Airline Pilot Central Forums - BOGUS Magenta Line......

CAUTION for "unreliable"/false intel.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN - CAL MEC
(09-21-12)

There are weeks when there are so many things to discuss, I have to pick and choose what to write about. This was not one of those weeks. Although I was very busy, the focus was almost exclusively on the continued work with converting the agreement in principle to a tentative agreement. To that end, we met with the NMB in Chicago on Tuesday for a status update and again by conference call today. Our continued involvement with the NMB is in recognition of the fact that it is vitally important that all parties remain focused on this project until it is completed. I am pleased to report that since we worked through and solved the pending issues list a couple of weeks ago, no new pending items have emerged. What I am less pleased with is that progress, while steady, is ploddingly slow. I would prefer to report that language writing is ahead of schedule. As I have said to the Joint Negotiating Committee and to our pilot group, we will not rush those who are committed to ensuring that every ounce of value negotiated is reflected in the completed language. So, as we approach October, the one thing I can say is that the language that has been written is in fact reflective of the terms we agreed to, but there is still a lot of language left to write.

In closing this week, I want to express my deep disappointment - no, my absolute disgust at the anonymous individual or individuals responsible for publishing and distributing the fake Magenta Line that came out today.(The Magenta Line is the title of Council 170’s publication.) All of us, as elected leaders, understand that by standing up to serve our pilots, we will be subject to criticism. We understand that our decisions will be evaluated and second-guessed. That is proper and expected, and we willingly accept that as part of the job. However, your elected council reps — in whatever council you belong to — do not deserve to have their names dragged through the mud by those too cowardly or weak to attach their own names to their opinions. To counterfeit and distribute a falsified council publication, under the guise of a council rep’s name, goes beyond any standard of decency or ethics. I have asked the legal department at ALPA to investigate this and use all of our resources to find the person or persons responsible. I don’t know with certainty when or if we will identify who created this forgery, but I do know that credibility does not come from deceit, lies and anonymity. If you happen upon this deceptive communication, you can make their nefarious actions moot by giving the publication the attention it and its author(s) deserve—none.

As bad as this instance of attempted trickery is, I have concerns that those responsible, or others, may be foolish enough to try to further mislead our pilots in other areas — including those related to the JCBA. For that reason, it is important that you pay attention to the communications from your union and watch for any signs of something amiss. If you read something that seems to be not quite right, let us know. All legitimate ALPA blast email communications are sent through the ALPA AMES system, and groupings of individual email addresses are not displayed in the “To” or “CC” fields. If you suspect that you have received an email communication that may be an attempt at misleading you to think it is an official ALPA message, please contact your elected representative or the union office.

Have a good weekend and Fly Safe.

One Union, One Voice