gettinbumped

Some excellent points from the true, strong unionists of C57.

I'm much more into FACTS and Q and A than I am into the emotional spin job type memos, but I consider this fair game with the posting of the "No" perspective from the IAH FO Rep.







Subject: LAX C-57 letter

Dear Members of Council 57,
We are writing to you today as you embark on what is arguably one of the most important votes of your career. We do not refer to simply your vote on the current Tentative Agreement (TA), but also to the “social issues” surrounding this TA and how it will affect your career going forward.
In a perfect world we would have negotiated a new contract with legacy UAL management, as a stand alone group, and using our contract alone as the basis from which to start. That would have produced the best result for our pilot group. We all know the reality is that the current negotiations have involved negotiating with senior Continental management, the Continental MEC, the National Mediation Board, and ALPA National as our collective bargaining agent.
We can tell you that, in general, all these parties had the goal of attaining a JCBA for the United Pilots. What you could not have possibly seen are all the behind the scenes battles that we had with and among the aforementioned parties. Let us state this again, except for the end goal, at times there were direct and opposing goals between all of the parties.
The difficulties in negotiating a contract not just with management but with a separate pilot group cannot be overstated. At times, it seemed as though dragging the negotiations out as long as possible would benefit one pilot group over another. One company is receiving new aircraft and upgrading pilots, while the other is stable and awaiting their aircraft and retirements. One party has merger protections that were designed to prevent whipsawing their pilot group and siphoning off flying to the merger partner. The other group did not, until they were negotiated from a position of weakness. You can guess which group describes the United Pilots.
Against this backdrop we have depended upon extensions to the Transition and Process Agreement to protect the United Pilots from being unfairly disadvantaged or destroyed as part of a whipsawing action.
Regarding the excellent results of our strike vote, once that was used to put pressure on all parties to conclude these negotiations and produce a TA that was calculated as higher in economic value than our peer Delta, we were obviously not going to be released to a cooling off period, much less a strike. What we are saying here is if the MEC had turned the TA down or if it is turned down by the pilots, in either case, you will not be allowed by the Federal Government to strike in order to extract more economic value from the company. You don’t have to like this fact, we certainly don’t like this fact, but it IS a fact. This weighed into our analysis at the MEC table.
Another factor weighing into our analysis is that certain protections contained within the Transitions and Process Agreement do in fact expire 3/31/13. These protections exist for the sole benefit of the United Pilots. Could we see a wholesale dismantling of the United side of the house? Surely not, but what we can envision is a death by a thousand cuts. CAL has been through our furloughee recall list twice and is starting a new hire process. They are receiving two or more aircraft per month. The UAL side cancelled furloughee recalls and is offering WOP in JAN, FEB and MAR. The UAL side is scheduled to be parking aircraft starting early next year. Who will fly the replacement aircraft? Obviously we will claim them, but right now there is no training program for United Pilots to be trained in the 737-900 and the company could easily contest and oppose our desire to fly them in the UA operation. How much time would that fight burn? And in April, CAL 787’s are slated to take half of the LAX 777 Flying...
Also, we can want, wish, and say what we deserve in a new contract but some things are for sure right now. The current contract we are living under since 2003 has holes in Scope, far below market pay, minimum work rules and duty rigs, and has spawned personal bankruptcies, divorces, home foreclosures and suicides. It’s a terrible contract born out of a bankruptcy process that the union arguably did not navigate well.
This 2012 TA also is not perfect. It is not the product we would have envisioned as a standalone pilot group in a traditional Section 6 negotiation. What this TA represents is a vehicle to come together as one pilot group, creating common goals from which to seek to improve it, and most importantly moving forward for the first time in a decade.
Brothers and sisters, it is a fact that right now there are certain parties that feel they can vote against any contract put in front of them. They see that they have very little to lose with a contract failing and an open-ended time frame to try to rectify the warts they see in this TA. They have merger protections in their contract, are getting new aircraft, and are upgrading pilots into seats which they will not be flushed out of.
Again, you are not a member of that pilot group. The TA before you will ensure that our two groups are merged as one sooner than later, and that you are not rode down a rail into obscurity. It will bring you forward right up next to our industry leading peer Delta. It will not leave you behind. Our suggestion? Do not let others take advantage of you.

syd111

Do what you want gettinbumped don't worry that bonus is coming your way.

UalHvy

Sure...as a 777 Captain you have the option of hanging out forever under a Bankruptcy contract. You won't miss any bids/upgrades, will you? Try shaving your current take home in half, live off of that for 10 years then get back to us and criticize somebody for wanting their "bonus."

gettinbumped

Thanks for your permission. I was worried sick you wouldn't approve

syd111

We have all been hit over the years at different rates and different times and I do understand your pain. Like I have said all along the company targets and hits in these negotiations and looks like they are spot on again.

I keeep laughing when I look back at all the posts complaining about the senior guys selling everyone out on this contract and voting it in, looks like the opposite.

Vote however you like just vote honestly if we ever have a strike vote again. 99%? yea

By the way I bet there are as many 777pilots that have financial issues just like the rest of the world.

syd111

Try reading it again as I didn't mention anything about permission, but you have selective reading about most things.

gettinbumped

You didn't give me permission to "Do what I want"?

My selective reading didn't miss your intent. Just responding to your snarky comment. Your responses have been as "fair and balanced" as mine have.

gofastmopar

IMHO the only truly critical issue we have to overcome is the whipsaw options the company could use.... This can only happen if the TA becomes a reality and the SLI gets done. To the company it's all numbers...

UalHvy

I'm sure there are. But put those 777 guys at 757/Airbus rates pretty much all of them will have financial issues. How many times were you surplused in the last 10 years?

syd111

I was at 757 rates for most of this.