the Union personalities. Being in mediation, isn't it the mediator who sets the pace. This whole thing is a process, and it looks to me like we are at the end of the process. I think we've come a long way and thank the guys that have helped get us here. If we, the union membership, had enjoyed our contractual days off this process would of concluded a long time ago.

Or it could be some recognition that the guys who brought us the interim deal might not be the best judges of the company's intentions so it is time for new blood.

This.

Pleeeeeeeease release us, let us gooooooo

F an A on that. It is pathetic. Just like 4a2b. It sucks knowing, that in the big picture view, our ALPA bro's (and non-member pr...s) are in reality our enemies. Pretty harsh, but IMO the truth.

Isn't that the truth. Just flew with a 25+ years at the company FO bragging how he had 4 days off last month and 6 this month. Gotta love these tools:rolleyes:

For those of you that think that a change in the front office is some how going to get us a contract, you are fooling yourselves. The company could give a rats ass on who is sitting in the front office because they look right through them to us. As some guys here already pointed out, if we want a contract, the pilots will have to be the ones that get it, period! ( if you don't know what I mean by that, then you're beyond help)

If you have been here long enough, you know that we have tried both methods of negotiating and we got the same results. I also have come to the conclusion that not doing the 2 year extension would have been a mistake. The reason I say that is that in my opinion, we still wouldn't have a contract and we would be down 6% in pay. Although going forward, I would not be in favor of an extension again, because it's obvious to us all now that the company is not interested in a business relationship with us. YMMV

Q: Would you rather we settled a "traditional" 4-5 year deal, say in early 2013, during a time in which no carrier would of had rates anywhere near ours (at that time), and be locked into what would now be a substandard deal looking at the patterns in the industry?

We would not have a crack at the current industry rates until 2019-2020 because we would be stuck at just over a 300 max rate by the end of what would of been a 2013ish CBA and now we can settle a deal that puts us at or above any rates of the industry leaders. DAL will surpass AA by the end of July and set the new bar. We are at the perfect time and place, if you ask me, every factor that could be in our favor, is in our favor. Run a simple pay rate assumption from the 2 year CBA with a new deal in the next few months against one from a theoretical CBA that resembles what we would of signed in about 2013 and you will see that we are not behind and have enjoyed the higher rates of the 2011 deal in the meantime, lowering pressure on retro pay.

The MEC Officers should be a non factor in closing this out, unless our MEC is stupid enough to change the players and the game now. If the MEC does that next week and gives our mediator and the Company an excuse to further delay, then shame on us. The Company has ran out of excuses and labor peace so let's not trip heading over the finish line, please.

I would have preferred we got something for giving them cologne. A fix to 4A2b, a "fix" for the company's blatant theft of accepted fares, or a fix to the disputed fare process would have been nice. But to answer your question, I dont think we would have gotten a contract in 2013 but I do think we would have gotten one this year instead of 2017.

Now a question for you do you think the leadership believed it when they told us the company was ready to negotiate in good faith once we passed the interim deal? Were they lying to us or themselves?

I think we will get one in the next 6 months, provided our MEC does not screw it up. As to your question, I think that both sides had good intentions and I am sure that ALPA did its level best but I think the game changed with the Company's profit improvement (mostly via cost cutting) plan was announced not long after we inked our CBA in 2011, thus the players on the Company team were given much different goals and targets is my guess. I think that was the primary reason for the efficiency grabs that they really went after because a net increased cost to a CBA is a certainty and not in line with that profit plan. Funny thing is the Company probably spent much of that pay rate increase in vacation buy back, overage and of course draft/vol covering for the lack of hiring. It is a vicious circle :)

I personally do not care who resides in the big office at Kirby, just do not be someone who thinks they can change the world and bring the Company to their "knees", if we begin over or start any kind or regressive bargaining then we will get what we deserve, long delays and no better deal in the end. IMHO

"The MEC Officers should be a non factor in closing this out, unless our MEC is stupid enough to change the players and the game now. If the MEC does that next week and gives our mediator and the Company an excuse to further delay, then shame on us. The Company has ran out of excuses and labor peace so let's not trip heading over the finish line, please."


+1 New MEC (actually, old MEC from 2005) fires all the PSIT guys that make up the NC since they hate them as "the other team", then Company immediately petitions mediator to newly present all sections over 6-8 months in order to "get the new team up to speed" and determine whether they have any more authority than the last guys. Expect to be right back where we are now next January. High fives in the board room (theirs, not ours).

[QUOTE=trashhauler;1864690]For those of you that think that a change in the front office is some how going to get us a contract, you are fooling yourselves. The company could give a rats ass on who is sitting in the front office because they look right through them to us. As some guys here already pointed out, if we want a contract, the pilots will have to be the ones that get it, period! ( if you don't know what I mean by that, then you're beyond help)

I agree. But it seems its easy for some to come on an forum, not saying you, and bash everyone or vent. I get it. I always wonder who posts here because almost everyone I fly with is great and has the same agenda. I know we all have our ideas of what is the "right" thing to do, but that varies by individual.

I learned long ago not to get emotionally involved in the contract process. If we are given a contract, vote how you feel, if it comes to an impasse, there will be enough guys walking to make the point to the company, but, we aren't going to get to that point.

A Union is a necessary Evil. We all look at our leadership and question what they do. There is waste and no doubt corruption in our Union but for the whole, its doing for us what it should.

After being here for almost 20yrs, a contract will come when the company decides its time. Enjoy life, enjoy your family and vote how you feel when the contract is given to us, anything else is just a waste of your time.

And LLAP, goodbye Spock

My point is, if someone is going to post and suggest negative things towards ALPA leadership and cut and Paste the letter they suppose ably sent ALPA reps here on APC, thats fine, but post it on Jetflyers or Facebook and sign your name. Thats all.

BTW, nobody is Anonymous on here with respect to FedEx Legal. They know who all of us are. ;)

In summation, the Corporation does not respect us so why settle?
Remember that each of us is ALPA not just the MEC or LEC's !

[QUOTE=RedeyeAV8r;1865027]My point is, if someone is going to post and suggest negative things towards ALPA leadership and cut and Paste the letter they suppose ably sent ALPA reps here on APC, thats fine, but post it on Jetflyers or Facebook and sign your name. Thats all.

I agree. I'm Anc based and I don't know who the OP is. I have a guess. I don't need names, but initials might help. It would help to know who the OP is for credibility. Just my 8 cents worth.

And management doesn't know who I am, I am the Shadow!!!!

PS. Go Bears.

The original post is on Jetflyers with name..
 

[QUOTE=Viper446;1865042]

Any results yet???

Are you interested in actual results, or just crystal ball readings?


Voting begins tomorrow.






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that explains it .... must be an international dateline thing

Resulta are out. Check your email.

Sigh :(