I’ve never been a big union activist but the last few years and contract cycles have truly opened my eyes. With recent MEC votes nearly split down the middle, this FO election could essentially tip the scales of the MEC majority. I want to ensure we get the MEC our pilots deserve, firmly and unwaveringly on the side of the line pilots, and that’s why we must vote for John Mcgregor.



I will admit that I do not know his opponent, Marc Cervantes. I admire him stepping up and volunteering to run but his most recent letter to the pilots illustrated to me why he is not the rep we need right now. When discussing pilots losing or freezing their pensions, he referenced those hired “pre-merger”. It was only those hired pre-bankruptcy that had pensions. I know, a small omission, no big deal, but one that highlights that he’s only been here a few years. When I clicked his profile to see if I could learn a bit of his background, I saw that he only just graduated high school in 2010. So of course he’s not as familiar with our history at Delta, he was still in high school during some of the air lines most trying times and hasn’t been here long enough to learn and experience it. I’m sure he’ll make a fantastic rep in the future, but right now we need someone who has been here, and experienced and learned what we once had as a pilot group and been through a few contract cycles to see how it can be dithered away by poor representation.



John Mcgregor is the rep we need now. I remember flying with him as FO’s on the ER pre-merger (when we used to fly damn near everywhere on our own metal) and even then he was concerned about scope. We’d be at cruise, and he would talk about the rise of JV’s and how it would effect our int’l ops. I’d be thinking about where to get beer in Budapest (Of course, John would know where to go for that too!). He eventually had to get involved in union work and recently became vice chair of the scope committee. John will be the type of rep who will always put the good of the line pilot first. He will not play ALPA politics to get some committee job or company position. He will not succumb to group think or peer pressure but will work tirelessly with those who put the good of our profession first. We desperately need a strong, pilot first rep in NY as our union confronts the company on multiple fronts and re-engages in section 6 negotiations. John Mcgregor is that rep.

 

Not NYC based anymore but a drinker of Hungarian beer who has a focus on widebody scope would definitely be in the pole position!

 

Wasn’t Cervantes a UNA?

With Ny being more than 50% guys hired in the last couple of yrs, we need a guy that’s been in the line, not hanging around in Europe drinking beers.

After voting for Metz, which never responded emails or the phone, we need new blood in the LEC.

John Mcgregor has only sent 3 emails and hasn’t been available to the public. That lets me know he will not be available for the constituents.

 

I’d ask any candidate for the most junior seat in the system (typically) how they’d have voted on 20-04 before casting my ballot.

 

Yes Marc was a UNAcorn.

That is a 180 from my experiences with Lauren.

Before her tenure, I would send emails...I never got a response from her predecessor and if Tom did respond to my FO issue, it was always a "Copy" or "Thanks"....literally a one word response.

With Lauren, she responded to every email...hell one of them she responded to in the middle of the day during MEC meeting week. On another issue (about voting for JA instead of RS), she asked if it would be OK to speak over the phone instead of trying to explain via email....we coordinated a time to speak and spent over an hour on the phone and she didn't shy away from any of the questions I asked her.

 

Wasn't Marc heavily involved in a union at the RJ level? We need fresh perspectives on the union. Many RJ outfits have better work rules than we have here. Sounds like Marc can bring his expertise from other unions here.

 

he was. At a regional that had good work rules (XJT). I will disagree with the OP on the principal that newer is bad and say we need newer blood to represent the group that is typically the most junior pilots in the system. Many of the issues NY FOs face now are not bankruptcy era issues but optimization and UNA era. Having a pilot who worked in the union of another airline which had better than most scheduling rules and who was a UNA himself 6 months ago would definitely have its advantages.

and to the OP, over half the pilots at DAL were hired post BK, having a few of them in the union, especially representing FOs in NY, is not a bad thing

 

Exactly my point. We want better QOL but are skeptical to bring new point of views.

Some regionals have way better contracts than us. We need that expertise here, not the same points of views that has take us nowhere.

 

I don't know either one of them.

WHat I know I read from what they sent me. Cervantes sent out a lot of nothing.

McGregor had teeth in his message. He got my vote.

Our scope is our jobs.

We need a fighter, not another voting surrender monkey ala C44.

Ditto on Lauren being responsive. She was always very prompt returning my emails or phone calls.

 

Again, what has C44 surrendered? Was 20-04 a surrender? Looked like a lot of winning to me.

Lauren was a good rep, listened and answered me when I had questions.