On Saturday, Feb. 16, you received a letter from ALPA President Captain Lee Moak stating that there will be a second 40 percent payment of the retro sum first tranche amount. Click Here to see Captain Moak's letter. This payment will be the identical amount you received in your first payment (which was also for 40 percent of the first tranche amount). We sent the authorization for this disbursement on Friday and the company has informed us this morning that they anticipate the checks will be sent on February 28.

If you have submitted a correction through the data verification website, you will not see any corrections incorporated in this payment. We are still reviewing data error submissions and are waiting on some data from the company to assist us in that process. We anticipate concluding that process in the next few weeks and any resulting adjustments in payments will be reflected in future payouts. Once all the data errors are corrected, the retro estimator website will also be adjusted so all pilots will be able to see their adjusted retro amounts. ALPA will communicate when the website has been updated in a future MEC update.

Captain Moak’s letter also referred to protests that have been filed through the ALPA Methodology Dispute Process. There are over 10 separate methodology disputes that have been filed regarding the UAL-MEC’s Retro Pay Distribution as outlined in LOA 24. We cannot go into detail as to the nature of those disputes ahead of the Executive Council’s consideration during their scheduled meeting next week but we will keep you updated as those disputes are handled within the dispute policy which is described in the ALPA Administrative Manual, Section 40, Part 3.J.

 

Does our contract allow for a 20 percent hold back? I don't recall voting on that provision. Were we stupid enough to vote for language that allowed ALPA National to hang on to our retro pay?

 

Instead of Management Retained Rights, we now have ALPA Retained Rights I guess.

 

That's the thing: ALPA is NOT holding onto our retro money. It is money sitting in the company's coffers, earning interest, while they wait for our internal ALPA issues to be resolved so that National authorizes the company to release our money.

 

Now I am confused.

If the money is ours, and the company is holding onto it, then ALPA needs to get the heck out of the way and let the company give us our money.

ALPA needs to stay away from our money. We're paying dues on this money for crying out loud. This is not "dues free." This is a negotiated item, bought and paid for with our "yes vote." I think ALPA is stepping on it's feet here.

Who is the employers ALPA or UCH? UCH needs to release the money!

 

I suppose ALPA knows what it is doing, but a case could be made that ALPA is overstepping its bounds, and has come up with convoluted disbursement methodology that violates its DFR for specific groups of pilots, those on LTD, and military. I think ALPA's new retained rights puts it on this ice with not only the membership but perhaps the courts.

 

I've said it before, repeat it again.

CALL ALPA Nat'l today and "request" (demand) that your automatic dues check off be stopped immediately. ALPA Nat'l will get their dues, in full, when all this carpet dancing/finger pointing is resolved......By resolved, the full amount of "PRE-SLI" monies show up in my bank account. When that happens, ALPA Nat'l receives the full amount/balance of the dues that are owed post the above made "request".

It's not a difficult path to follow.

 

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Never heard that suggestion. Great idea. I guess we could just write a check at the end of the year??? if you don't do dues check off how do you do it?

 

In speaking with IAH CPO's Muir, he said it's a "grey area". There are "few" pilots within our ranks that just don't pay dues b/c they are Conscientious Objectors, but withholding dues in light of this matter is obviously NOT the same thing.....It's the principle of the foot dragging and the potential of kicking the can down the road for a long period of time, thus not seeing the money only to receiving more lip service.

A few more phone calls, I'll let you know what I find out.