New ALPA President

[Shrek]

He starts in JAN.

 

[joevollers]

Almost half of the voters voted for DW.... Who? Why?.....

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

He is a resident of Edwardsville, IL

Talk about a small world.....

 

[snoopbomb]

Now we have a lame duck President about to turn sixty in charge, right when the vote about age sixty is in the lame duck Senate. Greaaat.

 

[Uniform Shop]

ALPA Delegates Elect Capt. John Prater as President

Pilots send clear message to industry of newly aggressive stance



LAS VEGAS, NV ---- The Board of Directors of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) today elected Captain John Prater, a B-767 Continental Airlines pilot, to serve as the 8th president in the union's history.



This decision sends a strong signal to the airline industry that ALPA pilots are prepared to move into a new period of strong, concerted action to rebuild their profession.



"The airline pilots of the United States and Canada today sent a clear message that their union desires to return to its roots of aggressive bargaining, strict contract enforcement, tenacious organizing, and pilot action to restore our contracts and our profession," Prater said in the wake of his election.



"After five years of concessionary bargaining, lost pensions, and battered work rules, our pilots are primed to take offensive action," Prater continued. "This may mean a return to the hard-nosed tactics of earlier years and a grassroots mobilization of each and every one of our members."



While the concessionary era in the airline industry is coming to a close, several airlines remain prisoners of the "1113 process" (whereby management can have labor contracts annulled by the bankruptcy court), and others are stalled in negotiations with their managements. This stagnation takes place while load factors are high, fuel prices are lower, and profits are rising.



"The airline industry survived because of the concessions pilots and other workers made," Prater said. "Now it is time for us to see a tangible return on these bitter investments."



Prater is a 28-year veteran of ALPA, having served extensively at all levels. From strike committee chairman to master chairman and a vice chairman of the international alliance, Wings Alliance (now part of the Skyteam Alliance), Prater brings a wealth of experience. His background includes union fights against notorious airline management figures Frank Lorenzo, Carl Icahn, and Dick Ferris.



The election was a contest between Prater and current ALPA President, Capt. Duane E. Woerth. Of the 47,968 votes cast, 24,444 went to Prater and 23,524 to Woerth. The new president will take office in January 2007.

 

[cynic]

Can you imagine this industry without ALPA. Pilots would be making 20K a year with no pay during training. They would be forced into sleeping on the plane and flying lines that preclude sleep.

Oh wait.... Yeah... uhh go ALPA.

 

[Zipperhead]

Good bye Duane Woerth...Thanks for nothin!!! What a piece of S&*t!!!

 

[FDJ2]

Almost half of the voters voted for DW.... Who? Why?.....

It appears that the issue was a matter of direction. Prater wants to rebuild ALPA from the bottom up. A grass roots old style union building approach. Woerth emphasized his Washington experience and the need to address legislative issues, with particular emphasis on regaining the right to strike. Both candidates were persuasive and ran positive campaigns despite the race being very close. Prater came out ahead. I don't know how the reps from other pilot groups voted, but most DAL MEC members voted for Prater, 10-3, I believe.

 

[vetrider]

Well I for one welcome the new direction, DW's Washington insider status hasn't exactly done a whole lot lately. Granted, the last several years have been trying, to say the least, but I think a dose of old school might just be what the doctor ordered.

 

[Drill Sgt. Dad]

Woerthless= Jobless
Duane Woerthless thank you very much for all your hard work. Woerthless did work hard because it took alot of effort to bring ALPA to its knees. Signing off on that crappy MESA deal set the regional industry back some 15 years. Lying to the CCAIR pilots and then reneging on your promise only to watch CCAIR go next to Westair in the grave, shows your true colors. Stating you will no longer sign off on concessionary agreements to finance mgt's refusal to raise fares because fuel prices were at an all time high. Yet, you signed right off on NWA and DAL. You agreed to sign off on agreements from US and UAL that destroyed quality of lives. Remember, the pilot groups can vote on these items, but it was up to Mr. Woerthless to read over and sign off on the deals and he did, thus weakening our collective bargaining stances while reading his articles Woerthless wrote in Airline pilot showed everyone he talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Mr Woerthless signed off on many deals at the regional carriers, ptting one ALPA carrier against the other as ACA was forced out on their own and eventually into the books of airline history. Signing off on crappy regional agreemnts also saw long time relationship with UAL/AWAC go astray as the regional airlines are shifting around looking for dance partners, oh did I mention screwing of the TWA pilots? Mid Atlantic? Even allowed PSA cheap rates to take RJs and leaving those poor PDT and ALG out to dry. Then you write an article in the ALPA magazine the practice of pay to play needs to cease after you started it?
How about your woerthless opinion on the age 60 rule?
In closing I would like to thank Mr. Woerth for his hard work and screwing over many ALPA pilot groups. Mr. Prater is faced with an unfair challenge he only has four years to fix up many years of Woerthless screwups.