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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.
QuoteModifyRemoveSplit TopicFellow 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.
