I agree that points of view are skewed just before the lever is pulled. Some sections of the contract are hard for some to conceptualize. Scope, codeshare and scheduling come to mind. Pay and retro are fairly clear and concrete.

Then again, I could be completely wrong. Debt and anxiety could drive the vote. Buyer's remorse is tough to live with. I'm living proof.

For the reason you stated, I will not attend a roadshow.

 

(NYT-26 Oct) Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader

BEIJING — The mother of China’s prime minister was a schoolteacher in northern China. His father was ordered to tend pigs in one of Mao’s political campaigns. And during childhood, “my family was extremely poor,” the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, said in a speech last year.

But now 90, the prime minister’s mother, Yang Zhiyun, not only left poverty behind, she became outright rich, at least on paper, according to corporate and regulatory records. Just one investment in her name, in a large Chinese financial services company, had a value of $120 million five years ago, the records show.

The details of how Ms. Yang, a widow, accumulated such wealth are not known, or even if she was aware of the holdings in her name. But it happened after her son was elevated to China’s ruling elite, first in 1998 as vice prime minister and then five years later as prime minister.

Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives — some of whom, including his wife, have a knack for aggressive deal making — have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

 

October 25, 2012

Dear Fellow Pilots:

After approximately 900 days of negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) for our pilots, we had hoped to announce that we had a tentative agreement (TA) last week. While that was not the case, the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) reports that they are nearing completion of the language of the entire JCBA and continues to negotiate an Implementation Letter of Agreement for integrating the many parts of the new JCBA.

A further step was taken this week towards completion of the JCBA with a process agreement that, if accepted by our respective MECs, will determine the allocation amounts between MECs for the retroactive/lump sum payment negotiated as part of the TA. This is an expedited arbitration process that will commence on Oct. 31 with a decision mandated no later than Nov. 5. Once the TA language and the Implementation Letter of Agreement are completed and the process agreement is accepted, the TA will be ready for MEC consideration.

On Monday, Oct. 29, both MECs will be meeting to review the process agreement and to prepare for evaluating the TA. The plan is that when all the components of the TA come together the MECs will be available and have the resources necessary to be fully briefed and informed in order to take the appropriate action. They will hear from the ALPA negotiators, attorneys, and subject matter experts and analysts on every section of a completed TA. This process will take a minimum of eight days but will last as long as necessary. Let us make this point perfectly clear – there is not yet a TA. We will announce one the day we have one. After meeting with the NMB these last two days, the gag order will be lifted only for the MECs but will still apply to the line pilots until the MECs have acted upon the TA.

If the TA is accepted by both MECs independently, it will promptly be sent to the entire United and Continental pilot groups for the membership ratification process. This will kick off a series of Town Hall meetings in domiciles and large pilot population centers, videos, a website, Q&A, etc. all of which are intended to give our pilots all the information they need to make an informed decision. The two MEC Communications Committees have been working on this project for quite some time and will have it ready before membership ratification begins.

The specific schedules for Town Hall meetings and balloting are in flux until the entire TA has been completed, and the MECs’ processes have begun. It is expected that the membership ratification process will be approximately thirty days, which includes the balloting window.

As soon as we have more information to share with our pilots, we will communicate that to you promptly.

We are United,

 

These "we really almost have a TA" updates from the union are about as believable as a Brett Favre retirement announcement.

 

Any minute now.

Seriously. It's gonna happen.

Maybe.

Hang on a sec.

 

I feel my oct 31 prediction isn't going to come true. I guess that means trick and no treat. I am now moving it to Nov 15, America recycles day. On this day United will recycle a delta contract to us. It will be like the original but previously used, crumpled up and remade in its original likeness. Plus November is "Aviation Month" and the 15th is right in to middle so I think fate is now pointing to that date.

 

Anybody else hear this rumor. The number being put out via the rumor mills are basically correct until the the seniority list integration. At that point another lump sum of approx the same amount (possibly some stock) will be distributed to the pilot group. The pay rates will then be raise to the 2013 Delta pay rates plus 1.

Thats all I heard, don't know if there is any validity to it.

 

28 Oct. Your Council 57 officers will meet in Phoenix tomorrow to help wrap up the final work needed to finish the JCBA and the plans for its implementation. Should it prove acceptable to both MECs we will finalize the process for introducing it to the pilots as well. We fully expect to have a JCBA to review sometime this week. If we do not, it will be because there are still multiple entities who do not want you to have a new working agreement with the protections and compensation that you are long since due. Please continue to stand behind us as we engage with your MEC in this final push to get you what you deserve.

 

I did not know JP was a "multiple entity"

 

Well it looks like there is real progress being made. According to the special MEC message, we now have a Letter of Implementation for the Process Agreement, to turn the Agreement in Principle into a Tentative agreement and we will all be educated on this during "ground school".
As directed by the NMB of course.

Maybe we should start a pool, 100 bucks each, to see who can guess what the next phrase they will come up, to explain their failures and childish infighting. All the while blaming it on the company and the NMB.

We will need new leadership when this is over.