To: All AWA Pilots
From: Captain JR Baker, AWA MEC Chairman
Subject: Letter of Resignation
I am resigning my position as MEC Chairman effective Monday, August 28, 2006.
Under the ALPA Constitution and Bylaws, the MEC Chairman serves at the discretion of your elected representatives. Unfortunately, the current state of the industry has caused the MEC Chairman position to suffer continuous turnover in most ALPA airlines today.
Very few ALPA MEC Chairmen serve a full term in this day and age.
ALPA is a democratic organization, and as a volunteer, I have no problem with the decision to step down. The pace of the last year-and-a-half has been grueling and not without affect on my family.
This MEC made a commitment to the pilot group to work together to find solutions. We are not without internal discussion or occasional disagreements, but at the end of the day, the MEC sets policy to defend the America West pilot group. We have welcomed, encouraged and engaged all AWA pilots in volunteer positions to help us with using the very best of these ideas to protect and defend the AWA pilot group.
In that spirit, I have called for a Special MEC Meeting on Monday August 28 at 4 p.m. for the elected representatives to accept my resignation and get to the important task of building their transition team. This is not a time to point fingers, become worried or get excited. I am confident that this MEC will continue to work to protect the interests of America West pilots. Throughout my leadership, I have always affirmed that no one volunteer leaving will sway the effectiveness of the team, and that includes me. But I will remain available to assist and advise our volunteer core whenever they need me.
When this merger was announced, this MEC leadership team quickly took stock of what assets we had and the challenges we faced. We moved quickly to protect the interests of this pilot group and we negotiated a Transition Agreement that helped protect your interests going forward. In that agreement, we protected your Section 6 rights and established a process to successfully negotiate a single or joint agreement. But the plan we formulated and have been carrying out is at a strategic crossroads, and it will require the MEC's careful consideration before they make their next move.
We are entering a critical period in the merger process. We have an MEC Meeting next week followed by an Executive Board Meeting in September, and a Board of Directors Meeting where we elect National Officers in October. We also have continuing negotiations, a seniority list integration which starts the mediation process in October, along with the regular day-to-day duties of the committees and staff. Any one of these issues alone is a full-time job for the MEC, but combined they present enormous challenges.
The position of MEC Chairman becomes a focal point for everything that happens within the organization. It requires the ability to manage several complex issues simultaneously while at the same time maintaining the policy set by your elected representatives. I could not do this alone, and I have enjoyed working with the local and national ALPA staff, as well as our own AWA MEC volunteer core, and I want to thank them all for assisting me as I carried out my duties.
I also want to say that it has been my pleasure, my privilege and my honor to serve the AWA pilot group, and I look forward to seeing you all again as I return to fly the line.
Be careful out there,
JR
From: Captain JR Baker, AWA MEC Chairman
Subject: Letter of Resignation
I am resigning my position as MEC Chairman effective Monday, August 28, 2006.
Under the ALPA Constitution and Bylaws, the MEC Chairman serves at the discretion of your elected representatives. Unfortunately, the current state of the industry has caused the MEC Chairman position to suffer continuous turnover in most ALPA airlines today.
Very few ALPA MEC Chairmen serve a full term in this day and age.
ALPA is a democratic organization, and as a volunteer, I have no problem with the decision to step down. The pace of the last year-and-a-half has been grueling and not without affect on my family.
This MEC made a commitment to the pilot group to work together to find solutions. We are not without internal discussion or occasional disagreements, but at the end of the day, the MEC sets policy to defend the America West pilot group. We have welcomed, encouraged and engaged all AWA pilots in volunteer positions to help us with using the very best of these ideas to protect and defend the AWA pilot group.
In that spirit, I have called for a Special MEC Meeting on Monday August 28 at 4 p.m. for the elected representatives to accept my resignation and get to the important task of building their transition team. This is not a time to point fingers, become worried or get excited. I am confident that this MEC will continue to work to protect the interests of America West pilots. Throughout my leadership, I have always affirmed that no one volunteer leaving will sway the effectiveness of the team, and that includes me. But I will remain available to assist and advise our volunteer core whenever they need me.
When this merger was announced, this MEC leadership team quickly took stock of what assets we had and the challenges we faced. We moved quickly to protect the interests of this pilot group and we negotiated a Transition Agreement that helped protect your interests going forward. In that agreement, we protected your Section 6 rights and established a process to successfully negotiate a single or joint agreement. But the plan we formulated and have been carrying out is at a strategic crossroads, and it will require the MEC's careful consideration before they make their next move.
We are entering a critical period in the merger process. We have an MEC Meeting next week followed by an Executive Board Meeting in September, and a Board of Directors Meeting where we elect National Officers in October. We also have continuing negotiations, a seniority list integration which starts the mediation process in October, along with the regular day-to-day duties of the committees and staff. Any one of these issues alone is a full-time job for the MEC, but combined they present enormous challenges.
The position of MEC Chairman becomes a focal point for everything that happens within the organization. It requires the ability to manage several complex issues simultaneously while at the same time maintaining the policy set by your elected representatives. I could not do this alone, and I have enjoyed working with the local and national ALPA staff, as well as our own AWA MEC volunteer core, and I want to thank them all for assisting me as I carried out my duties.
I also want to say that it has been my pleasure, my privilege and my honor to serve the AWA pilot group, and I look forward to seeing you all again as I return to fly the line.
Be careful out there,
JR
