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Look what ALPA is up to now............

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Sandhawk

Waiting on Dec 13, 2012
Joined
May 2, 2004
Posts
547
World's Largest Pilots' Union Claims Bargaining Impasse -- Imposes Work Rules on Staff Says Unit 1
  • On Wednesday May 13, 2009, 4:04 pm EDT
HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an unprecedented move, management at the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) elected to unilaterally impose new work rules on their unionized Unit 1 professional staff after contract negotiations between the two failed to produce an agreement. ALPA asserts the parties were at an impasse and that ALPA had the ability to simply and unilaterally impose new work rules. Unit 1 disputes this contention.

“This type of intransigent behavior is what ALPA fights against on behalf of its members every single day,” said Jay Wells, president of Unit 1 of the Union of Air Line Pilots Association Professional and Administrative Employees (UALPAPAE). “For the world’s largest pilots’ union to impose non-negotiated work rules on its own staff merely because it was unable to reach a consensual agreement on its own timetable is shocking.”
“ALPA is quick to point out its continual support of the labor movement and its successes in its negotiations with airline management,” Wells said, “but when it comes to its own staff, ALPA management is more about ‘do as I say, not as I do.’”

In a company-wide memo distributed March 20, ALPA management laid out its case for a two-year, cost-neutral contract that would sustain the association’s financial viability during this current economic downturn. However, when ALPA management came to the negotiating table and realized Unit 1’s willingness to achieve that cost-neutral goal, Unit 1 contends that management negotiators demanded more than they needed.

The two sides failed to reach an agreement prior to the March 31 deadline of Unit 1’s contract, and both agreed to mediation. When mediation culminated in mid-April, ALPA’s “last, best, final offer” was rejected by Unit 1 negotiators and Unit 1 members passed a resolution to extend the deadline to allow continued mediation, hoping management would agree to stronger job security language in exchange for Unit 1’s agreement to meet management’s demand to scale back accrued retiree health plan benefits. That extension allowed ALPA to hold it’s regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting and conduct its vote to merge with the National Pilots Association, which represents the pilots of AirTran.

Unit 1 negotiators returned to the table April 30 with additional concessions. However, ALPA negotiators came to the table with nothing but the same “last, best, final offer” they had last presented.

“Unit 1 understands the need for concessions and is willing to do what is necessary to help ensure ALPA’s financial stability,” said Wells. “However, Unit 1 staff is not willing, nor should they be required, to sacrifice much-needed work rule enhancements that are standard in union contracts nation-wide and in every ALPA contract that is negotiated on behalf of our members.” When no deal was reached, on May 7 ALPA unilaterally imposed changes in work rules and imposed cuts in the staff’s health retirement benefits over the objections of Unit 1.

In March, Unit 1 filed a charge of unfair labor practices against ALPA management with the National Labor Relations Board. The in-house union contends ALPA management failed to meet its obligation to disclose information requested by Unit 1 about ALPA’s plan to conduct employee layoffs in early 2009. Unit 1 also claims ALPA management failed to meet its obligation to bargain over the planned layoffs in violation of Sections 8(a)(1) and (5) of the National Labor Relations Act.

The nearly 60 year old Unit 1 of UALPAPAE represents nearly 170 staffers, including labor lawyers, economic analysts, retirement specialists, air safety engineers and communications practitioners at ALPA. ALPA represents 54,000 pilots at 36 airlines in North America.
 
so how can we expect alpa to increase our QOL and benes if they cant even have a grasp on their own?

pretty freaking sad---- yet they use the same mgmnt tactics as airline mgmnt use against them- HA if you cant beat them join them i suppose---

alpa is under the mentality ( and they are correct) that if you dont like it leave---- oh whats that?...... there arent any jobs out there for you to leave for?........ that's right bitches, no get back to work and bring me a chicken pot pie stat nootch!
 
That article is ironic considering the staff make more than half of the pilots ALPA represents.
 
Well, most of you always complain that ALPA staff is overpaid.

So now you are upset at ALPA for trying to control costs?

Just trying to figure out which way you want to have it.

Either:

A. ALPA pays their union employees a little high, but we support unions so that's OK.

or

B. We have to run a tight ship, so we better use any legal means available because we can't afford to pay more than we absolutely have to.
 
They are too busy beating up the office staff for not towing the line....

You obviously don't know us very well. I find these actions by the ALPA General Manager to be appalling, and I'm disappointed that Captain Prater hasn't done something to stop it. He's in a very difficult position, as it's really the General Manager's job to handle this, but the General Manager has botched it to such a degree that I believe Captain Prater needs to step in and correct the situation.

I support the Unit 1 staff.
 
"I have not yet begun to fight!" Captain John Paul Jones

Words attributed to the eighteenth-century naval hero John Paul Jones. He was doing battle with a British ship when his own ship was badly damaged, and the British commander called over to ask whether Jones had surrendered. He answered, “I have not yet begun to fight.” He and his crew then captured the British ship. His own ship later sank.

http://www.answers.com/topic/i-have-not-yet-begun-to-fight
 
You obviously don't know us very well. I find these actions by the ALPA General Manager to be appalling, and I'm disappointed that Captain Prater hasn't done something to stop it. He's in a very difficult position, as it's really the General Manager's job to handle this, but the General Manager has botched it to such a degree that I believe Captain Prater needs to step in and correct the situation.

I support the Unit 1 staff.


You may be disappointed but I am not surprised. I know a few folks at the national and local level and this is ops normal for them.

Prater could care less....really.
 
Rasie dues?

You obviously don't know us very well. I find these actions by the ALPA General Manager to be appalling, and I'm disappointed that Captain Prater hasn't done something to stop it. He's in a very difficult position, as it's really the General Manager's job to handle this, but the General Manager has botched it to such a degree that I believe Captain Prater needs to step in and correct the situation.

I support the Unit 1 staff.
He's right they should either lay off enought of the ALPA management or raise dues in order to give the employees what they want.
 
He's right they should either lay off enought of the ALPA management or raise dues in order to give the employees what they want.

There's no need to raise dues. There are plenty of areas to trim the budget at the national level without trimming staff, in my opinion. Adjustments should also be made at the LEC and MEC level to reduce expenditures. I've seen LECs waste incredible amounts of money just because they don't want to send surpluses back to Herndon at the end of the year. That crap needs to stop.
 
There's no need to raise dues. There are plenty of areas to trim the budget at the national level without trimming staff, in my opinion. Adjustments should also be made at the LEC and MEC level to reduce expenditures. I've seen LECs waste incredible amounts of money just because they don't want to send surpluses back to Herndon at the end of the year. That crap needs to stop.

My MEC contributes gets back about 28-30 cents on the dollar. You tell me who is wasteful? I'm glad to see Airtran in ALPA, but the nature of the beast is that the LECs have very real contraints to what they are allowed to spend on. The National staff, however, is largely unencumbered with as many restrictions.

Frankly, I often proposed that we subcontract unit 1 stuff out to an Indian offshore operation. I did it strictly in irony, but it was very interesting watching how our union put the shoe on the other foot to negotiate with those employees. There was no shortage of irony in that process...
 
My MEC contributes gets back about 28-30 cents on the dollar. You tell me who is wasteful?

That figure is somewhat misleading, since all of the services provided from the A & S Account aren't included in what comes into your MEC accounts. Your attorneys, E & FA consultants, communications staff in Herndon, Council Services Coordinator, etc... don't come out of your budget. But yes, it's certainly true that an airline your size contributes a great deal to ALPA. The FDX MEC in particular has been incredibly responsible with their money. Unfortunately, many other MECs aren't. Take a look at the UAL MEC's expenditures. This is an airline that gets back about $6 million into their own accounts every year, yet they still manage to spend millions from the MCF. You couldn't be more irresponsible with the members' money if you tried.

I'm glad to see Airtran in ALPA, but the nature of the beast is that the LECs have very real contraints to what they are allowed to spend on.

True, yet many of them purposefully overspend just because they don't want "their" money going back to the A & S (never mind the fact that all LEC Accounts are funded from the A & S in the first place :rolleyes: ). I've seen LECs buy twice or even three times the amount of food they need for a Local Council meeting just because they're trying desperately to spend their Local Council budget for the year. It's nothing but waste. I'd love to see the EC propose some changes that would reduce the amount of money that large LECs get in their budgets. The straight per capita formula doesn't work, in my opinion.

The National staff, however, is largely unencumbered with as many restrictions.

True, and I see waste at that level also. The waste needs to be eliminated at all levels.
 
This is very dissapointing. I think ALPA should set a better example knowing that this would come to light in the media with everything going on. I hope they make it right and make a stand for a good example for all of us in this industry. Just my two cents. And btw I had to borrow those.
 

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