True, but it would be nice if we could get a bunch of "Johnny O Must Go" as well. And no, I don't work for MESA.

 

Capt. Wallach won that round easily.

Why would an airline even have a "Managing Director-Labor Strategy, Flight" ? How does that job help serve the customer?

 

I believe you’re referencing an event which took place at Eagle around 1993 or 1994 when the pilots were wearing buttons which read, “I’m on Board” to signify they were “on board” with their union. The pilots at AA had worn the same button during their last contract negotiations so the Eagle pilots decided to do the same.

While the buttons seemed rather innocuous to the pilots, management was extremely upset by the button’s underlying message so they made a request for their pilots to stop wearing the offensive buttons. Pilots were told that after a certain date and time any pilot who continued wearing such a button would be asked to immediately remove the button or face disciplinary action.

When the magic date and time came around, base CP’s starting asking any pilot they saw wearing this button to immediately remove it. Any pilot who refused to do so was sent home and removed from service; in some bases there were 40-50 flight cancellations due to crews being sent home for their “crimes”.

Every Eagle base had at least ten cancellations except for the RDU base, which had zero cancellations. The reason for the difference in the RDU base was due to their base CP, Captain Ed O’Neil, who is a gentleman, a fine person of a human being, as well as a devout Christian. Go to the dictionary and look up “Christian” and there will be a picture of Captain O’ Neil. He walks the talk and lives what he professes and believes, and he is liked and respected by all.

When the appointed date and time arrived, Captain O’Neil, with the assistance of his administrative assistant, proceeded to lock his office door, close the blinds and he refused to “see” any pilot in his office. He also posted a notice on his door informing his pilots that while he was in his office, he would not see anyone in his office. Anyone who needed his assistance was requested to walk across the hall to another office where they could place a phone call to him and receive any assistance they needed. When he needed to leave his office, he would have his administrative assistant clear the area around his office so that he could come and go without “seeing” any pilots. End result: not one pilot was suspended nor were there any flight cancellations out of the RDU base as Captain O'Neil never "saw" the first pilot wearing a button, so he had no disciplinary action to dispense.

While Captain O’Neil’s actions and creative thinking earned him a great deal of additional respect from his pilots, management wasn’t at all impressed and not long after this Captain O’Neil was asked to resign as RDU base CP. Several years later Captain O’Neil left Eagle and took the CP position at Midway #2. From the last update I have he has since retired and is enjoying his life in retirement.

It’s a real shame there aren’t more pilots/managers like Captain Ed O’Neil in our industry today. If there were more pilots like him, I can say without a question of doubt this industry would be without most of the problems it’s experiencing today. If anyone here has any info on Ed’s latest whereabouts, please send me a private message through this board.

 

Admirable to see the likes of someone like Capt. W. take up mgmt with such fierceness. I dont know much about his background, maybe some of you can fill me in, but he is an inspiring leader.

It takes one person to serve as catalyst for big changes. The fact that he sits on the board of UAL corp., walks in knowing he is in the minority, and continues to fight for the welfare of his fellow pilots and for his love of the airline is genuinely admirable. Sometimes I worry that so much animosity between employees and mgmt will shut down the avenues of communication, but well, they seem to be pretty much closed down by now.

Is there any way that this situation and the existence of the wrist bands can be "leaked" to the general public? It certainly would help to increasingly put a fair amount of pressure for changes at the mgmt level...although I am sure that the mgmt team at United has lately hired people from the outside to try and appease the situation somewhat...they have to know that they can't put the house in order by swimming against the current...

Do not give up, guys! Hang in there. With enough pressure, anything is possible.

 

see their website Contact Us - Save United - Remove Glenn Tilton and send their MEC a note of support.

 

It just further proves the mis-management circus that has been going on at UAL since Tilton took the helm. This guy is just one of Tilton's little middle managment good ole boy buddies that serves no purpose, but helps strip the labor groups of their earnings by taking pointless unearned bonuses.

 

I found Ed O'Neill: he played Al Bundy on "Married With Children".

 

Naaah.....this O'Neil is a different guy. Anyway, I've lost touch with that O'Neil as well. What's he been up to since he left Married With Children? Al Bundy is my hero! Thanks anyway for your effort.