I did my own research. What you say doesn't add up.

Delta didn't own Mesaba until October 30, 2008. That's the first time that there was even the possibility of a merger of the two carriers under the same ownership. Delta didn't get a Single Operating Certificate until December 31, 2009. Mesaba was sold July 1, 2010. Your "years" had exactly 6 months to realistically take place.

Oh, why would an MEC want a merger fund? Your airline was publicly placed up for sale. The other two wholly owned carriers were sold. You're currently ripe for being parted out. Ya think they might want to have a hedge against that...like talking to merger counsel in advance?

I'm thinking somebody else might be lying over and over again....

Anybody else want to give the real reason for a recall 13 days prior to the term's end?

 

Class action. I'm in. I had to pay $45 when I started my current ALPA carrier last year to square up my "merger fund" debt to remain in good standing. I'm furloughed and won't be getting that money back, THAT is criminal in my opinion.

 

Merger Fund = Ponzi scheme

+1 for "Taking it back"

 

Remember this was supposed to be in a bank account. And theywere going to make a web page with a account of all cash. Comair has never had a real MEC they have all been failures. starting with JC he led a strike that did about as much good as the recent spirit strike 0...

 

I don't work there anymore either, and they are still sending me a bill to "square up" my merger fund amount due. I asked why I would have to pay toward a merger fund to a company that will not be merging, and that I am no longer working at...their reply was "A merger is not out of the question, and if you go to another ALPA carrier you will be in bad standing with us, so you should pay this amount now." So, even though I don't work there, I should still be responsible to help with my money in the merger fund? I guess "yes"?
What about all the other dues we put in to this "union"? Did it help us when we got furloughed? No. Did the "union" do anything to try to save our jobs? Not that I know of. Did they offer any programs such as reduced lines, early outs, leave of absences (the 2008-2009 furloughs). No, they didn't help me or the other 300+ pilots that were furloughed...even when we were "in good standing".
If Comair is the only wholly owned regional that Delta has, who exactly would it be merged with? Delta? I think not. And if that did happen, do you think the Delta MEC would allow Comair pilots to be added into the pilot group in any other way than stapled to the bottom? There is no way they would ever allow a 30 year OH guy to be senior to a 1 year Delta guy.
The merger fund is useless and the money should be returned to the pilots of Comair, for they are the ones that need it.
Oh yeah, another funny thing while talking to ALPA:
"When I started here, the ALPA reps that came in said we did not need to join ALPA if we did not wish to" (although they seemed like they were pressuring us to) "Well, that is true, you did not need to join ALPA, but you would still have to pay ALPA dues, as per the Comair contract." "So, even if I was not ALPA, I would still pay you every month?" "Correct." "Well, that would be really stupid, wouldn't it." "Yes."

 

I'll venture (I quit a month ago before they could lay me off) to guess it is the same guy that led the recall last year of the MEC.

His rational (last time) was that the MEC job was to ensure employment for it's members by any means necessary. He was advocating a pay cut and was mad the Mec would not consider it or discuss it with the company. Better yet this individual thought that the FO's were the ones that needed to take the larger percentage of the cut (that I heard first hand) because they needed to "pay their dues" and since he was 20+ year captain at Comair he had "earned" his. Also the rumor was JC was a supporter of this guy and a party to the recall attempt.

So it could be the same guy, don't know as I took another regional job before they could lay me off. I'm glad to be out of that mess, I never understood the arrogance and disillusion that permeated the upper part of the seniority list.

 

There are very few senior guys at Comair that deserve any respect. They are part of generation me and proud of it.

 

The Delta/Northwest merger hit the presses in spring of 2008 - almost three years ago.

That was also roughly the timeframe when the Comair pilots and the Comair MEC began considering "Will Comair, Mesaba, and Compass merge? What will that look like?"

So it is entirely permissible that he heard something from an ALPA rep "years ago"

 

OK Slowplay. First notice that you are the only one on here standing up for the merger fund theft. I have no interest in getting into an anonymous online spat so I will do my best to keep this retort civil on a subject that I am very emotionally heated about.

I can understand being a cheerleader for the merger fund under 3 circumstances.

1) You're a 20 year guy who would like $ from the junior pukes to help save your career.
2) You're a union guy who is begging ALPA national for an office job after Comair furloughs you and your best interest is following instructions from ALPA national.... who wants money from any source given its shrinking membership and unwillingness to cut fat cat costs.
3) You are junior and have some reason why you can't move on somewhere else. Failed checkrides, FAA violations, poor interviewing skills, etc. For whatever reason...your pilot career is tied to Comair and the only card to play is to hope that the company is bought and that you are merged onto another carriers list... of course with excellent seniority thanks to everyone else's $240. A pipe dream.

Now back to the timeline.

I was in upgrade training in November 2007. 5 1/2 years to upgrade makes Mesa look like a fantastic airline... but I chose to go to Comair because it had a better reputation. (Mesa folk would be Check Airmen in that time)

I was in downgrade training in November 2008. Ironically, I was able to meet the brand new president of Comair and ask the pointed questions. "If Mesa has its contract cancelled by Delta, would I re-upgrade?" The answer from Bendo was NO!. He told me that Comair would be lucky to still be operating a year from then.

I was freaking out. Lifetime RJ FO wasn't sounding like the career I had envisioned. Starting over at another regional? After the 9/11 stuff I had endured?

That was when it all began. November 2008. I was told by Todd (Contract Study Committee) that I had nothing to worry about. Things were happening at the union level that were going to make it all ok. He wouldn't say more because of a non-disclosure statement... and pointed me to one of our reps, Eric (Soon to be MEC?).

Eric spilled the beans. Said that by working behind the scenes with ALPA and putting together an application with the NLRB we could "Force" a merger with Compass and Mesaba. (Yes they were considered wholly owned subsidiaries of Delta at that time) I brought that info back to Todd and he was surprised that I was given that Top Secret Information. He decided to add to what I now knew and said that we had only one shot at this and we had to get it right. IF we were successful we could have a huge company and our seniority could be saved.

Keep in mind that this merger fund was instituted the entire 2008 year. It was looking like this NLRB end-around was a perfect use for that money.

Much later I was afforded the opportunity to talk to Paul L. who should have been our MEC the whole time. He told me that the entire NLRB "plan" was fiction. He have me the true story and keywords to search in Google.

The truth is that no MEC can force a merger. I was duped into paying that merger fund by lies. I would have preferred to just opt out of membership had I known the truth.

I guess by your post you think I am lying over and over. But I think I have put the whole story here on line for all to see.

You can argue that our MEC didn't know that they were incapable of forcing a merger. But that sounds stupid. ALPA national could tell them that. The attorneys they were interviewing could tell them that. Why tell people in the crew room that you can do this if you don't have a definitive answer in cold hard fact?

Here is the reality check. Nobody wants to buy Comair. The legacy costs are too high. Everything is too old. The planes....too much maintenance. The FA's, FO's & CA's.... very senior. Why not just hire off the street at 1st year pay? What about Comair is worth buying?

The Senior Captains need to ride this thing into the ground and make as much pay as they can for as long as they can.

The FO's need to get out of there. JetBlue, Virgin America, different Regional, etc.

The FA's are likely in a similar situation as the captains.

I am sorry to sound grim. But a little reality shouldn't be treated as toxic.

The fair and right thing to do would be to return the merger fund 100%. The F.O.s and furloughs would get screwed in a merger so why have them pay for their own screwing? Everybody needs to bring pressure on the new MEC to liquidate this thing.

A merger fund can always be collected when and if a merger or sale is announced. (which there wont be)

 

I think slowplay works for Delta.