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Do not vote Joe Thomas for C44

Old 10-09-2015, 05:51 AM
  #1  
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Default Do not vote Joe Thomas for C44

I don't think I've ever gotten more angry reading campaign letters. If you are going to vote for him, please read his campaign letters so you know what you're voting for. He is the exact opposite of what we need. It would be like electing the person we are negotiating against to represent us.
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Old 10-09-2015, 06:39 AM
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Its hard to tell if he is running for a union rep or a 4th floor position.
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Old 10-09-2015, 06:48 AM
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99% of what he writes ****es me off but how about this gem?


"If elected I will support working with the company to protect those of us who are sick, while at the same time addressing sick leave abuse at Delta"

Does this mean he will be going after abusers as a rep? That right there should disqualify him from running. As a rep even if you disagree with someone you are still supposed to protect them. You are not a Squadron Commander anymore Colonel!
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Klondike Bear View Post
99% of what he writes ****es me off but how about this gem?


"If elected I will support working with the company to protect those of us who are sick, while at the same time addressing sick leave abuse at Delta"

Does this mean he will be going after abusers as a rep? That right there should disqualify him from running. As a rep even if you disagree with someone you are still supposed to protect them. You are not a Squadron Commander anymore Colonel!

I haven't read his letter, but I have to say, I agree with his angle.

We've been complaining, myself too, about the new policy in the rejected TA, and most have said, "You can't penalize us all for the actions of a few! Go after the abusers but leave the rest of us alone."

That's what he says he wants to do. I'd love to have 300 hours of sick every year if I needed it, but some would use every hour whether they needed it or not. Not many, but a few would.

I'm not saying that qualifies him to represent us, but many on here have said if they have issues with the abusers to go after them and leave the rest of us alone and trust us to know when we are fit to fly and when we aren't.
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Big E 757 View Post
I haven't read his letter, but I have to say, I agree with his angle.

We've been complaining, myself too, about the new policy in the rejected TA, and most have said, "You can't penalize us all for the actions of a few! Go after the abusers but leave the rest of us alone."

That's what he says he wants to do. I'd love to have 300 hours of sick every year if I needed it, but some would use every hour whether they needed it or not. Not many, but a few would.

I'm not saying that qualifies him to represent us, but many on here have said if they have issues with the abusers to go after them and leave the rest of us alone and trust us to know when we are fit to fly and when we aren't.
You need to read his letter because he says just the opposite of that.
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:45 AM
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Fellow Pilots of Council 44,
Thank you again for your support. In my first three letters I demonstrated how DPA and the MEC “NO” voters:
• Rejected a 24.9% percent increase in compensation over 2 years
• Supported a sick leave program that allows calling in sick as a strategy for picking up green slips
at the expense of other pilots, and
• Supported a course of action that lead to an 8.2% decrease in our profit sharing in the absence
of further pay raises.
In this letter I will address sick leave in more detail.
Senior executives briefed the MEC numerous times regarding concerns about increased sick leave usage since implementation of our 2012 contract. They apparently told the MEC that it would be a high priority during the Contract 2015 negotiations. When ALPA reviewed the company’s data and then conducted an analysis of sick leave usage at Delta and around the industry, they found that Delta pilot sick leave usage had increased from about 55000 hours in Jan 2012 to 77000 hours in Jan 2015, for an increase of 40%. Over the same period the number of pilots increased from 12044 to 12285; an increase of 2%. Industry wide usage over the same time period? Flat.
When the TA was voted down many pilots with whom I’ve spoken cited changes to the sick leave program as the primary reason they voted “No”.
Why was sick leave usage a high priority for the company?
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:45 AM
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Because it was out of line with the industry usage rates.
Why is that?
One possible explanation is that some pilots are calling in sick when they are not. Why should you care?
1. If sick leave hadn’t been an issue the TA probably would have passed. It was and it didn’t. We are now paying for it financially as mentioned previously. However, I’d like to discuss something significantly more important than what we’ve lost financially.
2. Why “significantly” more important? Because sick leave abuse is a symptom of a lack of integrity among a small group of pilots. A lack of integrity within a group left unchecked will grow. Many of you have told me that this is not our problem, or that Delta should “go after” the abusers and leave the program unchanged.
Let’s unpack these two sentiments.
First, the idea that this is not our problem: Organizations that allow a lack of integrity to grow within a small group will find it metastasizing into more and more areas of the operation. This leads to a toxic work environment, which leads to declining morale, which leads to declining performance, which leads to lower revenue and increased costs, which leads to declining compensation. It would lead to increased turnover and the resultant loss of experience and increased training costs in most industries, but not here.
Why not here?
Because our compensation is based in large part on our seniority. If seniority wasn’t a factor in your compensation, would you stay at a company where a cultural lack of integrity was allowed to grow unchallenged? I would not and I know from my days as a Squadron Commander that most other people would not either.
By way of example, when I took command of my Air Force unit the retention rate for first term airmen was 15%. By the time I left, retention was 90%. Why? I changed the culture that previously rewarded people for behaving badly and failed to hold them accountable when they didn’t show up for work, to one in which those who performed were promoted and given increased responsibilities and opportunities.
Second, let’s look at the idea that Delta should “go after” the abusers and leave the rest of us alone. How do you define an abuser? Do we want Delta to arbitrarily start firing pilots because their sick leave usage looks “fishy” or to require random sick leave verifications based on their “hunch” that a guy is abusing it? The TA was structured to provide an industry leading benefit, but required that some evidence be provided at some trigger point to ensure that sick leave usage was for being truly sick. The
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:46 AM
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evidence was required to differentiate between those who use sick leave when they are sick, and those who use sick leave when they are not.
It appears a small group of sick leave abusers did change their behavior before the TA vote closed on 10 July. I suspect this decline is because the TA verification and records release requirements might have allowed Delta to distinguish them from pilots who were actually sick.
Let’s do the math:
Sick leave historically rises from June to July.
2012: 62,000 hours June to 68,000 hours July for a 9.6% increase. 2013: 65,000 to 68000: 4.6% increase
2014: 69000 to 78000: 13.4% increase
2015: 66000 to 62000: 6% decrease
Modifying sick leave behavior through reasonable verification methods permits this savings to be reallocated to the entire group, yet still fully protects the individual who needs 240+ hours of sick leave every year. By changing the verification rules, there is zero change to the actual legitimate sick leave benefit. We lose nothing for this, except the ability to call in sick when we are not.
Am I in favor of agreeing to rule changes just because Delta wants them changed? Absolutely not. But in this case we had leverage to obtain an early deal, and put money in our pockets in exchange for a system of greater accountability without loss of benefit.
DPA and the MEC “NO” voters actively campaigned against the new sick leave program.
Do DPA and the MEC “NO” voters think sick leave abuse by a small but growing group, which negatively impacts the remaining pilots, is not their problem? Do they not want to negotiate a solution that protects honest pilots while addressing this company concern, especially if this is Delta’s priority in Section 6? Are they unaware of the toxic environment this type of behavior, left unchecked will create, and that it is the pilots they claim and hope to represent who will pay the price? Or perhaps they do know, but have other more important issues, which I’ve touched on in my previous letters, to consider.
If elected I will support working with the company to protect those of us who are sick, while at the same time addressing sick leave abuse at Delta. I will support common sense negotiations with the company on their priorities, in order to obtain our priorities: increased pay and benefits; protection of our sick leave and disability benefits; protection of our work rules; enhanced job protections (scope); increased retirement pay and options. The RLA dictates we negotiate “in good faith”. There is no getting by that.
I support logical thinking and a collaborative, businesslike approach as long as Delta management is also willing to do so. And that is what you’ll get from me as one of your Captain reps.
To view my first three letters visit me on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/JoeTheMathGuy
or follow me on twitter @dothemathguy VR
Joe Thomas
678-772-1666
[email protected]
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Old 10-09-2015, 07:48 AM
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Here is his latest email for all to view and make their own opinions.
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Old 10-09-2015, 08:09 AM
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Excuse me..... you will refer to him as COLONEL THOMAS..... at the position of attention.

Seriously, this guy has to remind everyone how he was in command in the USAF in every letter. Standard yes man. God help us if this "math guy" wins.
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