Point--Counter Point
Fellow pilots,
Negotiations are high stakes and do require stable, steady leadership.
Sadly, Captain Pollock has become emotionally overwrought and has
inappropriately amplified our situation to the detriment of the entire
pilot group.
I tried to warn Captain Pollock of his declining skill level in my
communication of August 10. I warned Bill that his response to the
on-going stress of negotiations threatens our focus, our unity, and the
successful outcome of our efforts. Bill did not reply. I cautioned
Bill that his strident and shrill tone and message of doom and gloom
clouded his ability to evaluate new ideas.
Now, Bill has defined the bad guys as certain of his fellow MEC
members. His judgement on the last Code a phone update has put his
own despair and impaired judgement into the public realm. Assigning
blame for a predicted but not yet real negative outcome of the
negotiating process has become his focal point, whereas many of us are
still struggling to improve and position for that best possible
outcome.
Leadership demands communication. Good leadership works out of the
public spotlight to nurture consensus. His 30 August code a phone was
reprehensible! Every reporter, writer, business analyst, and, of
course, everyone in management has heard his lament.
I represent the largest pilot group yet I get very few phone calls from
Bill Pollock. Bill rants about his perception of what I am trying to
achieve for the pilots, and yet, he has neither asked for an
explanation, nor attempted to persuade me on his viewpoint. Likewise,
certain representatives of the other major councils have very little
communication with Bill. Is this not outrageous? Can you imagine the
leader of any other organization who fails to communicate with members
of his group?
Bill's emotional state leaves him incapable of even reporting the
facts. I have held Bill accountable for misinformation in the past,
but that implies intent. At this point Bill's judgement is shredded to
the point of being incoherent. He belittles a grueling six hour
meeting as insufficient when he called the meeting for 6pm. Though we
may fly red-eyes, recent, painful history tells us we do not make good
business decisions in the middle of the night. The giveaway of the DB
plan in the wee hours of the morning, of which Bill was a part, is a
wound that has not even begun to heal.
Is the disunity and panic Bill is spewing good for our pilot group?
Perhaps the attached communication of a similar challenge at UAL will
reinforce our thinking and dispel the fear to which Bill has clearly
succumbed. Note the strong leadership traits displayed in his
communication.
The above message was sent from a member of the MEC. The real MEC, not the wannabe's.