Comair updates?
08-23-2012 | 10:09 AM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
From: OH CA - Retired
I don't believe that most threads on APC are closed, they usually just fade deeper into the previous pages. Now, if someone were to turn this into a discussion of our least favorite "airline" it would be closed immediately.
08-24-2012 | 06:09 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
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That's what you would think!; until you make a lateral move to another regional to stay current and you are still on reserve after 2 years at the bottom of some other company! I left in 2010 after the announcement of losing the 50's; here I sit, still on reserve, junior to 2009 new hires who I instructed 7 years ago! This industry is awesome! Hopefully the flood gates open to us all soon!
08-27-2012 | 06:59 PM
On Reserve
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 93
Likes: 3
From: MD-80 FO
I wanted to update everyone the best way that I can on the merger fund. I was recently able to make contact with the Comair MEC and asked about the process for the fund. Here is the response....
Thank you for writing. I would like to start by saying you are mistaken that I have posted that the fund would be returned. This is rumor and speculation by some. That having been said the section of the ALPA Admin Manual 45 that pertains to this has been quoted NUMEROUS times in an attempt to have pilots understand the process. Here is the section that references this with the sections you are asking about highlighted:
G. DISPOSITION OF MERGER ASSESSMENT FUNDS
1. If an MEC establishes a Merger Assessment Fund and, without consummating a merger, subsequently elects to liquidate the Fund, in whole or in part, the Fund will be reviewed by independent auditors under the direction of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer and distributed as provided in this section. At the discretion of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, additional review procedures may be performed.
2. A review of each Merger Assessment Fund shall be conducted within sixty (60) days after the conclusion of the JCBA or the initial implementation of the integrated seniority list, whichever occurs later. This review is to be conducted by the Office of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, and at the discretion of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, additional review procedures may be performed. The results of the review shall be reported to the Executive Council and the merged MEC.
3. Except as provided in Part 4, Carrier Fragmentation Policy, monies remaining in the Merger Assessment Fund shall be transferred within ten (10) working days of the completion of the review, to the custody of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer. Such Fund shall subsequently be known as the Merger Dispute Fund.
4. Merger Dispute Fund Trustees
a. Each pre merger MEC shall elect two Merger Dispute Fund trustees who will jointly authorize expenditures from that Fund. It is recommended that the trustees not be merger representatives. Should a trustee, once elected, become unable or unwilling to continue in that position once the merged MEC officers have been elected, the remaining trustee will select a replacement from his pre-merger pilot group.
b. Should both trustees, once elected, become unable or unwilling to continue in that position once the merged MEC officers have been elected, the merger representatives will select two replacements from their pre-merger pilot group.
5. The Vice President-Finance/Treasurer will maintain custody of the Merger Dispute Fund for the effective period of the conditions and restrictions contained in the final merger document, except that the Fund may be terminated earlier by the mutual agreement of the majority of the respective merger representatives with the approval of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer. The Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, upon the termination of the effective period of conditions and restrictions contained in the final merger document, shall contact the Merger Dispute Fund trustees and start the refund process.
6. Upon termination of the Merger Assessment Fund or Merger Dispute Fund, distribution will be on a pro-rata basis to those pilots who contributed to the Fund unless the balance in the Fund (after paying expenses attributable to the Fund, including distribution expenses) drops below $50.00 U.S. or Canadian currency per covered pilot. In the event the pro-rata pilot share of the Fund drops below $50.00 U.S. or Canadian currency, the monies may, at the discretion of the Merger Dispute Fund trustees, be transferred to ALPA for the account of the successor merged MEC. If, after the pro-rata distribution has been made, any monies remain undistributed for any reason the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer will review the reasons and determine how long the monies should be held before they are turned over to the account of the successor merged MEC.
Pilots will need to make sure their physical address is up to date and on file with ALPA National NOT the MEC. We do not maintain records of the pilots that leave the airline but ALPA maintains pilot information in case they become ALPA on another property or have not paid dues or whatnot. To update their address they need to call 888-fly-alpa and select membership services option 3 I believe. As you can see by the reference above there is quite a bit of audit that needs to be done and I have no timeline for the completion of this process, we have not had an MEC Meeting to vote to dissolve the fund yet as we are bunching up all of our items for one MEC Meeting. Once that occurs the above process will begin and could take 3 months or more to complete. So any future questions need to be directed to ALPA National and most likely Capt Randy Helling (DAL) VP of Finance as the ball will be in his court.
I hope you will forgive me that any future correspondence on this item I will not have time to discuss as I am juggling the Company, ALPA National Administration wind down of the MEC, Comair Pilots and family and have very little free time to continue to address the merger fund refund. Sufficed to say the money remaining will be refunded at some point. We have used about $5000 in attorney fees exploring mergers with several entities and I believe they will charge us for the audit as well. I am no accountant but that should still mean pilots should get back somewhere in the $230 range or so.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for writing. I would like to start by saying you are mistaken that I have posted that the fund would be returned. This is rumor and speculation by some. That having been said the section of the ALPA Admin Manual 45 that pertains to this has been quoted NUMEROUS times in an attempt to have pilots understand the process. Here is the section that references this with the sections you are asking about highlighted:
G. DISPOSITION OF MERGER ASSESSMENT FUNDS
1. If an MEC establishes a Merger Assessment Fund and, without consummating a merger, subsequently elects to liquidate the Fund, in whole or in part, the Fund will be reviewed by independent auditors under the direction of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer and distributed as provided in this section. At the discretion of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, additional review procedures may be performed.
2. A review of each Merger Assessment Fund shall be conducted within sixty (60) days after the conclusion of the JCBA or the initial implementation of the integrated seniority list, whichever occurs later. This review is to be conducted by the Office of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, and at the discretion of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, additional review procedures may be performed. The results of the review shall be reported to the Executive Council and the merged MEC.
3. Except as provided in Part 4, Carrier Fragmentation Policy, monies remaining in the Merger Assessment Fund shall be transferred within ten (10) working days of the completion of the review, to the custody of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer. Such Fund shall subsequently be known as the Merger Dispute Fund.
4. Merger Dispute Fund Trustees
a. Each pre merger MEC shall elect two Merger Dispute Fund trustees who will jointly authorize expenditures from that Fund. It is recommended that the trustees not be merger representatives. Should a trustee, once elected, become unable or unwilling to continue in that position once the merged MEC officers have been elected, the remaining trustee will select a replacement from his pre-merger pilot group.
b. Should both trustees, once elected, become unable or unwilling to continue in that position once the merged MEC officers have been elected, the merger representatives will select two replacements from their pre-merger pilot group.
5. The Vice President-Finance/Treasurer will maintain custody of the Merger Dispute Fund for the effective period of the conditions and restrictions contained in the final merger document, except that the Fund may be terminated earlier by the mutual agreement of the majority of the respective merger representatives with the approval of the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer. The Vice President-Finance/Treasurer, upon the termination of the effective period of conditions and restrictions contained in the final merger document, shall contact the Merger Dispute Fund trustees and start the refund process.
6. Upon termination of the Merger Assessment Fund or Merger Dispute Fund, distribution will be on a pro-rata basis to those pilots who contributed to the Fund unless the balance in the Fund (after paying expenses attributable to the Fund, including distribution expenses) drops below $50.00 U.S. or Canadian currency per covered pilot. In the event the pro-rata pilot share of the Fund drops below $50.00 U.S. or Canadian currency, the monies may, at the discretion of the Merger Dispute Fund trustees, be transferred to ALPA for the account of the successor merged MEC. If, after the pro-rata distribution has been made, any monies remain undistributed for any reason the Vice President-Finance/Treasurer will review the reasons and determine how long the monies should be held before they are turned over to the account of the successor merged MEC.
Pilots will need to make sure their physical address is up to date and on file with ALPA National NOT the MEC. We do not maintain records of the pilots that leave the airline but ALPA maintains pilot information in case they become ALPA on another property or have not paid dues or whatnot. To update their address they need to call 888-fly-alpa and select membership services option 3 I believe. As you can see by the reference above there is quite a bit of audit that needs to be done and I have no timeline for the completion of this process, we have not had an MEC Meeting to vote to dissolve the fund yet as we are bunching up all of our items for one MEC Meeting. Once that occurs the above process will begin and could take 3 months or more to complete. So any future questions need to be directed to ALPA National and most likely Capt Randy Helling (DAL) VP of Finance as the ball will be in his court.
I hope you will forgive me that any future correspondence on this item I will not have time to discuss as I am juggling the Company, ALPA National Administration wind down of the MEC, Comair Pilots and family and have very little free time to continue to address the merger fund refund. Sufficed to say the money remaining will be refunded at some point. We have used about $5000 in attorney fees exploring mergers with several entities and I believe they will charge us for the audit as well. I am no accountant but that should still mean pilots should get back somewhere in the $230 range or so.
Hope that helps.
09-06-2012 | 12:49 PM
Line Holder
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
They kept sending me the magazine after I resigned, and then sent me a bill for them. I sent them a picture of one of the fires I started in my fire place with their magazine along with the bill that I wrote f-off on. The bills stopped coming.
09-06-2012 | 03:05 PM
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 413
Likes: 0
From: UniCal 737 FO
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