Management "Strikes" Back
 

Most recent update: May 13, 2012

Negotiations with ALPA continue to make progress and, as previously reported, meeting dates have been scheduled through mid-June. ALPA is mischaracterizing the mid-June timeframe as the end of negotiations, which is a deadline of their own making. The unilateral timeline ALPA has described in its communications has not been agreed to by the NMB mediators nor the company. As previously noted, the parties on April 11 rejected establishment of a deadline.
ALPA has also written to the National Mediation Board to request to be released from mediation. The request is premature and counter-productive. This is occurring at the same time the union is acknowledging that progress is being made at the table. To help clarify current status and to restate that the company is committing to carrying negotiations through to a successful agreement, Flight Operations leaders have provided an update letter to pilots.


http://www.unitednegotiations.com/em...-to-pilots.pdf

Isn't there something in the FOM that says "Tell The Truth" somewhere? Is that only for real pilots, and it doesn't apply to desk pilots?
And I seem to remember 28 years ago when I was getting my ATP that one of the requirements was for the applicant to be "of good moral character"? I guess that doesn't apply to management pilots.

I hope JP reads this update. How can it be SO obvious to everyone but him that the company has ZERO intention of completing negotiations one minute before the strike deadline. It didn't take long for them to use his constant "We are making great progress" updates against us.

Isn't it nice how previous ALPA execs come back to haunt the members?

I love letters like this. I hope they write many more.

In JP's own words:

It looks like Fred has thrown JP under the bus since they now claim that there was no mid June timeline only scheduled meeting through that date. Oh well...
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer JP.

Yes indeed. Howard Attarian a.k.a. "T-Bird" was a former ALPA negotiator for NWA, wasn't he? It's pretty obvious now that JAY PIERCE is of the same cut of meat. It's just amazing that so many of our intelligent CO-workers refuse to believe it.

Where's that book of mine... Oh here it is.. "Confessions of a Union Buster". Fred's moves are all detailed right here. I would HIGHLY recommend everyone read it and understand this is a carefully planned move on the part of Fred and company. CAL has used these tactics repeatly over the last 3.5 years.

To all UCH Pilots,

I generally hate going tit-for-tat with management's spin machine. Today, I can't help but respond to the latest message put out by Fred Abbott and Howard Attarian.

Absent any recognition of our rightful frustration over the length of time our joint negotiations have taken, and without accepting any responsibility for the grossly extended timeline, management instead claims to have negotiated in good faith and characterizes our request for release as "premature" and "counterproductive".

What a bunch of bloviated bovine manure. The CAL CBA is 3 years, 4 months and 14 days past it's amendable date. The UAL contract is one year less. We have been negotiating the scheduling sections for 15 months. Pardon me, but if management thinks we are acting prematurely with our request to take these negotiations to their next logical step, I can't help but ask what they think the proper gestation period for a JCBA should be?

Last July, management decided to negotiate in public using their website. Their opening salvo that day was to publish what they portrayed as a summary of their opening position. Of course, they left out significant details of their proposal. Pilots from both L-CAL and L-UAL were righteously outraged, and demonstrated this by writing "NO" on the alleged proposal summary and giving them to their CPO.

To quote Ronald Reagan, "Well, there you go again". On the same website, you will find this letter from management. It's long past time that management gets the message: It is time to get a contract NOW. With that in mind, I suggest that you take a similar action as you did last year. Find a copy of the letter, write NOW on it, and return it to your CPO. Pass it on. Maybe - just maybe - management will get the message.

One Union, One Voice.

CAL MEC Chairman

FUPM

enough said.

You are wrong here. Most of us at CAL either despise or are very skeptical with our opinions about JP.

So when are you going to do something about it?

Nice stereo-type of the entire CO pilot group. Next thing you know we will all be labeled scabs. Oh wait. Already have. When you finally figure out that just because our sentiment doesn't exactly match yours verbatim doesn't mean we aren't on the same page, let us know. This "our way or the highway ****" is really getting old.

No, I do not believe that Attarian was an ALPA negotiator at NWA, but rather a one term LEC rep and MEC sec treas.

Thanks. Wasn't actually sure. Regardless, a one time NWA LEC rep/MEC sec treas has name on this POS letter from UCH management. Pretty sad.

So just what would be your "sentiment"? Continue to work under a stupid and long yet amendable contract? Play nice and trust those at the table with the "authority" to approve sections under negotiations?

Your sentiment is just what UAL wants. Well guess what...it's high time your sentiment hit the highway.

Attrian got the job because of his pedigree.

The company will always hire guys who have history in ALPA. This is because they believe that in order to manage expectations this is easier done us USING those who have built relationships founded upon honor and integrity. That is usually found in those that have served in ALPA.

Management would like to take advantage of those relationships, and connections in order to manipualte outcomes and drive results in their favor.

look for management to offer other jobs to former ALPA reps in various capacaties, both now and in the future.

Why do you think Pfred gave a job to Gary Small as the IAH Chief Pilot a few years back?

He was the former bean counter for the IACP. Gary was too dumb to be in management, but yet, Pfred gave him the job.


Constantly Gary would talk of "yesterday" like it was Tom Crusie shooting his wrist watch and re-living the glory days with him and Ice-man, and Merlin, and Goose. The constant talk of 79 hire, shoe leather, union work all amounted to a "trust me" we are brothers after all speach from CA. Small.

Thanks again for telling us how to think, Adolf. If you could stop your little lips from constantly flapping and listen, you might find out that the CAL pilots want exactly same thing you do.

Now from a frined of mine: What they really said.

May 13, 2012

To the 2% that still listen to us:

We still pretend to work with ALPA to reach a JCBA. WHY AREN’T YOU SATISFIED WITH THAT!!!??? Mediation has been working great for us for many years now, and has saved us a boatload of cash over the years. Our goal is a contract that leaves you far behind industry standard and allows us to pay Jeff and the rest of us the $MILLIONS that is fair to us, since we are always doing the “hard work” and you just sit there in the cockpit. To us, fairness means forgetting about all those pay cuts you took in bankruptcy, or that half your jobs were outsourced to UAEX & Star Alliance.

What is soon? Contracts are very complicated with lots of words and stuff. So we’re thinking 2018 is soon. 2017 is sooner. 2016 is really soon. Consensus just can’t be rushed when you’re in our position...

We announced long ago that the mediator had scheduled negotiating dates through mid-June. Now that you’ve convinced Pierce & Moak to go along with the request for NMB release, we now blame you for thinking we would actually negotiate ANYTHING by mid-June. How dare you try to hold us to what we say! We run negotiations like a creeping mechanical delay...just keep jerking everyone around as long as WE WANT...always 90 days away from a contract. Oops, I think we just proved ALPA’s point to NMB that we never really intended to negotiate in good faith...doesn’t anyone proof-read our letters before we publish them???

Better try to salvage this!!! Lets repeat the same tired lines that we’ve been putting out for years. We’ve got the right people at the table all right, haha! Did we mention the boatload of cash they’ve saved us?

We view the request to be released premature because we still have years of wordsmithing to do on the scheduling section! Plus its going to take more time to convince you that OUR definition of a fair contract is good for you. BTW why don’t you show up at Jeff’s CEO Exchanges anymore so he can educate you?? We are just so hurt, and bitter and can’t help whining. We don’t understand how you could actually want our negotiation theatre show to come to a close. You know if you talk about going on strike that will upset us, and make us write more letters like this instead of negotiating?

Since it might cut into our bonuses, we cannot admit that a release from negotiations would actually increase the chance of a joint collective bargaining agreement. HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR THIS? HOLY-CRAP! WE MIGHT HAVE TO GET SERIOUS!

We thank you for your FEDERAL COURT MANDATED professionalism and your strong self-preservation instinct that keeps you from crashing in spite of our willy-nilly changes and lack of training.

Sincerely,

Fred Abbott and Howard Attarian

I have no doubt they want the same thing. Question is, how do you go about it...on your feet or on your knees.

Sorry if I intimidated you.

I think UA and CAL pilots have been on their knees for a while, but the question is HOW! It WILL require both groups working together and yes at times disagreeing, to move us from our knees to our feet....so on the backdrop of both unions requesting a release to turn up the pressure on managements obvious stall tactics, I think we are ALL moving to our feet...but we are not there. One group cant do it NOR does one group have ALL the answers. Not the time to kill the little unity we have at the MEC level and by default the pilot groups. Believe me, the company has already started that campaign and the LAST thing we need to do is help them.

Translating "Freddy & Howie's" JIVE.....
 

WHAT "THEY" REALLY SAID: - Read 'between the line'.
5/13/12

To our fellow pilots:
To the 2% that still listen to us:

The company is continuing to work together with ALPA to reach a joint collective bargaining agreement. The mediation process has been working well, and has allowed us to make substantial progress on many sections. Sub-groups of negotiators are continuing to meet on the remaining sections, and we expect to make further progress in the weeks ahead. Both sides at the table recognize that we are getting closer to tackling the key remaining issues such as pay rates and scope. As always, our goal is to reach agreement on a competitive contract that is fair to you, and fair to the company. And we want to do that as soon as possible.
We still pretend to work with ALPA to reach a JCBA. WHY AREN’T YOU SATISFIED WITH THAT!!!??? Mediation has been working great for us for many years now, and has saved us a boatload of cash over the years. Our goal is a contract that leaves you far behind industry standard and allows us to pay Jeff and the rest of us the $MILLIONS that is fair to us, since we are always doing the “hard work” and you just sit there in the cockpit. To us, fairness means forgetting about all those pay cuts you took in bankruptcy, or that half your jobs were outsourced to UAEX & Star Alliance.


What is soon? Neither the company nor ALPA can predict or dictate a timeline for reaching a tentative agreement. That will be the result of a consensus being reached by both sides at the table.
What is soon? Contracts are very complicated with lots of words and stuff. So we’re thinking 2018 is soon. 2017 is sooner. 2016 is really soon. Consensus just can’t be rushed when you’re in our position...

We announced long ago that the mediator had scheduled negotiating dates through mid-June. However, recent ALPA communications have mischaracterized the mid-June time- frame as the “end” of negotiations -- by which time ALPA claims an agreement must be reached. This is simply false. There is no deadline relating to reaching a consensus on issues, and neither the company nor the NMB has agreed to any deadline. For ALPA to falsely claim the existence of a deadline without involvement or agreement from the NMB mediators or the company is not constructive, nor is it conducive to reaching a tentative agreement.
We announced long ago that the mediator had scheduled negotiating dates through mid-June. Now that you’ve convinced Pierce & Moak to go along with the request for NMB release, we now blame you for thinking we would actually negotiate ANYTHING by mid-June. How dare you try to hold us to what we say! We run negotiations like a creeping mechanical delay...just keep jerking everyone around as long as WE WANT...always 90 days away from a contract. Oops, I think we just proved ALPA’s point to NMB that we never really intended to negotiate in good faith...doesn’t anyone proof-read our letters before we publish them???

The company continues to negotiate constructively and in good faith to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We have the right people, with the right authority, at the table.
Better try to salvage this!!! Lets repeat the same tired lines that we’ve been putting out for years. We’ve got the right people at the table all right, haha! Did we mention the boatload of cash they’ve saved us?

On Friday, ALPA requested to be released from mediation. We view the request to be premature and counter-productive. This approach is consistent with failed past airline union negotiating strategies which generally only serve to delay making progress. Moreover, ALPA’s recent communications themselves noted that the parties have made “significant recent progress” and are “producing real results” in areas of the agreement, but that “many issues remain.” Accordingly, this is a time to increase focus on negotiating, rather than on what will prove to be ineffective efforts by ALPA to discontinue mediation.
We view the request to be released premature because we still have years of wordsmithing to do on the scheduling section! Plus its going to take more time to convince you that OUR definition of a fair contract is good for you. BTW why don’t you show up at Jeff’s CEO Exchanges anymore so he can educate you?? We are just so hurt, and bitter and can’t help whining. We don’t understand how you could actually want our negotiation theatre show to come to a close. You know if you talk about going on strike that will upset us, and make us write more letters like this instead of negotiating?
Since it might cut into our bonuses, we cannot admit that a release from negotiations would actually increase the chance of a joint collective bargaining agreement. HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR THIS? HOLY-CRAP! WE MIGHT HAVE TO GET SERIOUS!

Honest dialogue and hard work with the assistance of NMB mediation will allow us to reach our goal of a joint collective bargaining agreement for our pilot co-workers. We are sticking with our plan of carrying negotiations through to a successful conclusion.
"Honest"?!?!.....PLEASE!!!

We thank you for your professionalism and your strong efforts to keep the right focus on the flight deck.
We thank you for your FEDERAL COURT MANDATED professionalism and your strong self-preservation instinct that keeps you from crashing in spite of our willy-nilly changes and lack of training.

Sincerely, Fred Abbott and Howard Attarian
"Freddy & Howie"

Would 5, 7, 9 or 10 work?


ARTICLE VIII - HEARING AND APPEAL PROCEDURES
SECTION 1 - HEARING OF MEMBERSHIP CASES
A. Any member (including any Inactive member) may be disciplined, fined, or expelled for any of the following acts:
(1) Willful violation of this Constitution and By-Laws.
(2) Making a false statement or withholding material information when applying for membership.
(3) Disobeying or failing to comply with a decision of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, the Executive Council, his Master Executive Council, or his Local Council.
(4) Misappropriating money or property of the Association.
(5) Performing work for or assisting an airline during a period when the members of this Association are on strike against such airline.
(6) Entering into an employment agreement, or any contract which might injure the Association.
(7) Improperly disclosing confidential matter of the Association.
(8) Refusing or willfully neglecting to pay dues, assessments, fines or financial obligations to the Association.
(9) Acting in any manner to circumvent, defeat or interfere with collective bargaining between the Association and an employer or with existing collective bargaining agreements.
(10) Doing any act contrary to the best interests of the Association or its members.

So, accepting junior manning would be a violation of 9 and 10 at least. Just say no.