Name removed although those who also got this know who he is. Is he the real deal in what he says here or just saying what guys want to hear until elected where he can start ignoring with the rest of ALPA leadership? Anybody know/or have flown with him? It would be nice if he was being honest as I agree with most of what he says. Is he the real deal? Thoughts about what he says? These upcoming elections are crucial and no vote should be waisted.

Dear Fellow pilot, I am seeking your vote as SLC Capt Rep. Please review the following questions and answers so that you may make an informed decision. You can vote now by logging into CrewRoom > Crewroom Home

Thank you,
2009 Candidate Questionnaire for XX



1. Do you have any prior ALPA experience? If so, what positions did you (do you) hold and when?
(Timing 1993-2009≈)

MEC Scheduling Vice-Chairman
Team leader Automated Contract Enforcement Committee
Team leader for Reroute Improvements Committee
MEC Contract Administration Committee Member
Graduate ALPA Negotiators School
SLC Scheduling Committee Chairman
Member of the Negotiating Team (Scheduling Representative)

I started my ALPA career as an MD88 FO after I flew with a Dallas Captain who commented on my deep knowledge of the contract. He recommended that I volunteer my services to the MEC Contract Administration committee. About once every other month I would spend a week in ATL working on behalf of the Delta Pilots. My knowledge of all sections of the contract grew immensely. My work habits and skill gained me the notice of the MEC Scheduling Chairman and I was asked to be his Vice Chairman. Soon I was sent to ALPA Negotiators School and we started preparing for contract 2000. As a team we completely revolutionized section 23 (Scheduling) with changes to a new 12 hour long call leash, new sequencing of the trip coverage ladder, drastic improvements to reroute pay, additional X days, and duty rig protections. I recommended to my Scheduling Chairman that we could harness the power of data mining DBMS to ensure that scheduling correctly administers the contract. I then hired former retired Reroute Scheduler Tom Barnett and database programmer Roger Nedel (Council 81 767ER FO). For over two years we were able to hand a list of violations to the Contract Administration committee each month. Often line pilots were unaware that their contract had been violated and were pleasantly surprised when assignment pay was added to a later paycheck. In one month we were credited with gaining over $135,000 to Delta pilots whose contract rights were violated. I lead the Reroute Improvement Committee with Dallas Capt Rick Chabot. Over the course of several months we provided to Capt John Malone and the Negotiating Committee ideas that were instrumental in improving the Reroute section of our contract. This allowed our Negotiators to achieve significant protections for pilots and increased compensation when rerouting occurred under certain circumstances. I was honored to represent all Delta pilots as I sat at the table when section 23 (Scheduling) was being negotiated for contract 2000. I then returned to the line and moved to SLC in 2004. I volunteered immediately to work for the LEC scheduling committee and was asked to be its Chairman; I continue to work for the SLC pilots in that capacity.


2. Almost every pilot at this airline is flying more and has less time at home. Why are you volunteering even more of your time and effort for ALPA work?

I sat back on the sidelines while we went through the “perfect storm” following the tragic events of 9-11. The ensuing years have been devastating to all our careers (especially to our junior pilots), and I regret not getting more involved earlier. I would like to think that damage inflicted to our contract might not have been so severe if I was able to use my vision of not what is just within sight, but what is coming around the horizon. I am known as the guy who can see a solution or an angle that has been missed by others. My idea to “data mine” Delta's DBMS system for contractual violations is but one example. I don’t always think within the lines or inside the box. I would like to bring that unique skill set to the MEC and to represent the SLC pilots as we try to win back improvements to our pay and quality of life. I am now resigned to the fact that I will fly longer than I first intended. I want to ensure that all pilots benefit as much as possible from the significant sacrifices we have all made.

3. As an LEC Representative, you will have a dual representative responsibility. You will represent the pilots in your base, but your votes also affect the entire pilot group. When there is a conflict between the needs of these two groups, explain how your vote would be weighted, more towards the pilots in your base or more towards the pilot group as a whole.

The Council 81 pilots will have the greatest opportunity to share their ideas and concerns with me and the SLC Council 81 ALPA reps on a daily basis. Therefore, their concerns will be foremost in my mind as I address their concerns with the entire MEC. Their issues and concerns will influence me the most. But we need to keep in mind that roughly half the pilots commute. Therefore a Council 81 pilot can live or fly almost anywhere in the Delta system. My votes will impact all Delta pilots and I will need to do the best for all Delta pilots

It will be my job to educate the Council 81 pilots, solicit their important input, and make a reasoned argument to persuade them to my position. My hand will be sometimes be tied with promises of non-disclosure, which prevents me from showing all my deep reasoning. I envision the only time siding against the prevailing view of most Council 81 pilots is when I have inside information that I can’t share and I vote in the hope that it is in the long term best interest for SLC pilots and all Delta pilots.

4. Do you believe pilot unity is important? If so, how will you promote pilot unity at your base? Within the Delta pilot group as a whole?

Emphasizing education, education, and more education. I hear the mantra of narrow body scope and the problem of too many regional jets, more from junior and mid-level Delta pilots. From the very senior dead-zoner pilots I hear about the problems of retirement. If I am successful as a LEC Capt’s representative I will be able to show that it is in our own best interest for even the 777 Capt who is scheduled to retire in two years to be intimately concerned with removing the stain of RJ proliferation on our careers. I will balance that with the process of educating the junior pilots that it is in their best interest to shore up the current deficient retirement rates of our DC plan. I will attempt to suggest improvements to our contract that benefit the entire pilot group. Pilot unity is achieved when all pilots feel that we are in this fight together, and it is extremely important. I pledge to use my office to educate not only the prestigious SLC pilots, but also the rest of the Delta pilots.


5. Candidates frequently say they want to improve MEC Communications. What is right and wrong with our communications and what would you do to correct the deficiencies? Do you think we need more transparency in ALPA’s day-to-day business? If so, how might this be accomplished and how and why would more openness be important?

It is my opinion that the MEC often believes that there is not enough to be gained from asking line pilots their opinion on both normal and controversial subject matters. I am often surprised by side letters of agreement, No Fly Lines for example, where my opinion as SLC Scheduling was not solicited. I think it is foolish to believe that some line pilot won’t have a unique and clever solution or illumination of a potential future problem, which should be brought to the attention of the MEC. With this merger I am sure that the MEC is swamped with integration issues, but even before this MEC we seem to have developed a union mentality of keeping issues close to the vest. That prevents dissenting opinions from marshaling their forces and clogging down the issue. That same mentality also quiets the razor sharp opinions of many of our line pilots. We should not be afraid to solicit opinions and it is in our long term best interest to have the MEC leadership make informed decisions based on a broader spectrum of input from line pilots. If elected I pledge to solicit the opinion to SLC pilots on a greater amount of issues facing the MEC.


6. Explain your position regarding the current Scope clause on our PWA. What do you think we need to do to improve our Scope protections and recover some of the lost flying to DCI's?
(There will be no more concessions on scope!)

Many different strategies have been unable to reverse gains made by the company. Regarding narrow body scope, it is hard to compete with DCI carriers whose individual pilots are willing to fly for substandard wages and view their current employer as a mere stepping stone to their future real job at a mainline carrier. We have allowed the disunity between competing DCI carriers to negatively affect domestic flying and have continued to see our narrow body flying being farmed out and not returned. This is a tough problem with no easy solution, yet it must remain our top concern. My gut feeling tells me that sitting by on the sidelines while ATA masterfully pits one DCI carrier against another has been ruinous to our narrow body flying. I think we should try a different approach, hold a DCI summit, and organize them all. I think the correct solution is also the hardest. We must find a way to convince DCI pilots that there is a distinct difference between “Carrier” earnings and “Career” earnings. We have seen DCI pilots who are “stepping stone pilots” long for larger gauge aircraft that will actually be detrimental to their “Career” earnings if they seek a future job at a mainline carrier. We need to find the appropriate carrot for DCI pilots so they can take the counter-intuitive step of not seeking to fly larger gauge aircraft. We must ask ourselves as a union why has the vote failed so many times at SkyWest, and what can we do as a union to make joining ALPA more attractive. Regarding recovering lost DCI flying I believe that 50 seat flying will diminish due to simple economics. 70/76 seat flying will be hard fought for by both sides. Emotionally beating our chest regarding RJ’s just allows the company negotiators to tack a higher buying price to this important piece of our contract. Thinking that the company negotiators will give us this piece is folly. I would like to see all future DCI contracts expire and not be renewed, and the flying replaced by Delta pilots. Our task is to reach a place where the company wants’ all flying with the Delta name flown by Delta pilots. The pilots already do. I believe that the 100 seat flying is a deal breaker and must be flown by Delta pilots and no contract without this will pass a vote. There will be no more concessions on scope! There will be no more concessions on scope! There will be no more concessions on scope!

7. As the biggest pilot group in ALPA do you think that puts DAL ALPA in a leadership position for all ALPA pilots when it comes to returning this profession to place of prominence? If yes, is there a road map to return this profession to what it needs to be? What does that road map look like and if you are not aware of such a road map, what do you think it should look like.

Before becoming the largest pilot group in ALPA we were already in a place of leadership proven by years of industry leading wages and contracts. Now our prominence is elevated with the merger of seasoned Northwest pilots. We have to harness the strength inherent of both our pasts and use that strength to return our profession to the heights long remembered. The road map starts with unity. We must act as one voice. We must educate both junior and senior pilots of each others concerns and craft solutions that are bought in by the entire pilot group. Next we must remove fear. As we approach contract 2012 we must convince each Delta pilot to get their financial house in order so that we can negotiate without the fear of how to make the next mortgage payment. The third part of the map is to continue to partner with the company on seeking mutual solutions. As long as we continue to see positive results by avoiding a confrontational approach we should. When results diminish or disappear we should try alternative approaches. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.


8. Please list in order of importance your first 3 items of business if elected to C20 LEC Office.

I would like to convince the new MEC to engage the company in pursuing mid-contract cost neutral improvements. I would like to start with two scheduling concerns, short calls and jet-way swaps (partial rotation drops). I feel the company is eager to establish and foster a non-confrontational approach to future relations. We should empower our Scheduling and Negotiating committees to engage the company for mid term improvements. This would be unlike section six negotiating with openers and counterproposals, but get a bunch of smart people in a room and discuss mutual concerns. This was the model for most of the scheduling improvements for contract 2000, and would have occurred two years earlier if the right people would have been in attendance, namely the negotiating committees.

I would like to organize a DCI scope summit, search for a way to find common ground and submit it to ALPA national. Let’s craft a long term solution for scope.

I would then like to create an atmosphere where the MEC solicits line pilot input for more issues without the burden of weeding through hundreds of daily emails. Let’s not be afraid to listen to dissenting opinions or the occasional brilliant idea from line pilots.

9. What do you think the primary responsibilities are for the position you are seeking? How do those responsibilities relate to the everyday line pilot?

My primary responsibility is to lead and represent the SLC pilots in our mutual quest to regain our previous prominence in regards to wages and working conditions, and to make sure that Delta pilots are flying Delta jets. I must convince all SLC pilots that “we are ALPA” and to engage and contribute.

Thank you,

XX

I resent them calling the 747 "upgraded"... upguaged is OK.. but it's just a 4 engine airplane :D

Jack, why are you posting this? He is asking for your input. Give it to him.

Super Premium Widebody afterall! :eek:

Mainly because trying to learn anything on the ALPA site is a joke and I want to know if anybody here knows him personaly. I have seen it too many times where leadership wannabes blow smoke up your tail end only to make you realize later that they did in fact blow smoke up your tail end. They can say whatever they want. I want to know what guys that know or have flown with them say about how they really think and operate.

On top of that, if this guy does get elected I want an easy place to track down what he said so I can compare it to what he is actually doing. Im sure this thread will still be here in a year or two.

Was this posted on the DALPA site or is this a personal e-mail/PM? That is where my concern comes from. That is all.

I can tell you that there are many line guys running though out the system that want change. Can we, or will we, depends on the headwinds we face. Some are very stiff.

This was an email sent to all potential voters. It is also posted on the DALPA website I believe. Are you running ACL?

Ah, I was not sure if it was public. Then nevermind. I thought it was a PM. Sorry.

There is one problem with this "solution" that will cause it to fail. The problem of using regional jobs as "stepping stones" was the root cause of this problem...ALPA is partially to blame for this situation. However, as a result of this problem going on as long as it has, you have about a third or so of regional pilots who are now "lifers" at these carriers. While we can argue all day long about whether or not we agree on the choice to make said carriers a "career"...it doesn't alter the fact that these pilots have made this choice.

To engineer a "solution" that ignores the concerns of these "lifers" is simply setting up for yet another failure when dealing with DCI carriers. The MECs and mover's and shakers at the regionals won't do anything at this point that hangs the "lifers" out to dry....They are if you will, the most powerful "voting block" at the regionals, as they tend to participate more because they are concerned about their career at these carriers.

Again, this isn't an issue of whether or not one "should" make a regional a career...It is simply an acknowledgement of reality and the fact that any solution you craft to "work" with the DCI carriers needs to take that into consideration....