Yes..........this pilot group is in rudderless trouble.

The REAL problem is not necessarily the issue at hand, but HOW THE UNION CHOSE TO HANDLE IT.

Eagle ALPA has a new MEC Chairman who has strongly advocated that flowthrough pilots must be required to flow to AA. The current leadership then devised a series of "resolutions" to accomplish just that, but has almost certainly failed.

Two things have been accomplished by this poorly timed and carelessly devised act. First, a demonstration that the leadership has poor skills in how to accomplish goals and second, they've further divided an already splintered group.

I don't see anything they can do to restore their credibility or our unity short of new elections for a broad-based group of new leaders. As such, I see little chance of an effective defense of our contract in 2013, the way things stand now.

This was a critical issue among our pilots and needed to be resolved carefully, but instead this group of so-called leaders botched the job hideously.

Don't you have your own company thread that you can go and crap on there Jake? I mean really...you always have something to say about Eagle. Did you get fired or furloughed by us? Why do you have such a hard-on for our politics?

While I completely agree the actions of the MEC have further divided a splintered group, I wouldn't be so quite to nail TG to the cross for it. First, the MEC Chairman has no vote. Second, while he is a strong advocate of this position, he appears to have been elected into office by those MEC members who do have votes. Ergo, if you want to blame someone for this debacle, blame those who voted for both TG and the resolutions. I often defended HM from those who kept hammering him or DR for every wrong in our union for exactly the same reasons. While the MEC Chairman and Vice-Chairman have power, their powers do not include 1) Votes on the MEC, 2) MEC budget approval and 3) rule making for how MEC Staff conduct their jobs. The MEC body of 13 voting LEC reps are the ones who collectively own this problem, the wedge and everything else done by the MEC. Scapegoating Tony is just as wrong as scapegoating Herb. They offer guidance and leadership, but they don't even have the power to vote for a new coffee maker let alone kick out 500 Eagle pilots from their jobs and this union.

Dude, if you are really a military pilot, then you should understand that the mission is more important than anything else. Who cares what outsiders think? Shouldn't we be focused upon fixing our problems in this union? We're headed for a civil war within our own union just when we should be focused upon standing together for a better contract in 2013. Do you agree?

I still don't see how it's a "civil war" as you've described. I'd say maybe 5% of the pilot group wants to go back on their commitment and is the vocal group. Another 5% either agree with them or just don't care. The other 90% are in agreement. I don't think anyone is falling for the scare tactic of the possibility of a "civil war." The numbers are simply non-existant.

Only if they are both senior to me...:D

Yeeessss. But what does this have to do with this dude always crap'n on us?

ORLY?:
Just because it is a 20/80 split instead of a 50/50 split doesn't mean it won't create a "civil war" within the ranks just as we are preparing for our first Section Six negotiations in 16 years. Due to your own comments, you should man-up and admit your part in creating the division. Why haven't you produced the proof requested in post #12? Before you decide to kick 500 of your fellow Eagle pilots to out of their seats, out of their jobs and out of this union, shouldn't you have proof that your decision is justified?

Try rereading the post. Which is more important: What a non-member of the Eagle pilot union thinks or our ability to negotiate a good contract in 2013?

I included the statement about the MEC chair to provide clearer perspective, not to imply he is the sole problem, however...........one has to question how agressive this stance and more importantly, this action would have been taken had the former MEC chair still been seated.

I don't think it accurate to imply the MEC chairs position is simply a "no-vote lame duck" situation. The pilot in that position has the greatest influence on policy and action then any segment of the group as a whole and it has to be taken into account.

BTW, nice to see you've found a new home DW.................