Gentlemen,
I am viewing the increasing rhetoric of some current and former reps clamoring for “separate operations†as the path to follow for our pilots with increasing dismay. They know better. Something is not right.
Some background may be helpful. In mid-July the two MEC’s were brought together with the Executive Council in DC. From that meeting the “Rice Committee†(RC) was formed. Paul Rice is the First Vice-President of ALPA. One week later our MEC met in DC and passed resolutions to engage in RC discussions and pursue a path of “permanent separate operations†with the West. The resolution for “permanent and separate†was written by Kim Snider and moved by Garland Jones. It passed unanimously.
At our first RC meeting I informed Paul Rice and Bruce York (Director of Representation) of the MEC resolution. Paul said it would not work. Why, I asked? It is against ALPA policy was his reply. Bruce York went so far as to call the resolution “dumbâ€. I dutifully reported their comments back to the MEC. Throughout the two months of RC activity we were constantly being pushed toward a short transition period with an eventual implementation of the Nicolau award. The period favored by those from ALPA appeared to be two years as that number was constantly used in their examples and questions.
Eventually the RC died a quiet death, but many of our reps began to come around to an attempt at a “joint†solution. They began to move away from “permanent and separateâ€. This impetus led to the 10 day lock down at Wye River, MD.
I will not discuss specifics of proposals at Wye River, as that was agreed to be confidential, however, there was a telling moment, unrelated to the proposals, that is germane to the current “separate†debate. At one point during East internal discussions we were briefing Bruce York and Mike Abram. (For those that do not know Mike Abram, he is the General Counsel for ALPA and works for the law firm of Cohen, Weiss and Simon in NY. He is “the man†that all go to when they seek a legal clarification of ALPA policy. And I do mean all, as in Prater, the Executive Council, etc).
During this discussion, Kim Snider mentioned “separate operations†as an option. As I had been through this drill already during RC talks 5 months earlier, I turned to Mike Abram and asked if this was truly an option. Initially, he artfully evaded answering my question directly, so I persisted. On my second attempt Mike admitted that it was “against policyâ€.
Most of the people espousing “separate operations†are aware of this. Many were in that room at Wye river when I asked the question. They know separate operations is against ALPA policy, therefore, I am at a loss to understand their current insistence on taking this path and advocating that we stay in ALPA at the same time! It is an incompatible position and only serves to mislead the uninformed into thinking we can “have our cake and eat it too†by still staying with ALPA. You can’t. Period. If you stay in ALPA you will be eating the “Nicâ€, and not cake, in short order.
Throughout the entire process, the West has run the same play over and over with great success----enforce ALPA policy or we will file a DFR suit! When the East asked the Executive Council to throw out the Nicolau award, the West quoted ALPA policy (“final and bindingâ€) and threatened to sue ALPA. The Executive Council ruled for the West. When ALPA failed to pass the list for months after that ruling, the West again quoted ALPA policy (“defend the awardâ€) and threatened to sue. In December ALPA passed the list.
Gentlemen, “separate operations†is a smoke screen. It is snake oil. If ALPA wins the representational election, the West will run that same play of enforcing ALPA policy and force ALPA to terminate separate operations. ALPA will eventually comply as both Paul Rice, and the ultimate arbiter of ALPA policy, Mike Abram, have admitted that separate operations is against ALPA policy. Once again, the West will threaten to sue unless policy is followed. The heat will be on. Our MEC will be forced to comply or placed in trusteeship (see PHL last week). They will cave before they allow that, and tell you they did the best they could, but the game is now over.
That is how separate operations will play out, in my opinion, from my insider’s perspective of the last several months. I won’t even go into the flaws of the strategy from aâ€whipsawing†point of view that will cost us dearly in economics over time.
“Separate Operations†is not possible if we stick with ALPA. If we vote ALPA in, we will be forced to eat the Nicolau award in the not too distant future.
ALPA=Nicolau.
Doug
06Mar08
