I saw this on FB and I thought it was worth reading.



John Malone

My letter to MEC chairman:
Captain Donatelli,
I hoped to be able to vote yes on this agreement. Unfortunately, I will be voting no.
... Some of my reasons are as follows:
1) The pay increases are not enough. I appreciate the time value of money, but go get more.
2) Any increase in 76 seat RJ’s is too much.
3) The changes in international scope are too lenient for management.
4) The changes to section 14 are unnecessarily insulting. Further, I do not believe our sick leave is in excess of most other airlines (LUV I believe, not American or UAL). C12 changes were management’s idea and they should be happy with them.
5) Profit Sharing. I am sure after Doug Parker told the AMR employees that DAL’s profit sharing was a bankruptcy contract issue, all DAL management probably latched on. Guess what? We are still living under most of the changes made in Letter 51: Pension-gone, D&S Plan-gutted, vacation-6th week gone and time per day still not fully restored, medical in retirement-gone, 76 seat RJ’s-still increasing, night pay-gone. Fix those items and I will consider relief on profit sharing.
6) Virtual bases? Effect on: manning, reserve coverage/obligation, W/S and G/S impact to the non-virtual base that flying is removed from, and of course no paid moves? Fact is, the company can open/close a base already with no modification needed from our working agreement. Where did this come come? I have no recollection of this on the survey.
7) I would be in favor of counting sick leave as block time flown before awarding a pilot a green slip IF: all time dropped/performed by ALPA duty, LCA duties (jump seat or office), instructor (sim or office days), and of course management time also counted. The same provisions should also apply to GSWC, IA and IAWC.
If this agreement is turned down by the pilots both ALPA and DAL ARE required by the RLA to return to the table and negotiate in good faith. The Act is clear on this issue; a rejected TA does NOT relieve either party of their obligation. Stop telling the pilots we are without options; it is false.
John Malone
767A ATL

 

We really need FB style like buttons.

 

Here is Sam DeRosa's letter, also on Facebook.

Sam DeRosa

Here is my letter:To My reps and other members of the MEC:

For several months I have remained very hopeful that you would present me with a TA that I could vibrantly support, however this agreement fails to do this and I cannot vote for it.

Here is why I’m voting NO on the current TA:

Pay

Delta’s profits are $3.3 billion more than they were during the last negotiations. That’s a 275% increase, and yet this TA’s pay rates are only 1.8% greater than the last TA. Delta can clearly afford more.

Profit Sharing

Conversion of Profit Sharing to pay rates should have only been considered if they were ABOVE this contract’s pay raises. To self-fund our own raise on 12/1/16 is simply unacceptable.

Scope

Increasing the allowed number of 76 seat RJ’s is unacceptable. Allowing 76 seaters came as a bankruptcy concession, and we only allowed 15. We are milestones away from that environment, yet we continue to allow up-gauging of our Connection carriers.

Internationally, our scope is too lenient on management and is costing us premium jobs. The outsourced flying should be limited in 3 ways:
-The routes should be 50/50
-The airplanes should be equivalent in size
-Most importantly, the partners cannot put more than 50% of their passengers on that airplane.

If Delta does not abide by that on a year over year basis, they would immediately have to put another equivalent airplane on that route or add another route to cure the problem.

Sick Leave

The company has desperately wanted a sick leave program for several contracts. They got what they wanted, now they need to live with it or pay to change it. Don’t ask me to foot the bill for this one yet again.

Retirement

This should be an additional 3% (not 1%) and it should come at date of signing. This is where TVM is really applicable.

Scheduling Work Rules and Quality of Life

The F/O’s bidding with LCA is most definitely a concession, and it most definitely WILL negatively affect ALL F/O’s. I get the need for productivity especially when we are short of pilots, however the MEC is not calling this for what it is. They are misleading with their statement of it not affecting staffing requirements. It may not affect staffing but it WILL affect EVERY F/O’s QOL, and many F/O’s pay.

Virtual Base

This is a HUGE concession that will negatively affect Pay and QOL for every pilot at every base that has their flying siphoned off to these Virtual Bases. There is very good reason our contract currently covers the opening and closing of pilot bases. It protects all of us from the company opening and closing bases and shifting flying with little to no notice. Allowing Virtual bases (even on a test basis) is another huge concession and very slippery slope to the degradation towards our pay and QOL.

Scare Tactics

Has our company really said they will not come back to the negotiating table? This would be a clear violation to the Railway Labor Act. We both have specific and clear requirements to negotiate in good faith, regardless of either parties’ desires.

A rejected TA does not alleviate the company’s OBLIGATION to continue bargaining in good faith. Any other characterization of the RLA is FALSE AND MISLEADING.

Please save our dues money on your Sales Job Road Show, as it will not change the above facts. If this TA is “Historically” as good as it was supposed to be it would sell itself.

Sam DeRosa
ATL 717A

 

Orvil, thanks for posting those two above. My wife won't let me have a Facebook account (long story, involving old girlfriends!) so I appreciate your putting John and Sam's input here.

I agree with both of them.

For any of you new guys, and/or North guys, who don't recognize their names, John Malone was our lead negotiator when we did our Contract 2000, to Restore the Profession. He was later our MEC Chairmen when Delta wanted give backs in 2004, to keep us out of bankruptcy.

After DAL filed for bankruptcy in spite of all the concessions we gave them to stay OUT of bankruptcy, they came to us for MORE concessions! Well John was NOT going to give them any more.

As the timing worked out, it was time for a MEC Chairmen re-election. That's when Lee Moak showed up.

John would have been re-elected in a close vote, but our VP Flight Ops (a Marine buddy of Moak's) closed John's former base (DFW) one month early, before the MEC Chairman vote, so those DFW reps were not allowed to vote for John, and Lee was elected, by one or two votes, and then Lee gave the company more concessions in LOA51.

Sam DeRosa was the then ATL F/O rep who was the sole NO vote for more concessions in LOA 51, in spite of intense pressure from all the other LEC members, Sam stood his ground.

Both of these gentlemen have many years of experience working inside DALPA during our best, and worst times. They know what they are talking about. Pay attention to what they say regarding this TA.

 

You know what is coming next. The current regime that's trying to sell POS2015 will attempt to smear Mr. Malone's record. Start the countdown.

 

Virtual Base's in Sam's letter has not got the attention it deserves:

Virtual Base

This is a HUGE concession that will negatively affect Pay and QOL for every pilot at every base that has their flying siphoned off to these Virtual Bases. There is very good reason our contract currently covers the opening and closing of pilot bases. It protects all of us from the company opening and closing bases and shifting flying with little to no notice. Allowing Virtual bases (even on a test basis) is another huge concession and very slippery slope to the degradation towards our pay and QOL.

 

One of the current regime, the head of our Strategic Planning Committe, was instrumental in having Malone removed and Moak installed in 2005.

Funny how, 10 years later, that guy is still running DALPA, unelectd, self appointed, smartest guy in the room.

Any wonder this TA is as bad as it is, and the MEC says they have No Plan B?

 

Yup.

How is it a concession you ask?

This is aimed at reducing the need to deadhead pilots to/from all those virtual bases, like MCO and BOS.

Less DH means less Credit Time.

Less Credit Time = less pilots needed to cover the flying.

 

Timbo,

I don't have a Facebook account, either. I'm using my wife's. It works. Ask your wife if you can use her account to see what's going on. Promise her a new pair of shoes. It works every time. Don't ask me how I know.

Anyhow, should she give you permission the groups are:

Delta Pilots Against Contract 2015 TA

Delta MEC Comm


I have the greatest regard for John. I knew him in the military. He was my rep in DFW. John was a great rep. He didn't care who he ****ed off at DALPA or ALPA. His pilot came first. He's a good guy. You won't hear that at the MEC, they hate him. He calls BS on their crap.

 

This guy has no idea that we vote this down we are screwed.