syd111

Yes Ben and I have said in the past the decision will not have much impact on me but I will always pull for my ual pilots that will be affected. The amount of our pilots that will be stapled with the sli list is wrong in my opinion so I will voice an opinion against that list. Some folks here have never had their seniority moved or played with, I have and I can tell you it will bother them a long time, every bid, every vacation, every family event, every time they don't get on a non rev flight with their family, or worse yet when things start going backwards and so on. Some of this will not hit home until the list is in effect and if done way to one side or the other we will not have any unity which will efect us all.

Ben when this merger first took place I would walk up to any cal I saw and introduce myself and so on. After the profit sharing issue I saw a huge change in many ual pilots and even further after the sli proposal from cal. Maybe that won't matter but I think it will be hard to change some of those attitudes no matter which way the list goes.

As far as where I sit the only differenceis what flying I wil do, china, south or hnl, not anywhere near the difference as many here. However I try not to look at the folks from your group that will be in front, yes 1983, but we won't go there.

Ben, I could be totally wrong, the list could go all cal proposal and still have great unity, I just don't see that happening, the unity that is. Have you ever had your seniority moved before?

Do you really see great unity if this goes anywhere near cal proposal??

Ben Salley

I know for a fact that all UAL Reps aren't in my corner, and I'm not in all UAL Reps corner. But I do expect them to tell the truth to their members and feel that most will do that. The only folks that I need in my corner, with regards to, Union work, are the IAH Pilots.

I REALLY believe in Unity. I believe that we can't stand divided. But I don't need or pursue United Pilot's support. I promise to tell the truth as I factually see it. And if that doesn't coincided with Union expectations, then I'll retire to being a line-puke happily. While I'm here, I'm gonna do what I did to get me here. I have no desire to fall on my sword if I don't have to; but I won't hesitate if that promotes the needs of our Union.

I think that my record is one of Unity.

-Ben

Staller

Why didn't you stand-up for UNITY on day ONE. The UAL MEC presented an Olive Branch and pulled back a stub. You allowed a bully to posture and drive a wedge on day ONE. Now, you want kindness, understanding and unity. Guess, you feel you've won somehow - time will tell if the fruits are that sweet?

Staller

Who you talking to Larry - BS can take care of himself. You run out of YouTube references?

Staller

I knew you could do it you tried - hopefully the UAL guys on this forum will stop picking on you - it's just not right!

Ben Salley

Thanks for the honest reply Syd. I agree with all of your sentiments, and feel the same way in most instances. The truth of the matter is that this merger has taken WAY too long. As a result, the potential for disunity has prevailed. We must make a conscious effort to thwart this venom.
I spoke with a friend of mine on the UAL MEC last week and we went tit for tat, in jest, on what wouldn't have happened had the company been serious about this merger two years ago. Things mentioned were:
-I would have never written my com piece
-The profit-sharing debacle wouldn't have occurred
-The UAL MEC would never have launched a grievance stating that all (both UAL and CAL) flying belonged to UAL
-The UAL MEC wouldn't have launched a grievance To block the CAL Pilot's IAH 787 base
-The MEC's would not have had to fight for an LOA to extend the UAL TPA protections for the UAL Pilots (passed by the CAL MEC unanimously, UAL MEC by majority)
-The UAL MEC would have been included in Bids 13-08, and 14-02. Ergo, they wouldn't be fighting to cancel my Pilots current bid awards on said bids
At the end of the day, I'm embarrassed by how we have treated each other. I'm also encouraged by talks with individual Pilots from both sides. Get a few blue suiters into a quorum and common sense seems to depart the fix. Get a few black-suiters together and witness the same phenomena.
We both have our beliefs about how things should work out. We've both seen each other's proposals. The only thing that keeps me sane is my commitment to accept the sli, then show up the next day and focus on our collective goals going forward.
My com, that offended many, needed to be said; if for no one else but me. I got it off my chest and can return to our core values. I'm gonna try to serve as best I can until I can't take anymore. I look forward to what both groups bring to the table. The UAL sli might set me back 7 years(last time I was 81% was 2006), but it will be what it will be.
No one posting on this forum had any input into the sli proposals, including me. As a result, I hold no contempt for any line Pilot.

Frats,
-Ben

Staller

If I didn't know you were a uniter, I'd swear you were trying to put all the BS on the backs of the UAL MEC. That wouldn't be a good thing for an LEC rep to do - almost as bad as publishing a bash letter for an LEC ego problem.

LAX Pilot

With all due respect, the UAL SLI proposed placing you at 75%, which is 3% different than you were on the merger date. (You were 72% based on the list that CAL MC provided at the hearing).

I don't see how 3% translates to 7 years.

Also, those UAL pilots who are equivalent seniority to you were hired at UAL in 1998 and never furloughed. So they are not thrilled being the same seniority as someone hired in 2005 at CAL.

Of course the arbitrators can give as much weight to longevity as they like, so maybe its more or less than the UAL proposal....

We will all know soon.

Airhoss

Actually you'll be doing whatever the arbitrators tell you. You don't have to like it, that's just the way it is. Better get out your straw there Mr. big talker.

XHooker

LAX, when the UAL list placed the +/- relative seniority % after a pilot, they're including all of the furloughs, so to find the difference in terms of actual pilot slots, you are diluting the pool. Everyone's relative seniority gives the impression of increasing over their current seniority without doing a thing in terms of aiding their career. For example, someone in the middle of the CAL list loses about 5% relative seniority according to UAL, but actually winds up losing a multiple of that in terms of actual positions.