Ladies and Gents,

Question: What is on your standing bid? When the union asked for an LOA COLA for LAX a few years back, the comany's lead attoney printed out the standing bid list. With so many already bidding LAX, they didn't feel compelled to bargain. Your NC would like to know what is on YOUR standing bid. The last comm I saw said 757 Paris and 777 MEM were NOT valid bids. What happens next doesn't just depend on your union reps...it depends on all of us.

Question: Have you been to ALPA.ORG lately? A solid LEC 26 and LEC 7 update if you are interested. Guy Lopez has some good info that is valid for everyone. Take a peek.

Question: Have you read your ALPA magazine this month? I will be the first to say I've scoffed some of the stuff in it in the past, and hated the John Kerry push a few years back. However, the "Got your back" articles are a very good read and show why having a good team on your side can save your career when things get squirrelly with the Feds or the medical guys. The story outlined about a violation is remarkably similiar to a story I got from a retired Delta captain and mentor of mine who described how the DALPA MEC and Safety team helped turn the feds off of a captain they accussed of dinging an altitude in PHX years back. Believe or not, some of our dues actually do go for something besides feeding me at MEC meetings (did anyone notice their dues spike when I joined in March?).

Comment: John Prater has taken the advice of the FedEx MEC chairman (who told him over and over and over and over and over) to NOT endorse a political candidate this year. I back McCain, yet with him bashing unions in his acceptance speech you can only imagine the pressure the AFL-CIO put on ALPA to publically endorse Obama. Instead, ALPA National gave in to pressure and YOUR request not to endorse. In the big scheme of things--maybe its not that big of a deal--but it was a win and it shows they will (sometimes) listen to input. And--the muscle and effort behind that was none other than the oft villifyed Dave Webb. For you who want to support the Dems you can sign up at an airline pilot for Obama site...I don't have a link but I'm sure it will be published shortly.

My total comm input fo this week:

1 PM discussing new comm options (to which I will respond shortly)
1 Email on passover pay issues (from a dude not in my block)
1 phone call from a guy interested in info on running for block 6 (not in my block).

So--again--for all the angst and b1tching here its quiet in my inbox and my voicemail is likewise empty. We are here to help you, but cannot do anything without your involvement. Read, stay informed, and get active...

Hey I'm not in your block will you take my passover question?

My standing bid is as follows:
1. MD11 CA
2. B747 CA
3. DC10 CA

Thanks for asking.

WG

You again, Get lost.

Oh, forgot this was the FEDEX forum....

Thanks for sharing your whine with the rest of us.
WG

Passover begins at sundown on:

* Wednesday April 8 in 2009
* Monday March 29 in 2010
* Monday April 18 in 2011
* Friday April 6 in 2012
* Monday March 25 in 2013
* Monday April 14 in 2014
* Friday April 3 in 2015
* Friday April 22 in 2016

Oh great, hear we go. A UPS guys sticking his nose into the FEDEX forum.
Eeesh.

If I'm 65, does passover still begin at sundown?

Ditto. Don't you FedEx guys have some kind of internal forum on your own website for threads like "Bids" or whatever? Seriously, don't complain about non-FedEx APC'ers on company threads....especially when it is not always made clear that it is a FedEx thread until some snippet toward the end.

Go ahead, keep posting your FedEx threads, that's fine. Just don't get snotty about it.....ahem, MaydayMark.

Signed,
Another lowly ACMI'er sticking my nose in your business.
BTW; My standing bid; More money!

Edit; dislexia

If we were a real union, when the company came to the "special pilots" handpicked to be the initial cadre for the 777, they would have said that they were ready to go as soon as the pay was negotiated.

Anyone, ( including the instructors who have gone to train on the 777) who bids the 777 while the union is in negotiations with the company over the pay scale, are stabbing the rest of the pilot force in the back. What I would like to know is why has the union not put this out in no uncertain terms to the pilot group? I realize that they have addressed this in code by stating that the 777 bid is not legit, but it seems that some people need a stronger message.

PS, I think that the union should negotiate the 777 pay at narrowbody rates, after these idiots have already bid and been awarded it.