dvhighdrive88

Any intel on when this will occur and when/if they'll release the TA?

cadetdrivr

Rumor only: MEC vote tomorrow (11/13). TA will be released only if accepted---unless a strategy shift has occurred.

horrido27

Got this in the mail the other day..
I'm gonna underline the parts I found 'interesting'..

Motch


Friday, November 9, 2012


THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
As part of the “TA Ground School” taking place this week, your representatives have spent the last two days learning about the “work rules” cornerstone of the TA. Thursday's joint session with our UAL counterparts was a great opportunity to compare notes with them and a chance for us to entertain (and forewarn) our UAL brothers with stories of how a contract that was negotiated by former pilots who are now in management can be creatively reinterpreted using the language they wrote.

While there definitely are some gains in the quality-of-life department, the overall impression we took away from those sessions was that, unlike the philosophy the company supposedly embraces of retaining the “best practices” when combining the two operations, they seem to have not done the same when picking between the two pilot contracts. (Or perhaps they have—by taking the “best practices” that suits them.) The resulting mix is a combination of the current UAL contract, our current contract, the new flight-time/duty-time rules, and a few things that we're not sure where they came from.

As we are all painfully aware, it's the fine print (or what's not explicitly stated) that matters. We are scrutinizing the language with a fine-tooth comb and will continue our “ground school” through the weekend. Barring any delays (yeah, right!), we could potentially vote early next week. (Note: We’ve been wrong before.)

Incidentally, Mike is the only voting rep who chose to bid a regular flying line for November due to the unpredictable time frame of the TA’s being finished. And while his trips earlier this month were removed for this meeting, MEC Chairman Pierce was unsuccessful in having his trip over this weekend removed for union business.

Even though his trip conflicts with the two potentially most important days leading up to the MEC vote, MEC Chairman Pierce was not able to convince the powers that be to remove him from the flying so he could participate. We’d like to note that it’s unprecedented for a status rep to be denied the time off from the company—especially during these time-critical important contractual meetings. So, while Mike will be out flying, Rob and Josh will continue representing our pilots during the next couple of days.

Rob, Mike, and Josh

Visit our website: www.LEC153.org

ualheavy

IMHO,

If the MEC's approve the release of this TA, it will pass.

Just saying...

flybynuts

Rumor that they are voting tonight on CAL side.

Baron50

Pardon me, someone is lying here. A voting union representative is never denied a trip drop for an MEC meeting. Management may complain a bit, but they will cancel a trip rather than deny the rights of a representative or tangle with an unfair labor practice charge with the NMB. An MEC Chair only has to tell the VP of operations that the body will remain in recess until the individual completes the assignment, it just never happens. ALPA representatives have a legal right to represent their members.

This sounds like politics, or maybe the CAL MEC Chair has another agenda, or maybe this is built into the CAL MEC culture in dealing with management. If true, it only shows the contempt and disrespect that the CAL management has been allowed to get away with and the ineffective union representation pilots have endured.

Baron

Regularguy

Have to chime in with Baron on this one:

"MEC Chairman Pierce was unsuccessful in having his trip over this weekend removed for union business."

After three decades of this stuff and seeing the power of JP with Abbott there is something more to this than is stated.

Normally what this does is put a rep in a protective posture to say, "I wasn't there for this vote so it wasn't my fault." I would guess some posturing for the future ISL and "harmonization" of the Local Counsels is already in progress.

cadetdrivr

Rumor from another board: S-CAL MEC just voted 7-4 to approve the TA.

Looks like JP had the "covering fire" (thanks, Fred) that he was looking for.

Kayco

How can they vote at different times?

cadetdrivr

Easily.

All that is needed is both "sides" to approve it or one side to vote it down. If the rumor is true then the ball is now in the UAL MEC's court and I would suspect that a vote is imminent (tonight or tomorrow).