UAX Letter to UAL Pilots over jumpseat dispute.

[PCL_128]

We had about 9 people on full time ALPA leave....Communications, Family Awareness, SPC....It is over used.....and then when the budget comes up short they come to the members for more....There is too much full time ALPA leave....

That's an issue for your own carrier, and I actually agree that your MEC probably used a little too much buy. ALPA National doesn't control that. The CMR MEC was always notorious in days past for the same thing. Not sure how the new MEC is handling union leave, though. In any case, even if you limit full time buy to the bare minimum, as we did on the PCL MEC (the CNC only got it when actively preparing or negotiating, plus the MEC Chairman), then you still rack up about $400k per year during negotiations just in FPL. That doesn't even count the attorney you'd have to put on retainer, the specialist attorneys you'd have to pay by the hour for issues like scope and retirement, E & FA, per diem and other travel costs, SPC expenses, etc.... Under no circumstances could an independent regional union support themselves adequately during contract negotiations. It'll never add up.

 

[JoeMerchant]

You'll never get the two groups combined with your fantasy independent union, Decertification Fairy. Never happen. You can only count on your own carrier's income, and as SaturnPilot demonstrated, you don't have the revenue to support even a minimally functional independent union.

I think a deal could be reached....especially if it included an independant union....

A combined list would require a representational election and I doubt ALPA would win the election.....

Again, I'm not currently advocating decertification....although quite a few are....I like having the DFR hammer...

 

[PCL_128]

I think a deal could be reached...

And I think you're smoking some high-quality ganja if you believe that.

 

[WalterSobchak]

And I think you're smoking some high-quality ganja if you believe that.

Would this be the same California gold that you smoke that leads you to believe that anyone here still gives a rat's arse about anything you have to say?

 

[dispatchguy]

It's amazing.

This jumpseat issue has devolved into an ALPA-No ALPA pissing match.

Hell, any discussion on FI here can devolve into one of those anymore.

What were we originally discussing?

 

[Speedtape]

We had about 9 people on full time ALPA leave....Communications, Family Awareness, SPC....It is over used.....and then when the budget comes up short they come to the members for more....There is too much full time ALPA leave....

1. Overused? Compared to what standard? Is the standard that you were setting when you were on full time leave?

2. When the budget comes up short, they come to the members for more? Does anyone remember the ASA MEC coming to you for any assessment? I must have missed that! YOUR SPIN is not a FACT and your credibility just went down the TUBE!

3. Did you complain about full time ALPA leave when you were on full time ALPA LEAVE? Pleeease!

4. I checked out your story. Presently, in effect, there are only 2 pilots on "Full time Leave." Those 2 are the MEC Chairman and the other is a pilot that was on the negotiating team/implementation team--he is now in training to go back to the line! The Vice Chairman is flying a partial line. Get your facts straight.

 

[Speedtape]

I think a deal could be reached....especially if it included an independant union....

A combined list would require a representational election and I doubt ALPA would win the election.....

Again, I'm not currently advocating decertification....although quite a few are....I like having the DFR hammer...

An independent union will not happen! Some were here for that dog and pony show before! It didn't work then, thus ALPA! ALPA has been much more effective than the independent union!

A combined list? J.A. will never let that happen! There are corporate and financial reasons why the two companies will always be kept separate. It's called limiting your financial libility. It's the same reason that Delta never combined Comair and ASA--and it had two willing brides! Although the two companies (Skywest and ASA) will most likely be kept separate, that would not prohibit one list--but, it's unlikely! From talking to friends at Skywest, one of the biggest reasons that ALPA failed there was that there was a perception by the Skywest pilots that voting in ALPA WOULD force a combined list. The majority of the Skywest pilots do not want to combine the seniority lists. Give it up--Hillary will not be in the White House either!

Decertification? Quite a few are? There Maybe a few, but none of the ones that are that vocal are people who will put their actions where their MOUTH is--plain an simple! Grumble, Grumble, Grumble--but no follow through! The vast majority know that it would be a mistake! Give it up!

 

[Speedtape]

To address the thread: Go UAX pilots! UALPA will not do the right thing unless they are forced to! Or, they would have already done it!

 

[PCL_128]

Would this be the same California gold that you smoke that leads you to believe that anyone here still gives a rat's arse about anything you have to say?

This coming from a dispatcher on a pilot message board?

 

[XPOO]

This coming from a dispatcher on a pilot message board?

Oh, sorry, does this forum say "Regionals" or "Regional Pilots"?

 

[WalterSobchak]

This coming from a dispatcher on a pilot message board?

Regionals(91 Viewing)
Regionals and related discussions.

I don't see the word "pilot" anywhere on there. What I do see is a "Major/LCC" (whichever Citrus is today...) pilot constantly cruising the "Regionals" board. Did they run your annoying @$$ off those boards?

Regional dispatchers have more of a dog in this UAX jumpseat fight than you...thus, we will continue to post here.

 

[say again]

Will printing out a copy of the priority list help in the interim? Pilots that j/s should have a copy to "remind" the waste agents the proper priority per airline.

 

[WalterSobchak]

Will printing out a copy of the priority list help in the interim? Pilots that j/s should have a copy to "remind" the waste agents the proper priority per airline.

While the system sorts jumpseaters improperly...our respective jumpseat priority lists are still buried in Apollo.

Have the the gate agent look this up in Apollo...

S*UAL/OMC-UAX

It brings up a menu where the agent can see each individual UAX carrier's actual OMC jumpseat priority.

 

[JoeMerchant]

1. Overused? Compared to what standard? Is the standard that you were setting when you were on full time leave?

During Contract '98 we had a total of 4 people on full time ALPA leave...The negotiators also flew about 30 hours a month while on fulltime ALPA leave....This time we had 9 people on fulltime ALPA leave...most of which never flew....You tell me what the "standard" is....

2. When the budget comes up short, they come to the members for more? Does anyone remember the ASA MEC coming to you for any assessment? I must have missed that! YOUR SPIN is not a FACT and your credibility just went down the TUBE!

ALPA national is coming up short now...and they are coming to the membership for more dues now....just like the Federal Govt....Live within your means...Don't come to us for more money.....

3. Did you complain about full time ALPA leave when you were on full time ALPA LEAVE? Pleeease!

I flew about 30 hours a month while on leave....The negotiators this time hardly flew....2 of them didn't fly the entire 5 years! YGTBSM!

4. I checked out your story. Presently, in effect, there are only 2 pilots on "Full time Leave." Those 2 are the MEC Chairman and the other is a pilot that was on the negotiating team/implementation team--he is now in training to go back to the line! The Vice Chairman is flying a partial line. Get your facts straight.

We had 9 on full time leave during negotiations....and why does the Vice Chairman need to be on ALPA leave....Oh that's right.....He is working for ALPA national now....

Too much FPL in ALPA....Too much ALPA national officer pay.....Cut that before you come to me for more dues money....

 

[Poahi]

Pilots that j/s should have a copy to "remind" the waste agents the proper priority per airline.

Just wait until the UAX mangement groups get involved in this one. When UAL/UAX pilots start missing their showtimes, it's going to get really ugly. Ironically, I'd bet SWA is going to pick up most of the slack. I say ironically, because they are also going to pick the passegers from United cancelled fllights.