MtEverest

I’ve been reading the comments on the various boards noting the biggest complaints regarding our current representation and this TA debacle. I’ve compiled a list of what I believe are some of the more compelling items. I’ve also thrown a few ideas of my own in the pot regarding what I think must happen to see real change.

Whether we stay with ALPA or go independent we need to come to a consensus regarding what a bottom up union looks like. Can we agree the current system is broken? Can we also agree the current structure has weaknesses, allowing rats to infiltrate and compromise our bargaining position?

Not to get ahead of ourselves, the first item of business needs to be a massive recall of every rep in every base that did not follow the directives given them by their membership. This discussion regarding what elements we want in our union should not take any focus off of that mission.

If the membership chooses to live with DALPA for the time being, I believe it should be on a probationary basis. If the Harwood’s of the world try to rule from the belly again or we cannot root them out, we should hit the kill switch and vote DPA in immediately!

If DALPA is our bargaining agent, BIG changes need to be made. We should be willing to adopt the best ideas from DPA and anywhere else we can find them. I’ve listed some of these ideas below in no particular order. Feel free to add to the list.

No more closed session meetings. The whole “showing your hand in poker” analogy has been way overplayed. Look at the results it got us. Time for a new paradigm. An open negotiation with heavy emphasis on restoration with everybody on board will get us more than the secret back door, become best friends with Richard and Ed, deals.

Line pilot oversight committee (thanks to the guy who suggested this on another board and other ideas I borrowed below!)

No more guys appointed to high level jobs such as negotiating committee, etc. They need to run and be elected. No more “shadow MEC’s”!

Term Limits

Implement video conferencing for when candidates run as well as presentations on contract items with Q & A with the membership.

Complete transparency and dialog where the membership gives direction. As we have seen from this last TA, guys are thirsting for knowledge and want to participate. Facilitate that with technology. Along with this, provide regular meaningful updates on contract proposals. Actual information, not meaningless cryptic innuendo and tag lines. The membership can use this information to debate on the various mediums now available and provide feedback to their reps. The goal of all this is to allow the LEC representatives to receive timely line pilot input and make changes as appropriate BEFORE we get too far down the road. This will avoid a situation of unexpected blow back from the pilot group resulting in another failed TA.

We will not compromise our principles. Our profession, union and country have defined a bedrock of principles. For example, we will not compromise our privacy or seniority on this contract.

Seniority Block Representation- Your Rep comes from your seniority group regardless of base affiliation. The Reps know the issues of their constituents because they are living the successes and trials of their group. Keep your Block Rep if he or she is representing you effectively; remove them if they are not.

Create Block surveys with real-time feedback keeping Reps accountable for Members’ wishes.

Financial Transparency- Members have full digital access to finances.

DALPA president paid like SWAPA Pres. (line avg +30%).

No regular business/trip drops on holidays for DALPA work.

Routine work done over teleconference.

Hotels for DALPA will be the same as used for crew layovers.

Meetings held in crew base locations only.

Alcohol not provided at meetings.

Five year non-compete clause (ALPA guys can’t immediately climb the ladder by helping management out).

All grievances pursued in a timely manner.

Simplified contracts professionally written without the shoddy language signed off by DALPA in recent years (read loopholes everywhere).

Delta Pilots MEMRAT regarding any dues rate, constitution or side letters.

Financial efficiency – This one is tough to do without going independent but there are many things we can do to stop the waist of dues dollars either way. It should be noted, one advantage of going independent would be to ELIMINATE subsidizing the regional carriers who want our flying (i.e. More than 16% or approx. $689,000 in 2010) of the MEC’s account allocation for operating income is redistributed to smaller ALPA carriers. ALL independent dues would go directly to meeting Delta Pilots’ needs and desires. Also, freedom to take back flying without fear of lawsuits from the regional carriers who share membership in ALPA with us - No Duty of Fair Representation conflicts with regional affiliates.

Financial responsibility – Reduce excessive and unnecessary spending of Member dues. (For example - $6,500/mo housing allowance for the President, $4,500/mo housing allowance for V.P.s, $1,600/mo car allowance, $498,000 annual compensation for the President, $120,000/year secretaries, $175,000/year magazine editors, massive bonus pensions, $329 per night hotel rooms, $260 per day per diem, etc.)

Officers and Block Reps fly partial lines every month and earn a reasonable reward for service to the Delta Pilots.

Reps fly a half line minimum.

President/Reps are elected by membership.

No more NDA’s. They do more damage than good. We’ve watched too many guys get mesmerized feeling a part of something, being presented tailored information from management. It just doesn’t work. We can check the earnings reports. We can set our own objectives. That’s all we need to know.

A proper Pro/Con paper for every TA and side letter is mandatory. The union will NOT use their political power to block pro/con papers from being passed out or put in V-files. The union will NOT ask the chief pilots to censor any flow of information geared toward the decision making process.

IF the MEC is going to have an official Facebook page, it is prohibited to delete any comments unless it is unacceptable for public viewing (i.e., racial in nature, F-bomb). Dissenting views will NOT be deleted ever.

Membership should decide how and when union reps receive flight pay loss. Certainly they should NOT be paid for a one sided sales campaign!

Establish a secure electronic voting system that is anonymous yet easy to self verify. This system would be completely separate from the DALPA website. You would receive an email or text (your choosing) when you vote and every time you change your vote. When the vote is complete a log of all confirmation numbers will be provided to check against your vote.

Make the survey results for C2012/C2015 available to the membership. The current administration already screwed the pooch with our weak contract and subsequent management quotes to the press. Survey results will not further harm us but will likely help us. If we want to decide if survey results are public prior to future contracts we can vote on it.

Professional negotiators. Hire from a firm similar to Ford and Harrison. Let’s not show up to a gun fight with a rubber knife again.

Set Goals, Measure Goals

Accountability for the union and its leaders!

Please add??? Let's create a manifesto then with the help of our new union leaders, convert it to law. Let's not make the same mistakes again!

UGBSM

Thats about as far as I read.

No, we cannot agree the system is broken. The system is working. A TA fails memrat and you think the sky is falling. You need to stay for the whole rodeo, even if this is your first one.

forgot to bid

The negotiations and administration system is broken. How do you use our surveys to craft a TA and it then fails by 65% and probably a healthy percentage of yes voters being terrified of a fear campaign and say the system is not broken? Something wasnt right and they've got some esplaining to do.

MtEverest

The system did not work. There were not enough checks and balances to keep the system honest. We just wasted a bunch of time and money because of a dysfunctional system. The ideas listed here are to shore up the holes in that system if we intend to stay with ALPA.

ghilis101

I like most of those (can we set like a 2 or 3 drink limit? ) and I would sign an affidavit to move to have those added to our C&BL, along with a no scope, sick, etc concession pledge if I ran for rep. Folks who are planning to run should consider the same.

hockeypilot44

I have to agree that the system was not working. I honestly was reading our union stuff promoting the TA wondering who's side they were on.

UGBSM

I agree with you. Hey, in my opinion the NC, Chairman, and MEC all failed at their jobs. But the system is designed to handle that. Thats why I say ALPA and its processes are not broken.

The system allows for recalls, new elections, and to move forward again. Without having to resort to an abomination like the DPA. Which is what MtEverest and others are advocating in this thread. ...unless I didn't read down far enough.

ghilis101

One of the things I would not do is make the NC an elected position. Those folks have to be hand picked, and the most qualified negotiators are probably not interested in an election campaign. We do have pilots with JD's and MBA's that can come in handy. But education is only half as important as actual negotiating skill. Being a calm and effective communicator, especially in an intimidating environment, is such a difficult thing to identify in a potential NC member. The MEC should reserve the right to replace a NC member as needed without elections.

forgot to bid

Here's a question. if I go to alpa.org do they have a headline mentioning their support for the Delta pilots who stood together in mass to vote down a TA?

Or is it radio silence? I looked. Unless I missed something I didn't see it on the outside version, not even twitter.

So who are they for? The pilots at Delta Air Lines or an MEC that doesn't fly the line?

MtEverest

Can we agree a lot of money was wasted on this hair on fire sales job? Also, that almost any form of membership input was ignored or shut down where possible? If we can improve the system by getting everybody on the same page before hiking the ball wouldn't we be better off?

Btw, there is irony in all this. The DALPA guys routinely hide behind "Can't do that because it compromises our negotiating position"....then run an embarrassing fire drill throwing all our cards in the air followed by sending stern quotes by our CEO to the press! You think that might have hurt our bargaining position a little? Douchbagery at it's worst! Let's put new rules in place to prevent this from ever happening again please.