“When we are in partnership and have stopped clutching each other's throats, when we have stopped enslaving each other, we will stand together, hands clasped, and be friends. We will be comrades, we will be brothers, and we will begin the march to the grandest civilization the human race has ever known.â€
So spoke Eugene Victor Debs from his home in Girard , Kansas on May 14, 1908. Debs founded the American Railway Union in June 1883 and was the most recognized and feared leader of the labor movement in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. In his three runs for President, Debs received a higher percentage of votes of any third party candidate up until that date, except for Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party in 1912.
While his words may sound dated, his message is prophetic and still strikes a chord in all those who truly believe in solidarity, unity and the labor movement. But Mr. Debs’ words must also strike a chord for all those pilots at US Airways, who today live in this ongoing purgatory of not knowing what our seniority fate might be and figuratively “clutching each others’ throats.â€
A cadre of East rank and file members is actively pursuing a representation drive in an attempt to remove ALPA as the Collective Bargaining Agent of both pilot groups. Although the term “De-Certification†does not appear in the NMB book on “representation†elections, we all understand the concept and what is going on. The intent of that rank and file grass root organization is to remove (de-certify) ALPA as our CBA.
U-Turn has remained silent on the issue of ALPA “De-Certificationâ€â€¦until now. We believe this Labor Day is a fitting moment to begin expressing our opinion. We will do so in a series of articles. We will explain our opinion, how we arrived at it, as well as the pros and cons of a “de-certification†election. U-Turn does have a position that it will announce at the conclusion of these articles. Meanwhile, we believe it is essential that every pilot, whether East or West, understands what is at stake…the up side and the down side of removing ALPA as the US Airways CBA. We will attempt to give you a prospective that you are not getting from your respective MECs.
U-Turn has made a number of statements on the subject of “The List†over the past three months. Regardless of how one feels about “The List,†it was reached during binding arbitration. And “it is what it is.†We do not believe a change in our Collective Bargaining Agent can change the list. ALPA, however, believes they can change the list into a living, breathing, working document in which all sides will find nirvana and Hog Heaven. According to our fearless leaders in Herndon, the impact of the “List†can be modified by (how did the Rice Committee put it?)…by:
“…discussion focused on the Executive Council’s recent resolution, which calls on all parties to explore solutions that may lead to a merged agreement, umbrella agreements, or multiple agreements.â€
You’ve GOT to love the Herndon spin. Attempting to get two MECs to comply with the will of the Executive Council and agree to:
“…developing consensual approaches that promote mutual career protection and mutual success.â€
We’ve got to wonder. Which is more ridiculous…The absurd EC Resolutions or Herndon’s misguided belief that any of them will work?
Meanwhile, four months after the “Nic†decision was handed down, it has still not been presented to the company.
WHY?
U-Turn can come to no other conclusion other than ALPA National doesn’t have the will or the courage to present it. The question obviously becomes: why not? Why not present “The List†to the company and be done with it, letting the chips fall where they may?
We have an answer to that question. It’s called dues money!
While not presenting the list frustrates West pilots, presenting the list would most certainly add enough cards to the USAPA campaign to force an election and potentially enough support from the East alone to potentially remove ALPA.
The failure by ALPA National to either fish or cut bait leaves both sides vulnerable to the whip-sawing that we now see going on. It allows both ALPA and the company to wear down the resolve of both East and West. Any doubt that isn’t going on right now?
Cutting to the chase, the ALPA National “Rope-a-Dope†will continue until there is enough pressure put on ALPA to either fish or cut bait regarding presenting the Nicolau Award. And it makes no difference where that pressure comes from.
Out West many of us have sent emails to Herndon. Many have removed themselves from DCO. Others claim to be refusing to pay dues. Over 200 pilots showed up to protest the Rice Committee and ALPA’s refusal to present the list. And our MEC has been relentless in its campaign against the East. But it has all been for naught. The list still has not been presented. We are no closer to that list being presented today than we were four months ago.
We at U-Turn (and U-Turn is more than just two “renegade†West pilots) believe that the only way to make ALPA present the list is to threaten Herndon with its life’s blood: your union dues. Right now the only organized threat to ALPA’s $6 million in yearly dues money is the threat of a representation election campaign being carried out by USAPA. They are the only game in town. Are we supporting the USAPA drive? We’ll answer that in article three of this series. If you think you got a hint of the answer in this U-Turn…you probably bet on Michigan last weekend.
NEXT: The Pros and Cons of sending in an interest card.
Part III: The Pros and Cons of voting ALPA off the Island
Part IV: What U-Turn thinks we should do and why…
For the Mighty U-Turn
