NoStep

Granted, we are hearing only one side of the story here. Leaving aside the so-called "assault", (where the CSR can do his best to imitate an NBA player calling attention to a foul...but, no-ref = no-foul )

So we are left with a CSR attempting to override Captain's authority, and hiding behind local law enforcement to act punitively if the Captain didn't comply?

In the old days, this would never happen, and if it did, the AGENT would be the one doing the "walk-of-shame" in handcuffs!!!! This is what we get for allowing people who really aren't in charge a little authority, so they can feel better about their crappy position in life!

I truly hope EVERY UAL/CAL pilot becomes aware of this story, and brings the place to a crawl..."Fly the book" in DEN and get the company's attention! Make it their problem, and this dispute will be resolved quickly!!!!

Skyone

National ALPA needs to get onto this big time. They should put THEIR full weight of legal representation with those high priced lawyers that are on retainer, ASAP. Anything less will tell you you alot about the union. NO matter what the facts are about assault, it's more about the union backing a pilot in good standing, no matter what his history might be with the local. This is way above UAL ALPAs paygrade. It goes to the heart of our profession....Capt's authority. And with the publicity that National can exert, it needs to be done yesterday. Finally, what National is doing should be made aware to every pilot in the US, union or no union. My two cents.

Lambourne

The problem is that ALPA WOULD get behind this if it had occurred exactly as the Altar Boy version printed here. From some reliable sources I spoke to today the truth is somewhere in between. The key is to follow the arrest. The pilot "was" a member of an exclusive club in N.M. The cops were actually on his side until he showed his inability to keep his cool and lost it on the jetway. There is supposedly video footage of the entire event and that is being used to validate the CSR's claims. What we have in this thread is an email/council letter of damage control by the LEC and the Capt trying to make him not look like a tool in front of his peers. In the age of the internet it is posted on a forum and gains traction as the gospel. When in fact the Captain's version as posted in the OP are far from the truth and what the video evidence shows.

This comes from a reliable source within the union that says this could wind up being a black eye for ALPA. The CSR and company have too much evidence against him to let him off free. They said termination is still on the table.

The information the ALPA guy had was that the OMC was assigned a seat in the cabin. It had boarding zone 4. The agents were told the overhead bins were full and they were tagging ALL bags for passengers sitting in zones 3-4. The JetBlue pilot handed the agent his boarding pass and the agent tagged his bag per UA procedures. The Capt used some threatening body language toward the agent, didn't know the door code and acted up pretty significantly on the jetway.

BHopper88

When the bins are full and I am jumpseating or nonrev home/work I have asked agents if I could ask the captain if I could stow my crew bag up front. If they couldn't then I would send it out and wouldn't question it or cause delay. Never been turned down by a captain, thou have had agents get really huffy when I walk to my seat and say the captain let me stow my bags up front.
As sad as it is, many agents think the plane is theirs when the plane is still at the gate. This is not an isolated issue, thou the captain getting arrested sure is a first.

gettinbumped

So let me ask you this. If an OMC asks to put his bag in the cockpit, and you find out the agent is checking it, are you going to just say "Ok", or are you going to take the bag and put it in the cockpit?

flybywire44

This is a shame.

HotMamaPilot

Screw that cop too! Gee, picked on in HS were we? I doubt him or the csr have had ANY lady action in QUITE some time! KARMA is a MOTHA FU@# A! Argh

sailingfun

First ALPA national does not maintain criminal lawyers on staff or retainer. Second you would never broadcast a issue like this in public. Simply a very stupid idea for a variety of reasons.
Third the pilot in question is on record stating he is very happy with the representation he is getting from ALPA on the issue.
This thread on a public forum will certainly not help the pilot in question and may hurt him. It should be deleted.

HotMamaPilot

Ya, because APC is viewed so often by the public.
Get real bro.

Captain Bligh

I received several letters, one of which started this thread several days before it was posted here.

Surprised anyone is surprised. This type of thing has been standard behavior that has been validated and endorsed by Jeff and his predecessors’ Flt. Ops. management team, for many years now. The first reaction of management will always be that the airplane is not yours until the door is closed. If you do any jumpseating or non-reving at all, it’s rather common and in no way is it unique to either CAL or UAL. Not every agent chooses to behave this way, but those that do seem to act with impunity. Whose fault is that? It’s not really a union issue in my opinion. The best thing to do? Remain calm and WRITE. Without documentation of procedural violations and excessive behavioral deviations, this sort of BS will never change and will never go away, because it’s a non-cost item. MAKE IT A COST ITEM. Stay in the cockpit and make it the “must get fixed or we can’t push” deal of the day. Documentation and delays will swing your perception of the balance of power.

For those of you claiming the erosion of Captains authority, I’m not so sure. Is it an attack? Yes, but erosion? Not until endorsed by management and/or the court system. I guarantee you one thing; the day I am ever threatened to “fly or go to jail” will be the first day I willingly get arrested. It will also be the day before I hire the absolute best wrongful termination/wrongful arrest attorney team that money can buy, there-by paving the way to the comfortable retirement that I had envisioned when I started this miserable career a long time ago. Unless that is, as Lambourne suggests, I did something that caused me to be arrested. Where there’s smoke there’s fire?

Our new MGT team brings with it a long history that includes full knowledge of how easily they can lose a big fight like this in the courts. Their failure to keep employee groups and policies from attacking individuals has cost them plenty in the past. (i.e. ANC divert/pilot fatigue/rest rules case, DEN elevator falsified sexual harassment claim, just to name a few). Given this knowledge, they KNOW they don’t dare turn their back on written documentation provided by a Captain at the airline. You may feel like you have no authority, but thanks to professional images portrayed by the likes of Captain Sullenberger, I guarantee you when you are sworn in by a judge and he has you state your name and title for a jury, if handled professionally, you will wield more authority than needed to win a huge settlement in a case like this, but you have to have acted professionally along the way.

This is a nonevent. If the Captain stepped on his private parts here it’s unfortunate. I wish him the best of luck and hope the rest of us learn something from whatever the outcome.