ASA MEC Elections
 

The ASA MEC elections are coming up, yet nothing has been announced. No candidates have announced their candidacy (even the incumbents!) and nothing has been communicated.

A friend called me the other night and said he overheard some ASA ALPA guys in a bar talking about nomination ballots being sent out this week. Unable to verify that. But if that's the case, and no announcement has been sent beforehand, it would appear that the incumbents are trying to slide it past anyone who may be interested in running. Either way, I find it very strange that no one has publicly announced their candidacy (even the incumbents!) That usually happens a couple of months before the election.

(NO I am NOT running, and will not be endorsing a candidate).

John,

Here is another point to ponder. Many of those who aren't happy with the current situation are in bad standing and won't get ballots and won't be eligible to vote...Isn't that convenient.:rolleyes:

So pay the $30 you owe and then you get a ballot. It's really that simple.

I got a connection email last night that said the nominating ballots would be mailed out tomorrow.

It should be really simple to get an exact accounting. I can do it with a calculator. Is that really too much to ask?

What about the people on bad standing who have never received a bill?

This is the generic group III email I got today about elections. I don't remember if ASA and PNCL are both group III.

September 1, 2009

Dear Election Group III Member:

In an effort to make voting more convenient, we are introducing another option for members to cast their vote when a ballot is available. *The new voting option allows the member to access the balloting system through the ALPA crewroom website. *By virtue of being able to access the crewroom site, the member will be able to pass through to the balloting site in a few simple steps without having to enter different voter credentials. *(NOTE: *Any member wanting to vote via phone or directly on the ballotpoint website will still need to use the voter credentials established with the balloting vendor.)

All eligible voters in any local council election or MEC ballot will see a graphic on their ALPA Members Only home page alerting them to an open ballot. *This graphic will display for the duration of the balloting period as the ballot system is designed to allow a member to re-enter the system and recast a vote at any time during the balloting period. *In addition to the required communications via US mail, members will also receive an email announcing when a ballot is available and a reminder several days before the ballot closes. *The graphic and related emails will be available only to a member who is eligible to vote. *

Nomination ballots will be mailed the first week of September to all members of local councils who are to nominate representatives for the term of office beginning on March 1, 2010. *As a member, you are responsible for determining the nominee's willingness to serve prior to nomination. *The nominee must declare his willingness to serve in writing to the Local Council Chairman, or his designee, prior to the adjournment of the Council meeting in order for their name to to appear on the election ballot. *A declaration by fax, email, or marking of the willingness-to-serve box on the nominating ballot envelope will be acceptable. *Nominees must be Active, Executive Active, or Grievance Pending members in good standing of your council and in the same Status (Captain, First Officer, etc.) as those members that he/she would represent.

After the nomination meeting, the Local Council officers will return all completed ballot materials to the Herndon office. **Upon receipt of the returned materials an audit is completed by the Membership & Council Services Department. *After completion of the audit, Representative Ballot notices will be mailed to the eligible voting members of the Local Council. *

Voting for representatives and officers will be conducted by telephone or through the Internet, using the services of a bonded, independent organization. Election notices sent to the members' home addresses will provide the dates voting will occur and directions on how to use the telephone and Internet voting systems. Each member's votes will be secret, and ALPA's Election Ballot and Certification Committee (EBCB) will certify the results of the election.

For council meetings held in September or early October; ballots may be mailed as early as October 15 with the results certified on November 10. *Ballots from council meetings held later in October will be mailed by November 10 and the results certified on December 10. *Following the certification of the representative election, an officer ballot notification will be mailed to all voting members of the local council. *

During the election cycle, candidates for office may use the services of the ALPA Publishing Services Group to send campaign material to the voting members of their local council. A candidate may send campaign material via mail, e-mail, or a combination, but all expenses associated with sending campaign literature are the responsibility of the candidate.

The rules governing the nomination and election processes (ALPA Constitution and By-Laws, Article III, Sections 7 and 8) as well as candidates' rights (Section 90 of the ALPA's Administrative Manual) are available on the Members Only section of the ALPA website-crewroom.alpa.org.

The local council representatives who are elected this Fall will become members of their pilot group's master executive council (MEC). As members of the MEC, they represent the interests of the members of their local councils at MEC meetings.

The elected representatives are also members of ALPA's Board of Directors, which is the highest governing body of the Association.

ALPA as an organization has many goals, one of which is "to provide representation for all members of the airline piloting profession; to promote the interests of that profession; and to safeguard the rights, individually and collectively, of its members."
The Association's representation structure and democratic process allows for each and every member to have his or her voice heard. Let your voice be heard through your participation in the process of nominating and electing your local council representatives and officers.

Should you have any questions regarding the election process, please send an email to [email protected] or call (888) FLY-ALPA, press '3' and follow the voice prompts for assistance.

I guess you have to decide which is more important, holding out for an "exact" value that might save you $2, or voting in the next round of elections.

If you determine that holding out for an exact amount is the most important, then don't whine that you can't vote.

I guess that they probably should have kept their addresses/phone numbers/emails up to date in the database.

If they didn't receive a bill, they wouldn't receive a ballot either.

BUZZ. Try again. I know of at least 10 whose info is current and they receive other ALPA correspondence, but haven't gotten a bill.