Nice B6 history lesson

[BLUE BAYOU]

Jury rules against ALPA in TWA lawsuit today... Can't wait to see how good ALPA's insurance policy is for this one...

A federal jury in New Jersey said that the Air Line Pilots Association did not fairly represent former TWA pilots' interests when the carrier merged with American Airlines. The lawsuit, filed by ex-TWA pilots in 2002, said the union pressured TWA members during the merger discussions and acted in bad faith as it and the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, negotiated a seniority list. American bought TWA's assets out of bankruptcy in 2001 for $4.2 billion. The jury also found that the Air Line Pilots union's "violation of its duty of fair representation" caused injury to some TWA pilots. The jury has not decided how much damages should be awarded to the former TWA employees. For more airline industry news, read Sky Talk at star-telegram.com/blogs.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/07/13/3220026/business-briefs-jury-rules-in.html#ixzz1S6iKIs9D​

 

[B6Busdriver]

Jury rules against ALPA in TWA lawsuit today... Can't wait to see how good ALPA's insurance policy is for this one...

A federal jury in New Jersey said that the Air Line Pilots Association did not fairly represent former TWA pilots' interests when the carrier merged with American Airlines. The lawsuit, filed by ex-TWA pilots in 2002, said the union pressured TWA members during the merger discussions and acted in bad faith as it and the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, negotiated a seniority list. American bought TWA's assets out of bankruptcy in 2001 for $4.2 billion. The jury also found that the Air Line Pilots union's "violation of its duty of fair representation" caused injury to some TWA pilots. The jury has not decided how much damages should be awarded to the former TWA employees. For more airline industry news, read Sky Talk at star-telegram.com/blogs.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/07/13/3220026/business-briefs-jury-rules-in.html#ixzz1S6iKIs9D​

Welcome back troll. When you get screwed by the direct relationship, who will you sue?

 

[Fins Up]

I'm flying with a TWA guy now. He tells me he and many of the other TWAers are voting for ALPA regardless of the outcome of the trial. Why? In his/their opinions, a CBA is the goal here. The fact the ALPA is the only avenue for us at this point is a detail; a big one, but a detail nonetheless. Also, the laws, ALPA leadership, and processes have changed immensely since back then. (I hope I'm summarizing him accurately.)

If you have a lot of TWA folks and USAir folks still willing to vote for ALPA in order to secure a CBA, that says a lot.

There is no longer any question in my mind about the copmany's inability to protect my career. The "5 documents" and PEA have more holes than the dreaded swiss cheese model.

 

[Fubijaakr]

He's right, Fins. Bond/McCaskill was a direct result of the TWA guys getting screwed in the AA merger.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

Welcome back troll. When you get screwed by the direct relationship, who will you sue?

You know what, you're right guys. I've been so screwed the last 10 years here at Jetblue, I should join your ranks. The last guy I flew with said I know nothing about ALPA because he's been at four previous ALPA carriers!!! LOL, he's right, but I'll take my 10 years without a furlough or major concession over his turmoiled career any day. Guys like him explains it all!!!

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

I'm flying with a TWA guy now. He tells me he and many of the other TWAers are voting for ALPA regardless of the outcome of the trial. Why? In his/their opinions, a CBA is the goal here. The fact the ALPA is the only avenue for us at this point is a detail; a big one, but a detail nonetheless. Also, the laws, ALPA leadership, and processes have changed immensely since back then. (I hope I'm summarizing him accurately.)

If you have a lot of TWA folks and USAir folks still willing to vote for ALPA in order to secure a CBA, that says a lot.

There is no longer any question in my mind about the copmany's inability to protect my career. The "5 documents" and PEA have more holes than the dreaded swiss cheese model.

We will never know what the 5 documents in its final form would've looked like because of ALPA's premature filing. The documents you first saw was only a draft. I flew with a PVC member who said they were about a month out from sending it back to the pilots to review, but "wooosh" a year's worth of negotiations goes right down the toilet with ALPAs filing... Great job guys. I can't wait to give something up in negotiations in our first contract for what we could've had for free if ALPA could've just waited a few weeks... I guess they knew our agenda and showed who was in control--

 

[Blue Dude]

You know what, you're right guys. I've been so screwed the last 10 years here at Jetblue, I should join your ranks. The last guy I flew with said I know nothing about ALPA because he's been at four previous ALPA carriers!!! LOL, he's right, but I'll take my 10 years without a furlough or major concession over his turmoiled career any day. Guys like him explains it all!!!

Look, guy, the last ten years have had their ups and downs, mostly ups. I fully agree with you there. But the DR has exactly no teeth if we need representation for a transactional event. There is an arguably small but non-zero chance of one happening here before we retire, but even a 2% chance becomes 100% if it happens to you. Do you really think that we stand a snowball's chance of preserving our current pay and lifestyle if the board decides it's in the shareholders' best interests to merge this company with another airline? Even if we do ultimately prevail in court, how many years will it take and how much will it cost us? No matter what you think of ALPA or how they spend dues, a 2% career insurance premium is a bargain and the fact is they've cleaned house and they're on a roll. DAL/NWA, UAL/CAL, SWA/Tranny, all going well from a historical standpoint.

Before you get started with irrelevancies like TWA or the UAL lawsuit, TWA was 10 years ago and they're only now getting their day in court. UAL was a result of misbehavior by the locally elected representatives, not ALPA National. How would you like to still be dealing with a 2015 merger in 2025? I plan to retire in 2028. I would never be made whole if I have to fight 10 years to get my own money back. The lack of tax deferred 401k growth alone would prohibit it, especially at the current industry trailing contribution rate. The 5 docs could be airtight, awesome, legally perfect, but they are precedent setting. Read: lots and lots of time, money and our pay and retirement down the drain while they are sorted out in court. You might be independently wealthy, I don't know, but I'm the household breadwinner and I can't afford to be a legal test case. That's really the bottom line with me. I don't like State Farm's internal policies, but they are solvent, offer decent insurance for the price, and I can't afford an uninsured loss. I look at ALPA the same way.

 

[Fins Up]

We will never know what the 5 documents in its final form would've looked like because of ALPA's premature filing. The documents you first saw was only a draft. I flew with a PVC member who said they were about a month out from sending it back to the pilots to review, but "wooosh" a year's worth of negotiations goes right down the toilet with ALPAs filing... Great job guys. I can't wait to give something up in negotiations in our first contract for what we could've had for free if ALPA could've just waited a few weeks... I guess they knew our agenda and showed who was in control--

It is very hard to believe the your naivete is real. (Even I wasn't that bad.(Quiet Fubi!))I guarantee ALPA didn't give a crap about when the 5 docs were supposedly going to be submitted, modified, voted on, whatever. Only a draft...about a month away....phantom goodies we "could've had in a few weeks"?? Give me a break.

I don't want to pound on you just for the sake of it but, holy crap; take the blinders off, man. Stop believing just want you want to believe. As I have said, I was anti-union/anti-ALPA for a long time. But removing emotion and looking at what's in writing, there is no way the docs and a PEA are going to protect my career or yours should there be a buyout/merger with anyone. I don't live in fear of the buyout/merger, but I have to be prepared for one anyway.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

It is very hard to believe the your naivete is real. (Even I wasn't that bad.(Quiet Fubi!))I guarantee ALPA didn't give a crap about when the 5 docs were supposedly going to be submitted, modified, voted on, whatever. Only a draft...about a month away....phantom goodies we "could've had in a few weeks"?? Give me a break.

I don't want to pound on you just for the sake of it but, holy crap; take the blinders off, man. Stop believing just want you want to believe. As I have said, I was anti-union/anti-ALPA for a long time. But removing emotion and looking at what's in writing, there is no way the docs and a PEA are going to protect my career or yours should there be a buyout/merger with anyone. I don't live in fear of the buyout/merger, but I have to be prepared for one anyway.

So what happened at Midwest Airlines then? Did ALPA just forget about them when they were bought by Republic? We have pilots here who don't even buy Short Term disability-- don't tell me that ALPA is an insurance policy...

ALPA is an old, dying, organization with a poor balance sheet and pending litigation. Their membership has been on a huge decline the last ten years, mostly due to all the furloughs they couldn't prevent or the members they couldn't help (USAIR). When Delta and United leave their ranks, we'll be left paying for Herndon's lavish lifestyle...


BTW that 2% will be nothing compared to what we could potentially lose in negotiations. First contracts are almost always concessionary in some form. Remember we don't start from the baseline of what we have now, we will be starting with a blank sheet of paper. The company will find a way to make us the poster child for the other work groups... With 20 years remaining, my dues will amount to at least $100000. Quite a pricey insurance policy... ALPA can not prevent M/As. It can only facilitate in the process and I've seen enough to see that they aren't worth my 100 grand...

 

[Dizel8]

BTW that 2% will be nothing compared to what we could potentially lose in negotiations. First contracts are almost always concessionary in some form. Remember we don't start from the baseline of what we have now, we will be starting with a blank sheet of paper. The company will find a way to make us the poster child for the other work groups... With 20 years remaining, my dues will amount to at least $100000. Quite a pricey insurance policy... ALPA can not prevent M/As. It can only facilitate in the process and I've seen enough to see that they aren't worth my 100 grand...

You keep say that first contracts are concessionary, but when I asked you a while back to show me some examples, none were forthcoming. Are you fibbing?

Of course, if by concessionary in "some form" mean they take away the Kew Shuttle but I get industry standard retirement, by all means, sign me up.

Yep, we start with a blank piece of paper, but untill all the T's are crossed and I's are dotted and the group accepts the contract, then the PEA remains the staus quo.

If the company wants to make us the poster child for the other groups, they can certainly try, but then, what does that say about management. You have probably heard the saying:"A company gets the Union it derseves!" Case in point, AMR vs. SWA.

As for your 100K, you might want to listen to the JAOC podcast and learn how much your retirement shortfall really is, or you could believe the company math. Entirely your choice!