"those truly elected by the pilots" -Don't know about that one!

This new found unity is nothing more than smoke, mirror, deflection and diverting. This is all political for LM and JP is still doing the company's bidding. JH is along for the ride because he just got played by LM and JP. No other way to spin it. Any leverage we had was just neutralized by his actions - Sad to see him cave so easily.

 

Should've known you are an ORD guy. Makes sense now. We wouldn't be having this conversation if Wendy hadn't dorked up the initial stages of this merger so badly.

 

Man I wish I could have put it as well as you did. Well said. As soon as he pulled out the West Coast vs ORD comment, it all fell into place.

 

How's Wallach doing? Is he still not wearing his hat or did he decide to leave. Your boy is not doing so well with the light weights LM and JP - Why? I know, it must be Wendy's fault. You guys caused this with the JH appointment so I'm guessing you'll fix it. You talk a good game why not take and accept responsibility - JH is yours.

 

And we'll take him. At least he has the balls to actually try something. Quite unlike the other guys and gal.

 

Ditto from me .. Heppner is the ONLY one that isn't blowing sunshine up our B@@#S that negotiations are all hunky dory.

 

Who's talking about Wallach?? What does he have to do with any of this? The hat switch was a total and complete joke. See? To me it's about PERFORMANCE, not some High School Gossip Girls episode about which domicile the MC is from. If Wendy had performed, I'd have been behind her 100%. She failed in MISERABLE fashion. She and JP took the only really good leverage we had and wasted it by believing management promises about a quick contract. Ask her how many ALPA reps she had in the DOJ's office during the approval process.

I will more than happily claim JH as my leader. Not because I'm a West Coast pilot, but because I'm a UNITED pilot, and I want a new freaking contract. I don't think JH failed in the least. He forced the issue. One that JP and LM CLEARLY didn't want forced. When June 15th comes around and we don't have a TA (which we won't), where are they going to hide then? They can't claim that they didn't know it was coming!! His move exposed the weak leadership of JP and LM in one stroke of the pen. The pilots at both airlines now know what is going on, and it looks like JH's move will be able to be made with the unity we NEED. Time will tell whether JH's strategy fully pays off in mid June. Time has already exposed Wendy's strategy as a total, complete, miserable failure. In two years, we were further from getting a contract when Wendy left than when she took office. And you want to recall JH!?!?!?! For what?!? Your politics are killing your mind. Wake up and get on board, or be quite and get out of the way.

 

You got me, I guess old people tend to repeat themselves, thanks for bringing it up though, so... let me pontificate. Most of what is happening today is reminiscent of 1985. We had the same type of naysayers then and they made a strong case not to strike. They whined, that the pilots were not ready, we could not win with a Repub President, we would be replaced like the CAL pilots and the controllers, we would kill the golden goose, the 570 was just waiting to take our jobs and unions were obsolete.

I guess judging how we did in "85" is a matter of perspective. Given that in "83" we were drinking gin with Ferris under the wing of the spruce goose and we had just given him our work rules with the blue Sky's contract, it was remarkable that we convinced the pilots to turn on mother United. To take a pilot group out on strike in that environment and bring them back without losing a single job, was, for me anyway, a measure of success. No one believed we would do it, few thought we would be successful. When it was over, United pilots had unity and the respect of our peers. We also demonstrated that if we did it once, we could do it again.

Don't get me wrong, no one wants a strike, it is a failure of negotiations and rarely does it result an economic benefit for either party. Nevertheless, unless management is convinced that a union will stop their revenue stream, they are unlikely to give you spit. That fact has not changed since the industrial revolution of the 19th century, much less then since 1985.

Unity is not just an empty word, tell a manager "you don't care what the issues are, you will do what the union tells you." That drives them absolutely freaking nuts. However, privately, knowing who in your leadership works for you and who works for them is equally important.

Now, aren't you glad that you asked grandpa "hows the weather?"

Baron50

 

I've been on board since day one. Why don't you ask Baron50 how JH ended up being the default to satisfy the West Coast LEC's. Wendy resigned to get the lesser of the evils from the West Coast. While Wendy was in office, it was your West Coast LEC's along with a few DCA members that hounded Wendy and sided with JP to undermine her efforts. Why you ask, to satisfy your boy Wallach and his supporters - revenge.

Now I want a contract just like ever United pilot and your saying JH has a master plan to expose the evil LM and JP - One question what does that get us except the middle of June and no contract. The CAL guys know what JP is and were willing to join the UAL guys behind JH if he was going to lead. What did he do?

We have a disfunctional leadership on both sides and a clown in LM at ALPA National worried about his own position above all else - you want me to be quite and get out of the way - I don't think so!

Don't try to make this personal. I want a good contract and will follow the person that can lead us to that end. You may want to start watching over your shoulder, it's possible that LM and JP have put a plan in place to get the CAL contract re-negotiated and then imposed on the UAL side. Remember they did this to NWA. June 15 gives JP and Jeff more than enough time to get it done.

 

You kind of gutted what I said, so that's a misquote in my book.

I suspect we'll never know what was said during that meeting, but I'm going to assume it was at least productive, whether in terms of moving things either way: Strike or Settlement. But I think it was a catalyzing event, either way. I certainly hope so, anyway.

I would hope that there was some discussion as to whom might be the MEC chairman in the event of a JCBA is reached, also.

We've all waited plenty long for this to even go this far, so yes, I'm cautiously optimistic. Oops, I said it again.

TW