Airtran NPA+ ALPA article...
02-20-2009, 10:15 PM
#1
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Airtran NPA+ ALPA article...
I'm confused here, I thought you already voted on this issue? 
AirTran pilots approve merger with larger union
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Kelly Yamanouchi
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The board of AirTran Airways’ independent pilots union has approved an agreement to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association and become part of the world’s largest pilots union.
The Atlanta-based National Pilots Association’s board voted unanimously to approve the merger agreement. The NPA represents AirTran’s roughly 1,700 pilots and was certified in 1997. Orlando-based AirTran has its main hub in Atlanta and its pilots are based here.
A merger essentially means a switch of representation to ALPA. Members will vote on the deal between March 11 and April 10. Pending approval by the pilots and ALPA leadership, the merger would be effective May 1.
ALPA, which also represents pilots at AirTran rival Delta Air Lines and more than 30 other carriers, offers more resources than the NPA.
Joining could also present conflicting interests between the pilot groups.
NPA president Mike Best said the agreement calls for the AirTran pilot union’s existing leaders to remain until spring 2010.
“There’s no indication from our pilots that there’s any dissatisfaction with the leadership, it’s just they wanted the leadership to have more resources,” he said.
AirTran and its pilots, have been haggling over a new contract since 2004.
“Our hope is that [the switch to ALPA] will give us more resources to get a better contract sooner,” Best said.
The merger agreement with the ALPA comes after campaigns among pilots for the Teamsters and for ALPA.
AirTran pilots approve merger with larger union
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Kelly Yamanouchi
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The board of AirTran Airways’ independent pilots union has approved an agreement to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association and become part of the world’s largest pilots union.
The Atlanta-based National Pilots Association’s board voted unanimously to approve the merger agreement. The NPA represents AirTran’s roughly 1,700 pilots and was certified in 1997. Orlando-based AirTran has its main hub in Atlanta and its pilots are based here.
A merger essentially means a switch of representation to ALPA. Members will vote on the deal between March 11 and April 10. Pending approval by the pilots and ALPA leadership, the merger would be effective May 1.
ALPA, which also represents pilots at AirTran rival Delta Air Lines and more than 30 other carriers, offers more resources than the NPA.
Joining could also present conflicting interests between the pilot groups.
NPA president Mike Best said the agreement calls for the AirTran pilot union’s existing leaders to remain until spring 2010.
“There’s no indication from our pilots that there’s any dissatisfaction with the leadership, it’s just they wanted the leadership to have more resources,” he said.
AirTran and its pilots, have been haggling over a new contract since 2004.
“Our hope is that [the switch to ALPA] will give us more resources to get a better contract sooner,” Best said.
The merger agreement with the ALPA comes after campaigns among pilots for the Teamsters and for ALPA.
02-21-2009, 12:34 PM
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02-21-2009, 02:00 PM
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02-26-2009, 08:28 AM
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A friend of mine sent me a copy of this letter that was sent to the AirTran leadership before the vote. Someone there passed it on...interesting insight...the name and email addresses were blocked for obvious reasons.
In recent years it is difficult to remain optimistic when it comes to our profession. Retirement plans have been gutted and the cost for insurance benefits have been steadily transferred from our companies to us. W2’s have seen losses of 30-40-50% and even more. Furloughs have been constant and widespread. In the face of this attack on our profession one would think that ALPA would be the one union that aggressively defends our profession. But for that to happen all ALPA pilots, regardless of airline, aircraft, or payload would have to take a stand…together. That that has not happened, unfortunately, also defines ALPA’s single biggest challenge. For years ALPA has engaged in the politics and the practices of elitism, those flying for major carriers, particularly the large passenger carriers have become convinced that they are in some way better, therefore more deserving, than the pilots flying for carriers like Comair, Midwest Express, Air Wisconsin, or my carrier DHL. And until ALPA addresses this problem head-on ALPA will continue to spiral downward. Oh, it may survive for a few more years in some form but it will most likely be in some scaled down version that attempts to continue to serve the largest carriers interests, which will ultimately result in ALPA’s total failure. And I say total failure because ALPA’s arrogance will cause the pilots flying for the smaller carriers or those who find themselves on the outside looking in, to fight back hence leading go a labor war that will be to managements total glee. And to this point in time ALPA’s leadership has not demonstrated the political courage much less willingness, to take up this enormous challenge and tackle it head on. If anything the merger of Delta and Northwest will further exacerbate this issue, making the small carriers even less relevant within ALPA, which will accelerate ALPA’s demise.
Gentlemen I think I understand your pain, several years of frustrating negotiations with a management that has no real motivation to negotiate. The rank and file get restless and because you are on the point of the spear, as the elected leadership, they turn to you for answers and solutions. In that environment it becomes easy for the pilots to begin to see you as the problem rather than seeing management as the problem. And management is quite skilled when it comes to misinformation and ultimately stalling. But for what it is worth that describes negotiations and management relations on nearly every airline property, particularly the smaller carriers; and unless you have 4,000 or 5,000 pilots or more, we are small carriers.
The environment in which we live has been the result of a combination of things, and some of the events were set in motion over 30 years ago (i.e. deregulation). The bottom line is that labor has lost its clout on The Hill, in the boardrooms, in the crew lounges and even in the living rooms. Politically ALPA, like so many unions hitched their wagon to the Democratic party, which at one time was a wise and good choice, but no longer can that be said. Without belaboring you with the many lessons that I have learned let me just say this: This is your company, your pilot group and your decision, however I feel a certain sense of obligation to warn you that ALPA will prove to be the worst choice that you will ever make. I say this having served 8 years as an MEC Chairman and 5 plus years as an ALPA Executive Vice President and 20 years (and still counting) as an ALPA member. It will be because ALPA is not the organization that it once was, moreover it is a place where politics and big carrier power trumps the moral requirement to do what is right for the right reasons. The pilots at Air Tran will not be served well by ALPA.
I would love an opportunity to spend some time talking with you, face to face, in Atlanta on my dime. I feel passionate about what I am saying, but more importantly as a fellow professional pilot, one who cares deeply about this profession and about the people that fly the airplanes—and their families, I made the decision to take a chance and reach out to you and to hopefully cause you to explore your options. Please don’t get caught up in the moment and make a decision that I am certain will come back to haunt you. You do have options, and I believe much better options. And I believe that I might be able to help you explore those options. Of course at the end of the day the choice is yours, however I encourage you to give me a call or drop me an email. Like I said I will travel to Atlanta, in fact In would very much appreciate the opportunity to do so.
In recent years it is difficult to remain optimistic when it comes to our profession. Retirement plans have been gutted and the cost for insurance benefits have been steadily transferred from our companies to us. W2’s have seen losses of 30-40-50% and even more. Furloughs have been constant and widespread. In the face of this attack on our profession one would think that ALPA would be the one union that aggressively defends our profession. But for that to happen all ALPA pilots, regardless of airline, aircraft, or payload would have to take a stand…together. That that has not happened, unfortunately, also defines ALPA’s single biggest challenge. For years ALPA has engaged in the politics and the practices of elitism, those flying for major carriers, particularly the large passenger carriers have become convinced that they are in some way better, therefore more deserving, than the pilots flying for carriers like Comair, Midwest Express, Air Wisconsin, or my carrier DHL. And until ALPA addresses this problem head-on ALPA will continue to spiral downward. Oh, it may survive for a few more years in some form but it will most likely be in some scaled down version that attempts to continue to serve the largest carriers interests, which will ultimately result in ALPA’s total failure. And I say total failure because ALPA’s arrogance will cause the pilots flying for the smaller carriers or those who find themselves on the outside looking in, to fight back hence leading go a labor war that will be to managements total glee. And to this point in time ALPA’s leadership has not demonstrated the political courage much less willingness, to take up this enormous challenge and tackle it head on. If anything the merger of Delta and Northwest will further exacerbate this issue, making the small carriers even less relevant within ALPA, which will accelerate ALPA’s demise.
Gentlemen I think I understand your pain, several years of frustrating negotiations with a management that has no real motivation to negotiate. The rank and file get restless and because you are on the point of the spear, as the elected leadership, they turn to you for answers and solutions. In that environment it becomes easy for the pilots to begin to see you as the problem rather than seeing management as the problem. And management is quite skilled when it comes to misinformation and ultimately stalling. But for what it is worth that describes negotiations and management relations on nearly every airline property, particularly the smaller carriers; and unless you have 4,000 or 5,000 pilots or more, we are small carriers.
The environment in which we live has been the result of a combination of things, and some of the events were set in motion over 30 years ago (i.e. deregulation). The bottom line is that labor has lost its clout on The Hill, in the boardrooms, in the crew lounges and even in the living rooms. Politically ALPA, like so many unions hitched their wagon to the Democratic party, which at one time was a wise and good choice, but no longer can that be said. Without belaboring you with the many lessons that I have learned let me just say this: This is your company, your pilot group and your decision, however I feel a certain sense of obligation to warn you that ALPA will prove to be the worst choice that you will ever make. I say this having served 8 years as an MEC Chairman and 5 plus years as an ALPA Executive Vice President and 20 years (and still counting) as an ALPA member. It will be because ALPA is not the organization that it once was, moreover it is a place where politics and big carrier power trumps the moral requirement to do what is right for the right reasons. The pilots at Air Tran will not be served well by ALPA.
I would love an opportunity to spend some time talking with you, face to face, in Atlanta on my dime. I feel passionate about what I am saying, but more importantly as a fellow professional pilot, one who cares deeply about this profession and about the people that fly the airplanes—and their families, I made the decision to take a chance and reach out to you and to hopefully cause you to explore your options. Please don’t get caught up in the moment and make a decision that I am certain will come back to haunt you. You do have options, and I believe much better options. And I believe that I might be able to help you explore those options. Of course at the end of the day the choice is yours, however I encourage you to give me a call or drop me an email. Like I said I will travel to Atlanta, in fact In would very much appreciate the opportunity to do so.
02-28-2009, 08:28 AM
#8
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Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: KC135 IP
Posts: 398
I'm confused here, I thought you already voted on this
AirTran pilots approve merger with larger union
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Kelly Yamanouchi
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The board of AirTran Airways’ independent pilots union has approved an agreement to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association and become part of the world’s largest pilots union.
The Atlanta-based National Pilots Association’s board voted unanimously to approve the merger agreement. The NPA represents AirTran’s roughly 1,700 pilots and was certified in 1997. Orlando-based AirTran has its main hub in Atlanta and its pilots are based here.
A merger essentially means a switch of representation to ALPA. Members will vote on the deal between March 11 and April 10. Pending approval by the pilots and ALPA leadership, the merger would be effective May 1.
ALPA, which also represents pilots at AirTran rival Delta Air Lines and more than 30 other carriers, offers more resources than the NPA.
Joining could also present conflicting interests between the pilot groups.
NPA president Mike Best said the agreement calls for the AirTran pilot union’s existing leaders to remain until spring 2010.
“There’s no indication from our pilots that there’s any dissatisfaction with the leadership, it’s just they wanted the leadership to have more resources,” he said.
AirTran and its pilots, have been haggling over a new contract since 2004.
“Our hope is that [the switch to ALPA] will give us more resources to get a better contract sooner,” Best said.
The merger agreement with the ALPA comes after campaigns among pilots for the Teamsters and for ALPA.
AirTran pilots approve merger with larger union
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Kelly Yamanouchi
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The board of AirTran Airways’ independent pilots union has approved an agreement to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association and become part of the world’s largest pilots union.
The Atlanta-based National Pilots Association’s board voted unanimously to approve the merger agreement. The NPA represents AirTran’s roughly 1,700 pilots and was certified in 1997. Orlando-based AirTran has its main hub in Atlanta and its pilots are based here.
A merger essentially means a switch of representation to ALPA. Members will vote on the deal between March 11 and April 10. Pending approval by the pilots and ALPA leadership, the merger would be effective May 1.
ALPA, which also represents pilots at AirTran rival Delta Air Lines and more than 30 other carriers, offers more resources than the NPA.
Joining could also present conflicting interests between the pilot groups.
NPA president Mike Best said the agreement calls for the AirTran pilot union’s existing leaders to remain until spring 2010.
“There’s no indication from our pilots that there’s any dissatisfaction with the leadership, it’s just they wanted the leadership to have more resources,” he said.
AirTran and its pilots, have been haggling over a new contract since 2004.
“Our hope is that [the switch to ALPA] will give us more resources to get a better contract sooner,” Best said.
The merger agreement with the ALPA comes after campaigns among pilots for the Teamsters and for ALPA.
THE AJC has a habit of saying things have happened before the vote.
The AJC also said we had approved a new pilot contract weeks before we had even voted on it, and it went down in flames
02-28-2009, 11:17 AM
#9
Line Holder
Joined APC: Feb 2009
Position: Facing forward, punching buttons
Posts: 88
I thought Teamsters didn't make a presentation and said they felt you guys needed to sort out your own internal issues first before aligning with a bigger union. (Think I saw it in the AJC and online somewhere)
If your leadership has the right to do whatever they want, you may be stuck. If not; I'd say you got good advice from the Teamsters. Fix your leadership problem and then sit down with IBT and ALPA to find out who really will do a better job for you. Then your entire group should vote.
Just heard the Safety budget was cut by 50% and a lot of senior representation and legal staff are actively looking for other jobs in DC before the ship rolls over. (This was from a 35 year senior staffer)
02-28-2009, 07:17 PM
#10
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A friend of mine sent me a copy of this letter that was sent to the AirTran leadership before the vote. Someone there passed it on...interesting insight...the name and email addresses were blocked for obvious reasons.
In recent years it is difficult to remain optimistic when it comes to our profession. Retirement plans have been gutted and the cost for insurance benefits have been steadily transferred from our companies to us. W2’s have seen losses of 30-40-50% and even more. Furloughs have been constant and widespread. In the face of this attack on our profession one would think that ALPA would be the one union that aggressively defends our profession. But for that to happen all ALPA pilots, regardless of airline, aircraft, or payload would have to take a stand…together. That that has not happened, unfortunately, also defines ALPA’s single biggest challenge. For years ALPA has engaged in the politics and the practices of elitism, those flying for major carriers, particularly the large passenger carriers have become convinced that they are in some way better, therefore more deserving, than the pilots flying for carriers like Comair, Midwest Express, Air Wisconsin, or my carrier DHL. And until ALPA addresses this problem head-on ALPA will continue to spiral downward. Oh, it may survive for a few more years in some form but it will most likely be in some scaled down version that attempts to continue to serve the largest carriers interests, which will ultimately result in ALPA’s total failure. And I say total failure because ALPA’s arrogance will cause the pilots flying for the smaller carriers or those who find themselves on the outside looking in, to fight back hence leading go a labor war that will be to managements total glee. And to this point in time ALPA’s leadership has not demonstrated the political courage much less willingness, to take up this enormous challenge and tackle it head on. If anything the merger of Delta and Northwest will further exacerbate this issue, making the small carriers even less relevant within ALPA, which will accelerate ALPA’s demise.
Gentlemen I think I understand your pain, several years of frustrating negotiations with a management that has no real motivation to negotiate. The rank and file get restless and because you are on the point of the spear, as the elected leadership, they turn to you for answers and solutions. In that environment it becomes easy for the pilots to begin to see you as the problem rather than seeing management as the problem. And management is quite skilled when it comes to misinformation and ultimately stalling. But for what it is worth that describes negotiations and management relations on nearly every airline property, particularly the smaller carriers; and unless you have 4,000 or 5,000 pilots or more, we are small carriers.
The environment in which we live has been the result of a combination of things, and some of the events were set in motion over 30 years ago (i.e. deregulation). The bottom line is that labor has lost its clout on The Hill, in the boardrooms, in the crew lounges and even in the living rooms. Politically ALPA, like so many unions hitched their wagon to the Democratic party, which at one time was a wise and good choice, but no longer can that be said. Without belaboring you with the many lessons that I have learned let me just say this: This is your company, your pilot group and your decision, however I feel a certain sense of obligation to warn you that ALPA will prove to be the worst choice that you will ever make. I say this having served 8 years as an MEC Chairman and 5 plus years as an ALPA Executive Vice President and 20 years (and still counting) as an ALPA member. It will be because ALPA is not the organization that it once was, moreover it is a place where politics and big carrier power trumps the moral requirement to do what is right for the right reasons. The pilots at Air Tran will not be served well by ALPA.
I would love an opportunity to spend some time talking with you, face to face, in Atlanta on my dime. I feel passionate about what I am saying, but more importantly as a fellow professional pilot, one who cares deeply about this profession and about the people that fly the airplanes—and their families, I made the decision to take a chance and reach out to you and to hopefully cause you to explore your options. Please don’t get caught up in the moment and make a decision that I am certain will come back to haunt you. You do have options, and I believe much better options. And I believe that I might be able to help you explore those options. Of course at the end of the day the choice is yours, however I encourage you to give me a call or drop me an email. Like I said I will travel to Atlanta, in fact In would very much appreciate the opportunity to do so.
In recent years it is difficult to remain optimistic when it comes to our profession. Retirement plans have been gutted and the cost for insurance benefits have been steadily transferred from our companies to us. W2’s have seen losses of 30-40-50% and even more. Furloughs have been constant and widespread. In the face of this attack on our profession one would think that ALPA would be the one union that aggressively defends our profession. But for that to happen all ALPA pilots, regardless of airline, aircraft, or payload would have to take a stand…together. That that has not happened, unfortunately, also defines ALPA’s single biggest challenge. For years ALPA has engaged in the politics and the practices of elitism, those flying for major carriers, particularly the large passenger carriers have become convinced that they are in some way better, therefore more deserving, than the pilots flying for carriers like Comair, Midwest Express, Air Wisconsin, or my carrier DHL. And until ALPA addresses this problem head-on ALPA will continue to spiral downward. Oh, it may survive for a few more years in some form but it will most likely be in some scaled down version that attempts to continue to serve the largest carriers interests, which will ultimately result in ALPA’s total failure. And I say total failure because ALPA’s arrogance will cause the pilots flying for the smaller carriers or those who find themselves on the outside looking in, to fight back hence leading go a labor war that will be to managements total glee. And to this point in time ALPA’s leadership has not demonstrated the political courage much less willingness, to take up this enormous challenge and tackle it head on. If anything the merger of Delta and Northwest will further exacerbate this issue, making the small carriers even less relevant within ALPA, which will accelerate ALPA’s demise.
Gentlemen I think I understand your pain, several years of frustrating negotiations with a management that has no real motivation to negotiate. The rank and file get restless and because you are on the point of the spear, as the elected leadership, they turn to you for answers and solutions. In that environment it becomes easy for the pilots to begin to see you as the problem rather than seeing management as the problem. And management is quite skilled when it comes to misinformation and ultimately stalling. But for what it is worth that describes negotiations and management relations on nearly every airline property, particularly the smaller carriers; and unless you have 4,000 or 5,000 pilots or more, we are small carriers.
The environment in which we live has been the result of a combination of things, and some of the events were set in motion over 30 years ago (i.e. deregulation). The bottom line is that labor has lost its clout on The Hill, in the boardrooms, in the crew lounges and even in the living rooms. Politically ALPA, like so many unions hitched their wagon to the Democratic party, which at one time was a wise and good choice, but no longer can that be said. Without belaboring you with the many lessons that I have learned let me just say this: This is your company, your pilot group and your decision, however I feel a certain sense of obligation to warn you that ALPA will prove to be the worst choice that you will ever make. I say this having served 8 years as an MEC Chairman and 5 plus years as an ALPA Executive Vice President and 20 years (and still counting) as an ALPA member. It will be because ALPA is not the organization that it once was, moreover it is a place where politics and big carrier power trumps the moral requirement to do what is right for the right reasons. The pilots at Air Tran will not be served well by ALPA.
I would love an opportunity to spend some time talking with you, face to face, in Atlanta on my dime. I feel passionate about what I am saying, but more importantly as a fellow professional pilot, one who cares deeply about this profession and about the people that fly the airplanes—and their families, I made the decision to take a chance and reach out to you and to hopefully cause you to explore your options. Please don’t get caught up in the moment and make a decision that I am certain will come back to haunt you. You do have options, and I believe much better options. And I believe that I might be able to help you explore those options. Of course at the end of the day the choice is yours, however I encourage you to give me a call or drop me an email. Like I said I will travel to Atlanta, in fact In would very much appreciate the opportunity to do so.
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