American heroes. The Nicolau List was buried in that ballot box.
We believe Wye River was doomed by an ALPA miscalculation, not just the resolve of the West to hold the line on the NIC. ALPA shot itself in the foot. We at U-Turn can’t hold the West MEC entirely responsible for what we believe was bad information that led to their decision. We believe ALPA’s misinterpretation of the Wilson Polling was their fatal mistake. ALPA thought the vote was going to be a near tie. The Wilson Poll presented both sides with the same polling information (Source: 3 West pilots and 2 East pilots who were actually there).
The West MEC approval rating was over 70%, with 90% firmly committed to vote for ALPA, 9% voting “other” and only 1% voting for USAPA.
The East MEC approval rating was >20%, with 40% firmly committed to vote for USAPA and 11% for ALPA. 20% were undecided. Add the two sides proportionally and you get close to a tie.
But East responses only added up to 71%, because 29% refused to take the poll. That 29% is the key to an obvious ALPA mistake. ALPA never understood their voting power. That polling was before Wye River and a month before ALPA’s February 29th “Friday Night Massacre” fired the elected PHL Reps and put them into trusteeship.
ALPA had plenty of clues that they were in deep trouble last fall. USAPA got 3,000 signatures in two months. The West propaganda machine pooh-poohed the card campaign, saying it would fall flat on its face. It didn’t.