Guys, if you have not contributed to the east merger committee, now is the time. It's not right for a few to be carrying the load and the committee doesn't have enough money. They have spent a good chunk of their last year on this, they shouldn't have to spend time begging.

Maybe you guys can come up with a tie design for fundraising?

They can keep the tie. Send $200 to see this through.

So your merger committee hard up for cash coinciding with the rumor they killed the Nicolau, interesting.

That was my question too.

If LUS got all they wanted and more, why the need for more funding?

Conspiracy theorists could say that the east got bad news and is spreading rumors of good news in order to get the cash rolling. I guess stranger things have happened, and if it makes you feel better about the rumors-knock yourself out.

The east merger committee got a late start at this. The only money they got was their share of the money the company contributed. The LAA committee had the APA treasury and the west pilots had AOL's fund raising machine. With the late start, fund raising wasn't the biggest priority.

East pilots have to fund this, just as west pilots had to fund theirs and LAA pilots used their dues to fund theirs. The east committee has no access to any other funds.

There is no excuse for any east pilot not to send money, except maybe those retiring this year. In our other mergers we were assessed for these costs, but the LAA pilots had the funds they needed and they say there is no way to assess just one group.

The AOL tie is a violation of FM part 1, but hey, who has to follow the rules. Right?

This from an eastie, lol

Is it correct? Would you like the reference?

Only as far as you follow rules and keep your word...

“In this instance, despite a year of negotiating efforts, there was no agreement on a list. Subsequently, the Representatives choose the Undersigned as Board Chairman and opted for the Med-Arb process. Those mediation efforts, held over the course of five days in October 2006, were similarly unsuccessful. Thereafter, the Parties agreed on the arbitration ground rules, and, pursuant to the Policy, each chose a Pilot Neutral from ALPA's Pilot Neutral Master List as a nonvoting member of the Arbitration Board.”

George Nicolau, Mediator
AWA/AAA Opinion & Award; May 07, 2007