You are spinning the word incorrectly. Just answer the question. I am guessing you don't know if they support you guys or not because no one asked for advice from national.

It is kind of telling isnt it. From looking at ALPA National's website, the picket never happened.

Do you think they know it happened? Absolutely....the negotiations were in Herndon, VA last week.

Everyone from 9E who keeps posting always skirts around the question about why you think it's ok to circumvent the majority view to go off on your own and picket... A minority can't go out and preach a lack of unity when they are the ones who are showing they are completely against it by not working towards a joint decision.

How are we not working towards a joint decision? Did 9E pull out of joint negotiations while I was asleep last night?

And if we had followed XJ and 9L's MECs and not picketing, would we have a deal? No one knows, and it's impossible to say. So, I don't get your point. And as I said in the other thread, what can pilots do that aren't negotiators to "(do) something constructive, like working towards a contract?" I'm not at the table, so I can only do what I CAN. Unless you're one of the negotiators, I don't think you can do more than me or a Colgan guy can until it comes down to a vote. I don't see how business as usual is considered working towards a contract anymore than it is in hindering it.

You missed the point again as I commonly see with your posts. I will make it very simple.

Did your picketing directly help the negotiations?

I will answer directly for you. No. It did nothing.

What did it do?

I will answer that for you too. It showed 9E management that they better be scared and play nice. Or else 14 9E pilots will picket and make them look bad. (sarcasm)

No, I got your point,it was just off. I can't prove that our picketing had any effect on negotiations. You can't prove it didn't. We'll be talking in circles until the sun burns itself out. But keep looking down your nose at us. Weather must be nice up that high.

What I meant by Joint decisions was working together. 9E went against what the majority was going for and then gets mad at the majority... That just isn't the right thing to do. These decisions need to be weighed by the entire group. If all three, or at least 2 out of 3 don't agree then it shouldn't be done in a knee-jerk way just because you feel you can. And at the very least if you're going to go against the grain and do what you want, don't come throwing stones at the people who didn't see things your way.

I guess we'll have to disagree on what we call "majority." Right up until the MECs said "Don't do it," I was getting e-mails from XJ and 9L guys alike that were wanting info to come walk with us. Sounds to me like the guys at the top of the union undercut what a lot of other guy didn't see as a problem.....now, suddenly, XJ and 9L guys that were willing to walk the line with us are against us. The feeling over here is that the XJ and 9L MECs are trying to get on management's good side. Not sure if I share that opinion since 1) management here doesn't HAVE a good side and 2) they've got no say in the SLI as it is. There are examples in the past of groups that have picketed early in negotiations.

I think one thing that's being overlooked is an MEC's job is to look out for their own pilots. As of right now, we've got three different MECs that are tasked to look after their pilots. The 9E MEC is doing what it feels is right for their pilots. The XJ and 9L MECs are going to do the same. I just don't understand why they're doing what they are, and the only reasons I've gotten are "It's too early" or "We're making progress." The first is shattered by examples of airlines picketing during a merger before they even HAVE a process agreement. The second is something all 9E guys have heard for years. It's akin to telling us Santa Claus is real (sorry if I ruined that for some guys). I'm trying to convey the reasons and feelings of what's going on at 9E while trying to understand the motivation and reasoning behind the other two MECs' decisions.

I've got no issues with XJ and 9L pilots in general. After this is all said and done, we're gonna have to work together one way or the other. My issues are with the two MECs and the occasional guys that think they're better than us.

I am one of those guys that was willing to help before the email even though I didn't agree with the timing and I can assure you that no one at XJ is against you.

What we do have a problem with is the attitude coming from 9E that we turned our backs on you when that is not the case at all.

Exactly.

And Kell, regardless of wether or not you agree with or understand why our MEC's decision to not call to picket, your MEC should have taken that into account and worked together with the other two and came to an agreement. If that agreement was for 9E to walk then fine. But for your MEC to publish a document that harshly criticized the others for not doing it was certainly not the right way to gain points...