Lets add some more percentages to this ever so fun game of counting to 100%!
September 10, 2013
Dear Fellow Pilot:
Now that United has accepted the Integrated Seniority List, UPA LOA 24 provides for distribution of the second tranche retro/lump sum payments. The total for the second tranche is $150 million.
ALPA’s Administrative Manual, Section 40 Part 3.J, as adopted by elected officials throughout the union, provided pilots who disagreed with the CAL and UAL MEC distribution models a means to dispute the MEC allocation.
Earlier this year, a number of pilots brought their disputes to the ALPA Executive Council, and some cases went on to a neutral arbitrator because the pilots were dissatisfied with the council’s decision. Both the Executive Council (with one exception) and the neutral arbitrator upheld the methodologies employed by the UAL and CAL MECs.
With that internal dispute process over, and the ISL completed, ALPA was preparing to direct United Airlines to make the second tranche distribution as authorized by LOA 24.
Unfortunately, last week, ALPA was served with two new lawsuits in two different federal district courts by pilots, in effect, suing their fellow pilots to take more of the distribution money for themselves.
These suits are in addition to another preexisting class action suit and several administrative complaints regarding the retro/lump sum allocation.
In order to protect your money, the ALPA Executive Council has to decide how much to hold back from the second tranche (in addition to the 5 percent from the first tranche) as a reserve against these new lawsuits.
I will brief the Executive Council as soon as possible and will ask them to permit the distribution of the maximum amount that we can prudently permit without jeopardizing your money.
I will let you know as soon as we have a decision.
Respectfully,
Capt. Lee Moak
President