Airline Pilot Central Forums - Cutler for Block 4 Rep

If you're in LEC (Block 1,4,8) and on the email list, then you should have received TonyC's nomination letter to the crew force. If you're not in this LEC 7 group, then here is the info:

Ladies and Gentlemen of Council 7 (Blocks 1, 4 and 8),

As a Nominee for Seniority Block 4 Representative, I am writing to you today to ask for your vote. Actually, I am asking for TWO votes. First, I am appealing to you to vote AGAINST the 2015 Tentative Agreement, for reasons which I will explain below. Second, I am asking you to vote FOR me to be your Seniority Block 4 Representative.

We have all waited a very long time for a Tentative Agreement. The process for negotiating a new CBA began long ago with polling, surveys, and e-mails to amass and analyze a mountain of data from you. We agreed on a limited focus to facilitate an expeditious process. We didn’t want to rewrite the entire CBA, or take years and years to do it. We wanted a few specific, important things fixed, and we wanted it done quickly. I was on the MEC when we set those goals.

Well, here we are almost 5 years later, and we have been presented a Tentative Agreement that can best be described as disappointing. I know each of you has reviewed the TA and found things you like and things you don’t like. I am profoundly disappointed that we have NO Improvements to our “A”-Plan, and I am underwhelmed by the tiny improvements to our “B”-Plan. I am embarrassed by the sub-3% pay rate increases. Despite the Negotiating Committee’s last-minute attempt to influence our vote by announcing increases via their rare Sunday e-mail, I am insulted by the size of the signing bonus. However, one of the things that concerns me and my family most is the size of the check I will have to write in 2017 to pay for the yet-to-be-determined cost of Health Insurance. For a new FedEx pilot and his family, that check will be larger than the 1% bump to his B-plan.

We haven’t even begun to discuss work rules and quality of life. We can always debate trades and the relative value of certain work rules, but what astounds me in the give and take of negotiations is the numerous “smart efficiencies” we give in this TA without a corresponding take of benefits. Many of these givebacks won’t even save The Company money; they only punish us. For example, the benefit to the pilot of using a Hotel in Lieu of an International deadhead was always limited to the cost of the deadhead ticket and therefore cost The Company nothing. By changing the rule from “International” to “Intercontinental”, The Company is deliberately removing that cost-neutral benefit, effectively punishing us. With our Company enjoying huge profits year after year after year, even through extremely challenging economic times, I simply cannot imagine why we would agree to such changes.

This letter could get very long if I were to attempt to express my views about every section, but the more important view is your own. If you are like most people I have talked to concerning this TA, you don’t see it as a great deal. Most people, when asked what their favorite part is, don’t have an answer. If they are leaning towards a “YES” vote, it’s usually not based on the merits of the TA itself, but rather on a dim view of what might happen if we reject the TA. Either, “I think it’s the best we can do,” or “I don’t think we’ll be able to do any better” are the predominant explanations. When explaining what would happen if we reject the TA, they usually cite examples of other pilots doing things that demonstrate they are satisfied with what we have already, the current CBA. These reluctant “Yes” voters feel like it would be an impossible battle to achieve better gains, better work rules, or any improvements to our retirement plans.

I understand the reluctance to reject this offer and commit to the work that will be required to get a better offer. I understand the risk that the next offer might not be good enough to merit the wait. I understand the human tendency to not trust your colleagues to guard your back while you charge forward. And yet, I am challenging you to do just that.

I believe we CAN achieve more, and we CAN stick together, and we CAN make it worth the wait for a better deal. I have seen us do it before, and I am confident we CAN do it again. I’m not ready to give up on our “A”-Plan, and I’m not convinced that we got the last nickel on the table. I know that we have NOT used all the tools at our disposal, and I believe that my brothers and sisters WILL stand up and do the right thing when asked to do so. With the proper leadership, a motivated MEC, and a Negotiating Committee supported by an energized membership, I believe that we WILL finally have the opportunity to vote on a TA that we can enthusiastically support.

We have a choice. We can choose to accept a mediocre TA, or we can choose the pursuit of excellence and negotiate TA2. I choose the pursuit of excellence, and I urge you to join me.
Please vote AGAINST the 2015 Tentative Agreement, and vote for me as your next Block 4 Representative.

Fraternally,

Tony C

Thanks for stepping up to serve the crew force. We need people like TonyC to stand strong against the nonsense occurring within the MEC leadership. His message is clear ... we've EARNED a better TA and this isn't it. TA2 will take time but if we rally behind people with a dogged determination to do what's right, then I'm positive it can get done. The company doesn't care about any of us. We're simply a means to an end.

They do care about 2 things:
1. Reputation/Brand Name
2. Revenues/Profits

Once you acknowledge and accept the reality of the arena in which you work, the decision is clear. Fight for a bigger slice of the corporate pie for which you've earned. Elect those who will not stop short of making that happen. Don't sell yourself short or be fearful of the path forward. Many fellow pilots have faced similar choices through our collective history. Stand on principle and never apologize for the contribution you make every day to line the pockets of others. You've earned more.

Disclaimer: I've never met, had a conversation, nor was I asked to endorse TonyC. But I do consider him to be a pit bull willing to fight for our interests. That's what I'm looking for in a leader.