Just curious? What do you think I actually get from being an LEC Rep? I hope it's not money. All I get is very colorful and anonymous messages from Uhires in my v-file. Some of those guys hate me almost as much as their own MEC; but they're filled with hate anyway...Anyway, Just so you know, I'm not up for re-election, and I put myself up for recall. I don't want or ask for your vote. I might vote for you should you run.

 

You boost unity and yet, you want to unload on "Uhires". I won't ask what you call off the street hires, something colorful I'm sure. Maybe it is time to move on if you've lost sight of purpose.

 

Ahh, the million dollar question!

Well Monsieur Salley, I have my thoughts which may be totally wrong as they are derived from a scant number of APC posts and I am not a trained psychologist. None the less, I shall endeavor to solve this mystery of "why" you would put yourself through such unnecessary pain and public persecution.

To begin let's examine the brief history for Ben Salley of which I am aware.

Step one you join the Air Force. Step two (or perhaps 3 or 4 I don't have your complete bio available so please forgive me) you join USAirways. Step three you perceive the looming disaster of a career that awaits you at USAirways and leave to join Continental Airlines (brilliant maneuver if I may say so). Step four you publish a highly inflammatory email to your local council members which finds its way onto the internet. Step five you defend said email by saying you are doing what's best for your constituency. Step six you decide to come back online and ask everyone to move past the SLI and pull from the same side of the rope, and lastly step seven you ask if a lowly peon understands the "why" of it all.


So how to determine the meaning of it all . . .

First and quite assuredly I state that you are a man of great intellect. Your biography, ability to switch carriers, and your ability to insert yourself into ALPA politics having only just joined the company attest to that fact. Second, I feel you desire to have a positive impact and be recognized as having such. Evidence the repeated reference to trying to do "what's best" and the total lack of personal gain from said efforts. But, . . . . and here's where you may begin to dislike my analysis . . . I find your efforts to be akin to those of our erstwhile President Bill Clinton. He too was brilliant and successful, but he was willing to change his views as quickly as the North wind could turn West. I, on the other hand, envy folks who stand steadfast like the Oak against the storm and stand even after the storm passes pointing still in the same direction. I do not believe there is a "doing what's best for my constituency". There is truth and there is untruth. You took part in a "truth" that may divide our pilot group for decades to come, but you were in a position to lead in the other direction and chose the analogy of foxhole life or death politics instead. I believe I know your true feelings and true personality. You strongly desire to be a leader and to be recognized as such but I think your politics are too Machiavelllian for my taste. That is why you are an LEC rep.

 

I find most of what you said to contradict itself. The age of a pilot is not mentioned as a cornerstone of the new Alpa merger policy, therefore in your eyes has no bearing on these negotiations. A younger pilot at CAL with the same longevity cannot be punished due to his age.

I can draw an equally as plausible picture of UAL. Nobody merges with UAL, all the shrinking to right size for a merger, United cannot survive and is parted out to the highest bidders. No job protections, everyone laid off, no more wide body Captain slots you been dreaming about. I realize this didn't happen, but it is equally as plausible as your scenario.

If you want another prediction, here it is.

Arbitrators use the UAL program that produced all the eye burning charts, but with the furloughed pilots excluded from the calculations.

I don't know where everyone ends up in that scenario If it doesn't go something close to relative, I think that is the way it will go.

One last thought. Anyone want to predict how many pages on this thread before the decision is announced?

 

Yes the charts were eyeburning. What makes you think they will ignore the longevity of the furloughed pilots? They didn't in Mesaba/Pinnacle. They got their full longevity.

 

That's a pretty accurate, though incomplete, assessment Sunvox. I do it because I love it. Psycho-analogy aside, it's time for the UNITED Pilots to become UNITED. There is no win with us divided.

 

It is only a prediction, just like the many proposed from both sides of the fence. Again, this is my backup prediction.

For those that read the briefings, the arbs seemed very interested in the UAL program. With a copy of the program the arbs can make changes in weighting to the new Alpa cornerstones and apply ANY other factors they feel are important to the mix, and see what affect this has to specific groups of pilots on each side. This way they can run many many scenarios in an attempt to create what they believe to be a fair list.

Taking the furloughs out of the equation is just one of the many options open to the arbs.

I have seen the result of the Mesaba/Pinnacle merger and see that consideration was given to furloughed pilots. As we have seen, each merger is unique in many ways, and to somehow conclude that this merger will have any resemblance to M/P merger would be very foolish.

Hold on to whatever gets you through the next month. That goes out to both sides. There will be a lot of finger pointing and I told you so's come decision day.

As many have said before. Our ability to work together when this is all over will be a key factor on the success of this post merger airline.

 

I think the 3,000 UAL pilot staple job that was proposed by CAL ended any chance of that happening.

 

Not to rain on the Unity-parade, but the old timers told me it took a strike(1985) to get over the Capital merger(1961).

 

You are correct, age is not a cornerstone. Age in as it correlates to longevity. You know, those who tend to have more longevity tend to be older. There is no contradiction when those with less longevity and on average younger, are placed in front of those with more longevity and on average older. The result is the older pilots will be blocked from their full career expectation.

If you wish to base your beliefs on the cal merger committee supposition that ual was doomed, please go right ahead. It blends well with the justification if your seniority list proposal.