View from the Top: Jeff Smisek, United Continental Holdings - YouTube

This was posted this morning on the other forum. Its twenty three minutes long. I encourage you to watch it and think of all the promises that have come and gone. If your stomach can't handle it, just go to the 18 min part and watch from there. He says one thing and does another. Very slick. He's a snake and wants to give us DAL wages and CAL "culture" and work rules.

I was in steerage recently and the pax booed when he started his little pre departure speech. I smiled from ear to ear.

June 30, 2012



Dear United Pilots:



Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline to conclude negotiations with management was extended to the early hours of this morning but has passed without a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA). For the last several days, with the chairman of the National Mediation Board on hand, we worked every day and through the nights in an effort to bring a conclusion to these negotiations that have now been going on for more than two years.



While the NMB categorized this week as “end game” negotiations, we continue to respect the process and stay focused on getting a deal done. Unfortunately, we still do not have a deal that restores the sacrifices that you made to keep this company in business after September 11, 2001.



As you know, we have made three requests of the NMB for a release from mediation because we believe that would create a true internal time-clock that would bring a sense of urgency to the company's participation in these discussions. Further, we are capable of concluding these negotiations well within a 30-day cooling off period. Whether or not the NMB grants us the release, we will continue to pursue other avenues that we think will persuade the company to conclude these negotiations.



Your leadership appreciates your continued professionalism during these negotiations. The one thing we do not want to do is allow ourselves to be baited into premature self-help, which would give the company an excuse to drag us into court and gain leverage over our negotiations. We will remain professional and responsible in all our dealings at work. As we have stated before and will continue to state, now is not the time for us to act out our frustrations or take actions to impact the operation. We do not want any pilot to jeopardize himself, the Association or the two MECs' Strategic Plan. We must maintain the Status Quo until we are released by the NMB and the 30-day cooling off period has expired.



We remain committed to getting a deal done under the RLA process and will continue to push for a release. The NMB has told our JNC to take a brief pause and they will reconvene on Monday, July 9 in Washington and receive a status update from the NMB that week. There are no mediated negotiating sessions scheduled. As soon as we have new information on negotiations, you will be advised.



I am disappointed that the company has brought us to this juncture and I ask that each and every one of you take a few moments to vote, and vote in favor of providing your MEC the authority to strike. We will prevail in this test of wills and we will achieve the contract we have earned.



We are United,

This is all you need to know
 

"So, we leave NYC without having reached agreement."

They want us to strike.

What he said. Bring it mf's.

I'm glad our JNC didn't bring us a huge load of crap. THAT would have really angered me. At least they know what I want, apparently.
This is really negotiating 101. Go on, and on, and on, and on until you finally see something to vote on and you're so thrilled to vote finally, you vote YES! Don't fall for these games. It's their plan. It's worked before. They're betting it works again.
Stay calm.
These people in management got picked on and picked LAST in every sport in school. They're dorks. Just smile and vote IN FAVOR of the strike vote.

...and from CAL
 

June 30, 2012

Early this morning, after a week of mediated negotiating sessions under the supervision of NMB Chairman Puchala, management put what they described as a “framework for a deal” on the table. The proposal received was unexpected, given that it was so regressive to the progress we thought had been made over the last few weeks.

Your union negotiators and leadership have done everything we could in an attempt to reach agreement. What we could not and would not do is settle for a compensation package that does not recognize the value our pilots bring to the cockpit and that rewards management for delaying this agreement. We would not accept job protections that do not adequately protect our futures, or retirement and health insurance packages that we believe to be inadequate.

Despite pushing and prodding by the NMB, and the best efforts of your Joint Negotiating Committee, subject matter experts and Master Chairmen in formulating reasonable, workable solutions for the issues that remain unresolved, management chose instead to put forward an untenable proposal. Whether by direct intent to deprive its pilots of the gains we deserve through this contract, or through extreme negligence and ineptitude, the result is the same – management has once again failed to deliver on the promises they made to employees, shareholders, passengers and Congress regarding the merger, and our pilots are forced to suffer though another understaffed summer, working under outdated contractual provisions that fatigue both the mind and body.

Based on these differences, we could not agree to management’s proposal. I could not accept this as a reasonable or fair offer, nor could a single member of the team we have assembled to represent and protect your interests. Management’s proposal once again exemplifies their attitude that although they are the highest paid airline managers in the industry, they are afraid to and refuse to compete on a level playing field with other airlines. They insist that labor compensate for their inadequacies by us working harder for less.

So, we leave NYC without having reached agreement. Under the circumstances, I must remind all members that although some might be tempted to try to influence negotiations through independent actions, doing so will only make things worse and potentially harm or delay our chances for engaging in lawful activities. Please do not jeopardize our position through improper use of sick leave or decisions that negatively impact operations.

The immediate future is this: We will regroup, reassess and continue to pursue all lawful avenues for bringing about an agreement, including the work begun in close coordination with ALPA National to obtain a release from the NMB. The NMB has told our JNC to take a brief pause until we reconvene on Monday, July 9 in Washington to receive a status update that week. (These meetings are not bargaining sessions and there are currently no additional mediated negotiating sessions scheduled.)

Our pilots deserved a deal this week – the deal that could have been done, and should have been done. Management must consider the market consequences that further delay of our contract, and further delay of true integration and merger success, will bring for the future of our airline. Our passengers will increasingly lose patience with excuses and management failures. Our shareholders will lose patience with unnecessary delays to their return on investment, and the Street will quickly grow tired of management’s attempts to blame customers for not accepting change and employees for the operational problems that result from running two subsidiary airlines.

Please look for more information in the coming days.

CAL MEC Chairman

From UA ALPA FAMILY AWARENESS:

MAINTAIN STATUS QUO! Do NOT call in sick unless you are sick. Do NOT do ANYTHING specifically designed to impose economic hardship on the company.

Leaving the ranch or going rouge is EXACTLY what management wants.

Such action not only puts you at risk it puts great risk on Association and could unravel our current standing with the NMB.

We are too close.

the company speaks
 

"...the status quo remains in place..."

A warning if there ever was one. And it looks like they want it to remain in place for years.

^^^^ Very Interesting Statement ^^^^

Per the NMB Chair's instructions......Both parties are to take a week off, reconvene in the NMB's backyard (Washington, D.C.) on July 9th, and NO mediated/scheduled sessions are planned.

The $$$MILLION-DOLLAR-QUESTION$$$:
Is that meeting to inform UCH's Mgt that the Pilot Groups have hit an impasse, and the NMB's opting to beginning the 30 Day Cooling Period?

Fellas(ette's), until July 9th, let's NOT give the Company ANY excuse to pin ANY illegal action during the "11th hour". Until we are told "hell NO" from the NMB, let's keep our noses "x-tra" clean for the next week.

Fights still on.