Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Spirit Pilots Recall Frank Hann- Capt. Rep.

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

:-)

Hail Calvin
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Posts
525
PM »
QuoteModifyRemoveSplit Topic
Fellow Spirit Pilots,

As many of you are aware, at the next LEC 109 meeting on August 24th many of us are standing up for a leadership change by recalling Frank Hann, our current LEC 109 Captain Rep. This recall is not to be taken lightly, nor is it a personal attack on Frank Hann. This is a normal remedy and part of the political process in place as indicated in our ALPA constitution and by-laws.

This recall is a business decision brought about by a groundswell of desire for change, transparency, and effective communication from our Master Executive Council. Our MEC is in place to do the pilots’ business on our behalf. As such, OUR MEC should represent the interests of every member fairly and justly. Our MEC is funded with each individual’s hard earned money and we deserve effective leadership.

Sadly, we’ve had reports of pilots being verbally and physically threatened by union volunteers. Personal attacks have no place in a professional business environment. We must respect one another’s differing views and not allow this kind of unacceptable behavior. This MEC continues to do us all a disservice by turning a blind eye to these reports. “Strong arm” tactics are divisive and will not be tolerated.

Additionally, the company has approached the union on several occasions with proposals that were summarily dismissed without the knowledge of our membership. Even if a company proposal is unacceptable at the outset, the membership should be made aware of the details in a timely manner, not after the fact. We elect status representatives to do our business but we have a right to know the details of that business in a transparent and responsible manner. This was a promise made during Frank Hann's re-election bid. Unfortunately, communication has been very lacking and it is far from the leadership that we expected.

While many of us have differing views about the value of our current contract, one thing is certain, it is our contract, legal and binding and it must be followed and adhered to in total. We cannot accept rigorous compliance of select contract provisions that certain members of the MEC find important while other areas are ignored.

Furthermore, the grievance backlog is unmanageable. We still have open items from the previous contract ‘03 and there has been little progress. Many of our union volunteers work extremely hard for us on a variety of daily issues and follow the guidelines for flight pay loss, while others take questionable liberties. We have attached the ALPA Flight Pay Loss for our union for 2010 through June 2011, as you can see some union members have taken over $70K in flight pay loss for last year and are on track to do the same again this year. Why has this been continually hidden from us? You decide if this is abuse of our union dues.

This must come to a stop! This is not the leadership we voted for. We voted for change in the last election and we have not seen fair representation of the entire pilot group, transparency of union business, or clear communication.
Showing new faces to management will help us all succeed. We need to use the same tactics they use against us. We need a business like environment that doesn’t cross the line into cozy relationships with management. The MEC must remain professional and represent all pilots. A transparent MEC will gain the trust of its constituents through steady communication about all union business including expense reporting.

In closing, please understand that this recall is not just about the LEC 109 status representative, Frank Hann, but it is a larger issue of leadership, trust and integrity for our future. New candidates for LEC 109 Captain Rep will be sending out communications in the following days. These potential candidates are not part of the current MEC, and they will be asking for your support. It's time for a new approach. Volunteers that have been ineffective and irresponsible in their duties will be removed from service and replaced by those whose only agenda is fair representation across the spectrum of our pilot group!

Attached to this email is a complete list of the ALPA flight pay loss we pay for with our union dues. These documents show what the union has incurred in 2010 and 2011 year to date. You should have access to this information on a regular basis so that you know exactly where and how your dues money is being spent.

Attached you will find a proxy sheet to fill out if you cannot attend the LEC meeting. Each member in good standing that is able to attend the meeting can bring up to three proxies for those not attending. We need your support and we need a strong showing! Please make sure you either attend the meeting on August 24th, or make sure you give your completed proxy to someone who will attend. We encourage your comments and questions. Please write to: [email protected]

We are ready for change, are you?



Standing up for Spirit Pilots for Change; Respectfully,

Cole Brantley

First Officer, Fort Lauderdale



Below are some of the key issues we have identified:

Transparency: The MEC must be trustworthy. Trust is earned through action. There should be no more secretive negotiations or deals made behind closed doors without the knowledge of the pilot group. All flight pay loss and union budgets should be made available to all members quarterly.

Professionalism: The MEC must hold itself to a higher standard and treat all of its constituents with fairness and support. The MEC must take a stand against any form of unprofessional behavior from its elected and appointed officers. This includes professional behavior at all public and private meetings and maintaining a "business like" decorum.



Company Interaction: We need to show our new management that we intend to keep the company in compliance with our current contract while opening the door for a dialogue that will be advantageous to the company and our pilots. During negotiations the company offered the pilot group stock in order for us to take some ownership in the future of Spirit, the MEC including Frank Hann claimed that the company would never IPO. This is the sign of a lack of foresight and leadership by the MEC. We can’t have the same attitude that disadvantaged us in the IPO issue cause us another loss of potential improvement and gain. How many other opportunities have been lost due to egos and failed foresight of this MEC?


Membership: New hire pilots have been flowing in to Spirit without any union interaction whatsoever. How can we as a group show cohesiveness or expect these new pilots to be supportive in our causes if they have no idea of the union structure or how they are represented. We need those individuals to be met with a union representative who welcomes them into the fray, while guiding these new hire pilots on union structure and contract compliance. A union member rarely meets our furloughed pilots and new hires. Most other unions have an active membership committee that welcomes new hire classes with a union dues sponsored social event.

Communication: The MEC should have at least a monthly update for the pilots whether there is anything to report or not. The Twitter page, ALPA page, VARS, etc. have not been updated in months or years for some items. We need an effective line of communication for our pilots that include any pertinent information of union activity or interaction with the company.

On a personal note, I would like to state that while I have the support of many regarding my request for Frank Hann’s recall, I have put my name on this letter, I requested the recall be added to the agenda, I was not put up to this by anyone. I ask that those of you that either agree or disagree with this recall motion; please put your name on any correspondence to me regarding this issue, I will not hide behind an anonymous letter and I ask you do the same. This is an issue of leadership and integrity with our union operations, not a personal issue. I respect Frank Hann and mean no ill will. I am making a stand; we can have a constructive dialogue whether you are for or against. I will not be seeking a union leadership position; I will not have any personal gain from this recall, except better representation.
 
To my fellow council 109 members, 8-7-7-16-2011


My name is Alan Hensley. I would like to express my desire and willingness to be your Captain rep in FLL if in fact Frank Hann is recalled. I have been at Spirit since 2000 and as some of you know I was a past FLL first officer rep and also later a membership chairman. I would like to start of by saying I did not start this recall effort but I do support its efforts for reasons I will explain.

I respect Frank and believe he has truly meant to do the right thing for this pilot group. But after hearing your many complaints and making my own personal observation's of what this union has done, allowed and is still doing, I decided to learn more of the facts for myself. As I learned more of the facts it became apparent to me that as much as I like Frank, we have very different philosophies as to how the union has been and should be run. The fact that we differ in our views does not make this a personal attack, and I hope he does not take it as such. It has become clear Frank has allowed or not opposed some things that I believe to be detrimental to this pilot group or that I would have handled differently. Frank has allowed dominant personality's of the MEC officers to control the direction of this union for too long. (From our recent contract to present) Decisions by the MEC chair and vice chairman that have greatly affected our pilot group have been made without the consult of the pilot group and in one case even the consult of the LEC'S. This is contrary to the way ALPA Constitution and by-laws say it should work. Council 109 (FLL)which Frank represents is the largest pilot group in our two council union. I believe all pilots opinions and voices should be heard and considered.

I also believe that our union has become to adversarial with the company and its new management team. While blind faith is not an option and caution is always a must, most of you have seen that the new management group appears to be very sincere in making this a great place to work. I think the company's proposals should at least be discussed by the entire pilot group and not just tossed aside. Again, having been a rep before I know first hand that cautious discussion can sometimes lead to the benefit of both the pilot group and company. It doesn't hurt to listen and have an open dialog. If elected though I pledge to hold the line against any and all concessions.

I will share my view on the overtime issue so many of you have expressed your concerns about. Whether you believe the Union's road show explanation of "we gave up 150% so you could have float vacation" or the latter version of the union's "the company did not want it", it does not matter. This union either took it away from us or did not fight for it period. All of us know that we have a contract and it must be followed. How we have come to this point of no overtime is long and complicated. But I know this, unless you have only sat on reserve for the last 2 years or never worked any overtime you are making less overall now than you were then. How has that been allowed? I don't agree with it and the future will finish this story, I believe it is time for a different approach.

I want open communication from our union to the pilot group.

I want people in place that will work together to move us forward for the better.

I want ALL the pilots voices heard,regarded and considered.

In closing it has been brought to my attention that some people have been saying if Frank is recalled Matt Nowell will automatically take his place, due to Matt having been runner up in the last election. This is completely incorrect and whomever is saying it clearly has no understanding of the constitution and by-laws. If frank is recalled an interim rep takes his place until nominations are made and an election is held. This is defined in the ALPA by-laws under Article III D terms of office, F Recall of local council rep and Article III section 7 and 8A or call ALPA 1-888-FLY-ALPA balloting or legal dept.

Please if I can answer any questions feel free to call 941-356-3017 or E-mail [email protected]

Sincerely,

Alan Hensley
 
LEC 109 Pilots,


Overwhelming support for this recall of our LEC 109 Chairman has been pouring in with pilots beginning their own grassroots efforts. Volunteers have asked us to post this Proxy Meeting. This will be a chance for organizing of proxies and making sure all voices are heard even for those unable to show up to the LEC meeting. Free coffee and donuts are being provided, not out of your ALPA dues. Please show your support and stop by to either drop off your proxy or be available to carry your three proxies to the LEC meeting, thanks!!


DATE: Saturday August 20th and Tuesday, August 23, 2011

TIME: 0900 to 1100

PLACE: Dunkin Donuts
Conference Room
9170 W State Road 84
Davie, FL
954-533-5698

Free Coffee and Donuts

Directions: I-595 West. Get off at Pine Island. Go south. Enter shopping center on right and look for Dunkin Donuts signage.


Captain Chuck Capraro FLL
58574
954.336.5743 cell
 
Certainly one way to show a unified front is to recall our LEC reps.

Maybe for the first time in history a company will take the side of labor, and renegotiate the contract just because the 74% who voted yes couldn't figure out a bad deal when our union agreed to return to work prior to being fed that steaming pile of poop. Or at a return to work meeting where the reps were argumentative, dismissive and siad things like "you have to take into consideration the whole contract to get a good idea of how this is a win".
 
... I also believe that our union has become to [sic] adversarial with the company and its new management team. While blind faith is not an option and caution is always a must, most of you have seen that the new management group appears to be very sincere in making this a great place to work....

Oh, Boy.
 
Glad to see this MEC getting the boot, the ALPA flight pay loss has gotten so out of control fro themselves and their buddies that are not even in union positions!
 
Hensley replaces Hann

Dear Fellow Council 109 Pilots,

I would like to reiterate that this recall effort is not a personal attack on Frank Hann. I respect him and appreciate his time and dedication to this union. However, like many of you, I strongly believe it is time for a change. So many of you have expressed your unwavering support in letters and phone calls to me asking for a solution. Thank you for your confidence and trust. A few of you have also expressed your concerns about recalling Frank, a good man with integrity. Once again, this is an effort greater than one man. I believe I can make the changes we need for a better future but in order for this to happen, unfortunately Frank will have to be recalled.

The recent email from our MEC Chairman & Vice Chairman requires a counter-point response for several reasons. Below I’ve listed some of the claims made by Sean Creed and Andy Nelson, followed by my comments. They question:

1. “The Company has approached the (Association) union on several occasions with proposals that were summarily dismissed without the knowledge of our membership.”

2. “The recall life-style”

3. “The potentially dangerous motivation of the small group at the core of your unions beliefs”

4. “The accuracies of our contentions”

The 10 Airplane Deal:

According to the MEC CHR and Vice CHR in their letter:

“…the airplanes were only orders (not real metal), and they wouldn’t exchange anything for the reserve work rules except the airplanes themselves.”

Yet I’ve been informed by more than one source that the planes were to be delivered as soon as the company could staff and support them.
What was the company to do when the response from the Chair and Vice Chair was an emphatic ‘NO DEAL’? Is that the best way to negotiate? Tell the company to ‘pound sand’? So not only was the membership not informed but certain LEC representatives were also left out of the fold. This lack of transparency and disregard for the standard process of conferring with the elected status reps cannot be tolerated.

The current MEC administration states that the letter of agreement (LOA) process is working in a normal fashion. If that’s true then what would you have this pilot group take from the fact that in the last fourteen years all administrations before and many different management teams have agreed to approximately forty LOAs for the enhancement of our CBA (contract) and the pilot group at large?

Strangely, since this administration has been in place for the last four years NOT ONE has been signed.Or is it more likely that the folks interacting with the company don’t have the big picture?

Stock options:

I agree that Sean and Andy made a true statement. They stated that during negotiations the Company never presented any compensation proposals. That's probably true. Why would they when this administration has made it clear to the company and its pilot group on many occasions that they did not believe or have any data or any indication that the company would IPO? The MEC chairman stated this in the February 2011 LEC meeting. This was a huge mistake that we are all paying for right now. What kind of vision and business acumen do these guys have? Unacceptable!

I’ve worked at Spirit Airlines for 12 years and it's been pretty clear to everyone that a buyer or going public was the sole purpose for this airline's existence. Ben Baldanza has made it clear on many occasions that an IPO was a stated goal to raise capital and help expand the airline. How is it that we get nothing for all of our years of hard work keeping this company running on a shoestring budget?!

New hire pilots:

As a previous membership chair I am delighted that this union has greeted the new-hire classes. But I also have to express my disappointment in the fact that none of our recalled furloughed pilots were welcomed back by this group. We can and should do better.

Communication:

They are right that communication has been a problem for the last four years during this MEC’s tenure. It is a very important issue that I wish to greatly improve upon. If nothing else comes out of this recall effort, the fact that after four years of paltry communication this administration has finally decided it needs improvement. Thanks for updating the MEC website that until last week, had not been updated in years. Better communication will be a key tenet in my platform should I have the opportunity to serve you as the next LEC 109 Chairman.

But if it took four years to realize the communication shortcomings and members are to believe this effort is simply a small group of individuals with a “dangerous motivation,” that only proves how out of touch this administration is with its constituents.

This is not about 150% WDO or JA 200% or any other single issue. This is about the good sense to proceed with intelligence and caution as we navigate a new and uncharted course into the future. The company will have growing pains and we need to be positioned to negotiate for the benefit of the entire spectrum of pilots. We can’t be satisfied that “we got it just the way we want it, so let’s not do anything.” That is a recipe for failure and we want to succeed.

Burning it down-recall lifestyle:

The recall is a powerful tool they state that is to be used when all else fails and no one will listen. They ask “has all else failed here?” Their belief that because only 26% of the pilot group voted ‘no’ to the contract means only 26% of the pilot group is unhappy with the way this union has operated shows again an unfortunate disconnect with the pilot group. The February LEC meeting made it pretty clear no one in this administration is in touch with anyone outside of a select circle of cronies. They just aren’t listening.

Why would anyone bother with a resolution for anything when the overall attitude is haughty and contentious? Also I find it odd that Sean emphasizes caution about a “remove and replace” strategy and claims that building consensus from all pilots is the “way to run a union.” I feel compelled to remind members that more than a few people associated with and part of this MEC have used this recall tool not once or twice but three times in the past when they felt they were not being justly represented. I am puzzled by why it was OK then, but it’s divisive now.

The heart of the matter:

According to the MEC Chair and Vice Chair the only issue this ‘little group’ is concerned with is “premium pay at all costs.” Maybe we should think about why this administration has limited your ability to earn “premium pay.” Everyone will remember that they published a JA list simply to shame people into not working any overtime.

Their contention that we should all make the same amount of pay no matter what our situation or where we live has gone beyond extreme. Do you pay ALPA dues to have this MEC tell you how much or little you can work? Let’s have flexibility so that everyone’s needs can be met.

They say we have no consideration for the needs of the pilots “through upgrades, recalls and staffing.” Simple math will tell you that by the company not having an overtime premium incentive, it forces them to have more pilots on property than needed for the low flying season. Conversely, during peak flying months it is difficult to have schedule flexibility. This can lead to possible furloughs for first officers and downgrades to captains. As you know the company asked for voluntary unpaid leaves of absence in September. So far only one person has accepted. Having an incentive for overtime allows the Company to more evenly staff our very unique and seasonal airline. Those who want to fly overtime can, and those who do not, can simply fly their line as published or drop trips for additional time off when needed.

I wasn't even going to address the fear mongering they put in their letter about me eliminating the four-day off provision and transition conflict, however I must. I'm a commuter, what do you think?

I have no intention of giving away anything that would harm our members be they commuters or those who live in base.

When the company had a need for more seasonally adjusted flying to be done in the past, the incentive for pilots came in the form of 150% WDO pay. It cost our members nothing. I believe a similar agreement is ours to be had if we put a MEC in place that will actually negotiate with the company in a business like manner. I think your views and opinions should count in this process. The bottom line here is this MEC continues to operate under the belief that they know what is best for you without hearing your opinion. Is that really the kind of representation you want?


Additionally let me address this MEC’s contention that you got a raise in exchange for 150%. Nothing could be further from the truth. All they did was redistribute the money by forcing you to work overtime at straight pay instead of at 150%. Then they claim because your hourly rate went up you got a raise. Effectively, it’s a redistribution of money and we ended up with the short end of the stick…again.

Please attend the meeting on 8-24-11 and have your voice heard.

Finally, I have re-read both Cole Brantley’s letter and mine. I hope you have read them also. Frank’s professionalism was never brought into question by either letter. It was not, and never will be by me. I look forward to speaking to you personally.

Again please continue to reach out to me if you have questions or comments 941-356-3017.

Sincerely


Alan Hensley


Reply | Reply with quote | Notify of replies
 
LEC 109 Pilots,


Overwhelming support for this recall of our LEC 109 Chairman has been pouring in with pilots beginning their own grassroots efforts. Volunteers have asked us to post this Proxy Meeting. This will be a chance for organizing of proxies and making sure all voices are heard even for those unable to show up to the LEC meeting. Free coffee and donuts are being provided, not out of your ALPA dues. Please show your support and stop by to either drop off your proxy or be available to carry your three proxies to the LEC meeting, thanks!!


DATE: Saturday August 20th and Tuesday, August 23, 2011

TIME: 0900 to 1100

PLACE: Dunkin Donuts
Conference Room
9170 W State Road 84
Davie, FL
954-533-5698

Free Coffee and Donuts

Directions: I-595 West. Get off at Pine Island. Go south. Enter shopping center on right and look for Dunkin Donuts signage.


Captain Chuck Capraro FLL
58574
954.336.5743 cell

I don't know which is more incredible-that you posted this guy's cell number or that Dunkin Donuts has a conference room.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top