APC225

Chairman

There is really not much sense in talking about much this week except the integrated seniority list. I realize that the easy thing for me to do would be to write a few hundred words denigrating the list that came out and stating how unfair it is to our pilots. As most of you know, it is not my style to take the easy road. So, what I am about to say may not be popular in some circles. It is, however, my truthful opinion, and you can give it as much weight as you think that warrants.

I want to start by addressing the criticisms from pilots who felt I should not have written a joint letter with Capt. Heppner to our pilots Tuesday evening, and that I specifically should not have said that all parties agreed that the process used to come to an ISL was “fair and equitable.” Well, the truth is that both MECs did agree on a process that was considered to be fair and equitable, and that process was followed. To take that a step further, throughout the preparation of our SLI case and the presentations at the arbitration hearings, after all the transcripts and evidence were made available for everyone to review (up to and including the moment before the ISL was received), not once did I receive a single email, phone call or have any in-person conversations with anyone who felt the process was flawed. Only after the product of the process was received (the ISL) did some want to question the process. To blame the process now only looks like sour grapes. The fact is that even a good process can produce a bad result.

That brings us to the real issue. For those that want my opinion, I think that the arbitrators got this one wrong. For whatever reason, they issued an ISL that I do not think is either fair or equitable to a large number of legacy Continental (L-CAL) pilots. I believe the award is overly aggressive in defending their decision to accept the UAL proposal and is in many instances, poorly written, factually inaccurate and contradictory. I think the panel clearly ignored any reasonable middle ground. The problem is that while I personally consider it to be a bad outcome, and many of my fellow L-CAL pilots might think the ISL is unfair and inequitable, that does not mean that it is. Fair and equitable are relative and subjective standards that each of us defines differently. So, while a good many L-CAL pilots may view the resulting ISL negatively or very negatively, there are most likely a greater number of L-UAL pilots who are just fine with the outcome. There are also likely L-UAL pilots who are unhappy with the ISL for entirely different reasons. The fact is that we ceded the right to determine what is fair and what is equitable to a panel of arbitrators and now we must live with it.

That brings us to the question of what comes next. The Award and integrated seniority list were accepted by the ALPA President and sent to the Company. ALPA has accepted the list and is required to defend it. The Company accepted the Award and list and has said they will implement it as quickly as possible. For those of you who have asked if there is anything that can be done to delay or stop its acceptance or implementation, the answer is flatly – no. It is our seniority list now. That being said, there are still questions being raised and issues to resolve. Apparently, even the emboldened UAL Merger Committee seems to agree that the award is factually challenged (at least in part), in that yesterday they filed a request that the arbitrators reconsider the fence provision for the B-787 based on what they claim are factual issues relied upon by the arbitrators. They are suggesting that the panel take back one of the few things in the award that we feel they actually got right — the B-787 fence. Of course, in the coming days, our Merger Committee will supply the arbitrators with all of the factual inaccuracies we have discovered and we will see where all this goes. In the meantime, however, we will have to abide by it.

Even though there is widespread disappointment among the L-CAL pilot group in the Award and list, we must, just as ALPA and the Company have, accept that the ISL is now our seniority list. It is my belief that the sooner we all come to this recognition, the better. We are now a single pilot group and nothing good will come from lamenting the outcome or placing blame on other pilots. I have talked to literally hundreds of pilots over the last few days that are angry to varying degrees at some or all of the following: me, ALPA, the CAL MEC, the UAL MEC and/or the arbitration panel. While I understand these feelings, I ask that you do whatever you must to begin to move on. Please remain professional, keep your personal feelings out of the cockpit and do not bring your anger to work.

Looking to the near term, your MEC will soon be concluding its business and a new single MEC will be formed to represent all United Airlines pilots. Until that occurs, we are still working a number of open issues and addressing new ones. We are pressing for release of the final tranche of the lump sum payment for our pilots. I expect to have more information about this topic in the coming days. Final briefs were submitted in the grievance related to the B-757 crew rest seat and the issue is now awaiting resolution from the arbitrator. The newest issue being addressed is an attempt by the UAL MEC to change the priority for jumpseating from a seniority-based system to one based on date of hire. They have also suggested that the Company maintain the cross metal restrictions that limit access to aircraft based on which legacy carrier a pilot is from. We believe that, now that we have a single seniority list, such restrictions serve no purpose and access to the every UAL jumpseat should be based on seniority and the captain’s approval. Prior to the UAL MEC’s efforts, the Company committed to maintaining our longstanding prioritizing access to the jumpseat based on seniority and to remove the cross metal restrictions in place. We have advised them that we expect them to honor their commitment to do just that. Until that occurs, we are still using the same system that has been in place for determining jumpseating priority. If any question arises, the captain is the final authority regarding who rides in the jumpseat.

In the next few weeks, we will hold our last MEC meeting as the CAL MEC. I ask that you not look at the CAL MEC through eyes clouded by the results of the new seniority list. I have been the chairman of the MEC since 2008 and have had the pleasure to serve with more than 35 elected representatives and hundreds of volunteers over the years. While I have not always agreed with every rep on every issue, I can without reservation say that we all have tried to be good advocates for our pilots. Some battles we have won, some we have lost and a good number fall somewhere in between. Up to and including the last minute that we serve our fellow pilots as the CAL MEC, officers and committee volunteers, we will continue to do our best on your behalf.

One Union, One Voice

APC225

Merger Committee

The Opinion and Award of the arbitration panel was issued on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The Award, the integrated seniority list (Exhibit A), and the dispute resolution process (Exhibit B) are available on the Merger Committee page of the CAL MEC website. The Continental pilots deserve a thorough accounting of the panel’s Opinion and Award. It is imperative that the analysis be unemotional and fact based. There are several factual errors in the Award. Your CAL MEC Merger Committee will be providing more and detailed information, which we are preparing and plan to have out next week.

There are many questions that come with the implementation of the new seniority list and we are working with the CAL MEC and its officers, the JIT and the Negotiating Committee so that your union can provide answers to your questions.

APC225

Scheduling

The Company's initial plan was to have the integrated seniority list loaded into PBS before it opens. However, that has not happened. When PBS opens later today, the pre-ISL seniority numbers will be in place. The Company now plans to load the ISL into PBS at some point over the next few days. Pilots should check back before PBS closes for changes in their seniority within their category as well as changes in the G-line within their category.

Once the ISL has been loaded into PBS, your actual seniority number will be displayed in PBS on the Crew Info screen (where it is normally located). In many cases, pilots will see large gaps between themselves and the next pilot senior or junior to them. Pilots may elect to view only the pilots in their category in CCS by selecting Reports then Staffing, then sorting by Base Seniority under the Sort First By tab. This is the very same procedure that has been used in the past.

cadetdrivr

IMHO, this little slip sums up the whole enchilada.

In an arbitration there is no middle ground and a strategy that is based on an extreme proposal with the hope of meeting in the middle is flawed from the start. Recall that the arbitrators are not required to select either proposal so any extreme position is easily discarded.

History will not be kind to the CAL MEC and MEC leadership given the track record of a flawed UPA (with the intent of influencing the ISL) and an ISL strategy that not only failed the CAL pilots but also left deep rifts with legacy UAL pilots.

The faster we can combine into a single MEC and move forward together the better.

gettinbumped

Well, that's an interesting perspective. While I'm not arrogant enough to profess whether the list is fair and equitable, what I am surprised about is that a MC could be this clueless about a process so important to his constituents. This scene has played out over and over again. The title of the movie may have changed, but the plot and ending are the same. Freud proposes something he deems reasonable. Katz shoots for the moon.... and adjusts his position based on his clients. (He USED to be Mr DOH. He must have had an epiphany...). Katz always loses and Freunds proposals are adopted with minor modifications. The board does not have the time or inclination to build a list. It's not a negotiation. Pierce thought that there would be a middle ground?? If so, LUAL would have asked for straight DOH to counter the LCAL weird formula. And the list would have ended up close to where it is..... near relative seniority (which is a WIN for the LCAL folks based on longevity issues and number of widebodys)
How can I, one of the dumbest pilots at the airline, do a simple search of arbitration awards from these two lawyers and see this so plainly, and a MC can miss it so wildly?!!

Sorry LCAL pilots. He failed you in my opinion. That being said, I don't think it would have mattered much. The award would be darned close to what it is regardless of what the two sides put forward.

I'm disappointed in my MEC's challenge of the 787 fence and the Jumpseat issue. Especially since the fences were their idea in the first place!! Hopefully both of those will be denied because we already agreed to the process, and loathe those type of challenges after previously agreeing to a process. That's something management would do

uaav8r

Good summation GB. Bottom line...Katz sux! Tell your AA buds before they make the same mistake. Pretty sure the US fellas already know.

Probe

Sorry about the TRO filing, jumpseat DOH, and fence BS on our side. All are useless Chaff. I would personally like no fences, forget about legacy metal and DOH for the JS. I don't know where this came from.

Actually I might. GK. Did I mention he is a wackjob?

But JP is GK's evil little brother. Even after the ISL, he is divisive. For 75% of both pilot groups, the list works, and we all are a little disappointed.

Put your left foot forward, then the right, repeat as necessary.

LAX Pilot

I think this quote sums it up. Set up an unreasonable expectation, and then hope to get "middle ground".

How can you be angry with having CAL pilots senior to UAL pilots hired 8 years before them, and everyone staying within a couple percent of their pre-merger percentage?

Lemme guess, you were hoping 3,000 UAL pilots would get stapled, making the 100% bottom CAL pilot on the list magically 3,000 from the bottom overnight?

Ya, that's reasonable.

NuGuy

From an outside perspective: Why not first come first served with the jumpseat? How the heck do you plan a commute with a seniority based system?

Nu

LAX Pilot

All the LUAL airplanes have 2 jumpseats. A couple 757s don't, but we get a passenger seat reserved as a 2nd jumpseat.

The CAL guppies only have 1 jumpseat. Big issue. What we need is the same deal on the guppies we have on the 757s.