oldmako

Thank you.

pilotgolfer

You're talking about a guy who tries to get an extra minute or two out of that 12 hour flight.

Point99orbetter

Lets see, interest rates are somewhere near 1%... So a $1000 plus interest is somewhere near $1050 after five years...Forgive me please for not compounding our 1%.

Reminds me of a favorite movie quote .."I want my two dollars!!!"

82spukram

Cash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regularguy

I personally know two management pilots who are part of the claim. They were excluded from the bonus because during BK they got a bonus while we line pilots got nothing. But maybe they have settled and the remaining are military pilots who were on voluntary leave during the same time. Do you know?

baseball

For the CAL pilots, during the concessionary contract '02 negotiations it was pointed out to the CAL MEC that their methodology for calculating and depositing B fund contributions to the military pilots B fund was not in compliance with USSERA. The CAL MEC adopted the position of CAL management and essentially backed up their position by not enforcing that aspect of the B fund deposits. The military pilots pointed this out to the CAL MEC. The MEC refused to back up the pilots and also would not allow any grievances on the matter.

ALPA National stayed out of it even though they knew other ALPA carriers were enforcing the B fund rules correctly. The UAL-CAL merger started to come to fruition while simultaneously the CAL military (dues paying ALPA members) were getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of enlightenment of the union and the lack of law following from management.

So, a lawsuit was filed to rectify the issue and to force compliance with USSERA. There were four other aspects of the law suit, called "causes of action" that were also filed. I believe all of those were previously settled in favor of the aggrieved pilots. Upon filing of the suit, about 7 mid to lower level management pilots (CP's, ACP, training, etc.) either resigned, or, retired suddenly, or went on to other duties in management, or went back to the line.

During the contract joint contract negotiations, the CAL MEC decided to take a different track than the UAL MEC. The UAL contract has (in my opinion) always honored the USSERA laws on B fund and similar defined benefit plans. It would have been much wiser for the CAL MEC to get on the same page as the UAL MEC and for ALPA National legal to read the tea leaves a bit better and provide firmer guidance. The issues could have been rectified in the joint negotiations, however, the lawsuit had already been filed before the negotiations began, probably 2 years prior.

Similar lawsuits have been filed both in the airline business and outside of the business since 9-11. The increase in ops tempo for the guard/reserve and the reliance of the citizen soldier to provide for the nations defense increases exposure to corporations in terms of USSERA compliance.

Fed Ex is currently going through the same growing pains we have been going through. They have a similar issue being litigated right now. That suit was filed in May of this year. I believe an American pilot also won a similar suit recently.

jsled

Why are you blaming ALPA? They don't have your money. They instructed the company to hold back 5% until all the little whiny biches that filed lawsuits have had their final day in court. Do you have any other ideas on how to pay these potential settlements? Why don't you blame the litigious coworkers for holding up your money!?

buscappy

prior to May '85, not many ua pilots wore alpa pins. union officers did. and pilots with battlestars from strikes. but many (maybe most) did not even wear a union pin to work.
in May '85, hundreds of pilots rode in buses from remote lots right to the terminal - wearing groucho marx big nose glasses with hairy mustaches. after the strike settled and strikers returned to work, the pilots could never be sure who had flown during the strike. (some who flew trips did great jobs of hiding that they had. some rabid union types flew; some non-members did not cross).
the union gave out pins to pilots who were verified as having not flown during the strike. then pilots wore the pins regularly as a sign to others that they had not flown.
if any pilot today needs to see this pin as a sign today, well, it's like relying on seeing someone's chain with a tiny cross to know if they faithfully follow the teachings of the Church. ie, it's just a hollow symbol now.
there are pilots who did not cross in '85 (or '83 down south) who do not wear the pin. and there are the complete opposite too.
the pin is not the key here. towing the line is. don't fly sick. don't fly fatigued. start the damn apu and cool the jet. don't always take broken planes. don't go the extra mile during negotiations; just fly your schedule.
don't worry if the other guy wears a pin. worry if the other guy gets what collective bargaining means.

lesson complete

cadetdrivr

Having the opportunity to sit in the right seat for waaaay too many years I'll share the observation that there's a direct correlation between the pin and understanding collective bargaining.

Obviously it's not 100%, but it's a very noticeable correlation nonetheless. It's pretty rare for the actions of a non-pin wearer to surprise me with their wisdom. That's the lesson I've learned.

Floyd

Yes, those who did not cross can wear the pin. They chose to fight the B scale and support the profession. Pilots who would not be affected by the B scale struck because it was the right thing to do. Those who were slick signified someone who would take advantage of your wallet, your career and put your family at risk.

The pin might be under some pressure. Dirtied by CAL scabs who flaunt it like Flavor Flav with a clock around his neck. Degraded by others who think that with every perceived ALPA slight, off goes the pin.

I was mentored for over two decades that the pin isn't about so much about ALPA but about unified pilots who refused to cross a picket line. Pilots who supported a cause that was more about the profession than the individual. It represents pilots who wouldn't shave a contract for a few extra bucks.

So, you might call it a hollow symbol. I haven't given up on it yet. To me, it represents a lot more.