To Cactus737
For the West...
"or.... why in the heck would a West pilot support USAPA?"
To our West Brothers and Sisters:
We doubt if USAPA is ever going to change your opinion on removing ALPA as the CBA on our combined properties, but whether you believe it or not, the reality is that a representation election is coming. The following is not to elicit your support but to give you a few things to think about. Ask yourself not just what ALPA has done for you since 1994, ask what ALPA has done to you? Alternatively, quoting my friend (removed) as he addressed John Prater in person, "the question is not 'what has ALPA done for us lately?' it's 'what has ALPA done for us ever ?' "
You might ask why I, as a 21-year US Airways employee, would have any insight into AWA? The answer is from personal experience. I was living in PHX when AWA was formed, and in-fact seriously considered working there. (Right or wrong, I turned down an interview at AWA to accept employment at [then] USAir.) I have therefore followed news at AWA longer than many of you have worked there. I still have a few good friends at AWA who have related their ALPA experiences to me over the years. My best friend is an AWA Captain and was Best Man in my wedding, and I am the step-son of (removed), who was AWA’s manager of crew scheduling for about 5 years and manager of Labor Relations for about 4 years. Finally, I have for some time been trying to gain insight as to the grievance the West pilots have with ALPA, and why you too started a decertification movement (led as I'm sure you know, by your current MEC Chairman who now states that ALPA is a good deal for the West). I have then (I hope) gained the desired insight.
From what I understand, ALPA has not done all that much good for AWA pilots and ALPA’s track record proves it. Few AWA pilots know the details behind your first contract in 1995. Things started off with Jerry Glass literally teaching AWA negotiators how to negotiate against him. Yes, as far back as the early 1990s, through an arrangement with ALPA and the AFL-CIO, Jerry Glass taught courses at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies. Mr. Glass sized up the strengths and weaknesses of the four original AWA negotiators while teaching them how to negotiate. That made for very easy pickings for negotiations that lasted less than six months.
ALPA wanted your first negotiations concluded quickly. Until you had a contract, ALPA couldn’t collect union dues. ALPA was also concerned about the company threat of a merger with then non-union Continental. Non-union also meant no dues. (If you don't think that much of National's actions now revolve around protecting $11.2M/yr in dues, you ought to give it some more thought; it certainly doesn't revolve around what's best for the pilots, East or West!) To wrap things up quickly and secretly, ALPA convinced two of your negotiators to join them and the company in negotiating outside of Phoenix in a secret location that your MEC didn’t even know about.
What you ended up with was a contract that was hastily put together. You voted on a five page summary and most of the snail-mail ballots were already mailed in before you even had a rough draft. ALPA President Randy Babbitt declared it "the best first contract in ALPA history." One of your negotiators, Dale Cook, refused to sign it or show up for the ceremony. How right he turned out to be. Just three months later, I understand that you recalled and removed your Vice Chairman from office and almost removed your Chairman as well.
The hastily written and often contradictory language in this "best first contract in ALPA history" created over 800 grievances that (removed) dealt with over a five year period. There were very few wins, because as (removed) used to say, “There’s a reason the contract cover is gray.†But even when you had a sure win, ALPA chose to negotiate rather than go to arbitration. The company dodged a major bullet when ALPA’s Herndon staff settled your “Great Sick-out†grievance for about $500 and without precedent. That grievance was settled 30 minutes prior to an arbitration hearing.
ALPA then convinced you to be their guinea pig and negotiate your second contract using IBB. After 16 months of negotiations, with little to show for the effort other than writing prisoner of war and internment language, 9-11 occurred. So instead of having the leverage to trade away concessions, you ended up negotiating under the shadow of the ATSB loans. ALPA once again called the shots. After the second TA was voted down, ALPA violated your own MEC resolution and stuffed a third TA down your throats.
Before you think that the recent EC resolutions were an example of ALPA fairness, look back to July 2005, when ALPA passed a resolution that allowed the East to have equal access to MCF money for merger-related purposes, even though Section 45 specifically prohibited it. That would have stayed under the radar and you would have never known if one of your pilots hadn’t stumbled across it.
I know most, if not nearly all of you believe USAPA is all about Nicolau; nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that the Nicolau award was the straw that broke the back of the East pilots, we have for many years realized that we would be better off on our own than with a national "association" with conflicting interests and primarily concerned with dues money. This was demonstrated years ago by our first decertification movement; regretfully one that did not come to fruition. Dozens of USAPA volunteers have worked tirelessly (actually, that's wrong, I'm dog tired) to create from the pilot up, a brand new union. We have looked at everything that has ticked us off over the years, and we have worked to create a union that does things better, more efficiently, and from beginning to end, with nothing but the pilots in mind. I will tell you that in early meetings there were smiles in the room when we realized (after grappling with a problem) that we could do anything we wanted, anything the pilots wanted; we weren't stuck with "what National wants." It really is liberating once you start thinking 'outside the Herndon box,' I urge you to give it a try.
It seems that escaping the iron grip of ALPA is akin to escaping a bad marriage - easier said than done. Regretfully, after nearly a year, an equally dedicated and selfless group at UAL (the PEARL group) has thrown in the towel. Quoting one of their founders in an email to me, "These guys love to whine, but when you put a ballot in their hands or ask them to remove their ALPA pin and replace it with a UPA pin, they simply lacked the courage." Is that you?
He continued, "Now we're all going to get what we deserve with ALPA's amateur negotiators trying to go toe-to-toe with hired guns and the meanest mgmt in the industry. It's only going to get worse here. With 6% inflation and another 4 yrs before we actually have a new contract, we'll take another 25% pay cut--with little chance that ALPA can get anything like a 25%+ pay raise. Our standard of living now is probably higher than it will be AFTER our next contract. And the pilots here are playing ostrich and won't wake up to any of this til after they all vote yes and it's too late." Sound a bit familiar? Even probable? Scary, eh? THAT is why USAPA exists, not because of Nicolau. Please read the following a couple of times, slowly, if the Nicolau award was put into effect today, the decertification movement would continue - it's not all about Nicolau; it's all about getting rid of ALPA.
So... yes we disagree on the award, but you'd be surprised about how much we do agree on when it comes to ALPA; we'll work the rest out. (You'd also be surprised at how much time is spent in USAPA meetings and discussions on how the West pilots can, and should, be protected.)
Finally, I'll ask you again the same question my friend (removed) asked Prater, "What has ALPA done for (you) ever?"
Fraternally,
(removed)
Chairman / USAPA Communications
I've been vainly advocating compromise from the start of my board time here. You can understand the inherent frustration with having, untill very recently, heard nothing but "Righteous Position"...and variations on "It's all your guys fault anyway", "You're sheep/chickens/whatever", "You won't ever get more than 200 cards" and "The time for negotiations has passed". I like the poster. At least it'd be someplace to start from 
...Unless the dark area's where the holster top starts. :angry:
