CAL ALPA LEC 170 Update March Madness Meltdown
03-22-2007, 10:56 AM
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CAL ALPA LEC 170 Update March Madness Meltdown
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March 21, 2007
March Madness Meltdown
Your e-mails and calls are lava hot from the emotion and frustration that many of you experienced in what will be known as the “March Madness Meltdown.”
What has happened to our operations, crew scheduling, and staffing? The final coup de grace appears at this time to be blatant contract violations to simply shoulder middle-management failures. This storm did not sneak up on the company. The company is still in the 20-year-old habit of not being staffed to handle a good day . . . any weather becomes a disaster.
Many of you are asking what happened to the “goodwill of working together?” Why would this company continue to hammer and disrespect the most loyal, dedicated, and trusted pilot group in a quarter-century¾with the history to prove it!
You ask us, “Why do I have to file a grievance; why can’t the union just go kick some ass?” We are governed by a document called the Railway Labor Act. The grievance process (personal or group) is the starting point. Like it or not, every legal remedy for a contract violation starts with a grievance . . . so just do it!
For many of you, this is the tipping point! Clearly, goodwill and the unsurpassed dedication of you, the line pilot, are not on this management team’s balance sheet or bonus program. For many of you, management is saying, “It’s over, let’s move on.” No apology has been issued by Flight Ops or by the company for what happened this past weekend. This company, which crows all over the press about how well run it is and all the awards it wins, was caught flat-footed by a storm that was predicted three days in advance. Scheduling literally threw out our contract and took all of their phones off the hook.
You are the leverage. You are the union. New MEC officers will be in place by Tuesday, March 27. We are returning to our ALPA roots. They will either follow your lead and direction, or they will be gone! The time for “Working Together” has long since passed.
This summer, we believe the company will be operating unprepared for pilot staffing shortages, magnified by PBS and a 1997 staffing model. This will be further compounded by confirmed air traffic controller shortages reported to us by our brothers and sisters in the ATC union. News reports also highlight that this summer’s delays may be the worst in history! Consider this a wind-shear warning . . . and be prepared.
Please know your contract and get educated (a good summer read is ALPA’s history, Flying the Line). Most importantly, stand up, get involved, and be counted! “Fly Now, Grieve Later” applies to only the ill-defined gray areas of the contract. Know your contract inside and out. Scheduling is not allowed to violate the CBA just because management cannot manage the airline. If you are ever in doubt about a contract issue, call the UDO Hotline at 888-990-4227.
Time to take it back! It’s up to you.
Capt. Al Brandano, Chairman
Capt. Larry Beck, Vice Chairman
First Officer Kate Malone, Secretary-Treasurer
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