APFA LAX Chair Chimes in on John Ward

StraaightTaalk

Veteran
Sep 10, 2003
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I just received this in my email. John Nikides, the LAX Chair of APFA, gives his perspective on Ward. Remember that Nikides was one of the only dissenting voices on the APFA board during the voting fiasco that resulted in the Restructuring Agreement and if I recall correctly, only he and one other chair remained firm throughout the entire process.

This email really confirms what I have already suspected and known about Ward.



Nikides Speaks Out on Ward

In response to the question of who I am supporting in the current APFA National Officer election, I simply can neither support nor vote for John Ward and his slate (McIntyre, Geiss, Gunter). John and I were friends for many years, but, most recently, during his last stint as APFA President, I saw him take actions that seriously undermined the best interests of the flight attendants he represented and which shook the very foundations of the APFA. I broke all ties with him, because I cannot be a party to his dishonesty and toxicity.

John Ward deflects all responsibility for wrong, flawed, or unpopular decisions. The mark of a good leader is the tenacious willingness to stand by his/her decisions. John does not. The campaign he has run in the instant election has been a dirty one, with John and his colleagues heaping lies and half-truths upon their opponents.

Quite frankly, I was a dissenter on the APFA Board during the Restructuring Agreement fiasco. John Ward has effectively sidestepped accepting any responsibility for the voting debacle, deflecting all of the blame onto the APFA Board of Directors. He argues that he was simply a bystander in the process, since he does not have a vote on the Board, unless there is a tie. While he does not normally have a vote, he certainly does have a mouth and the ability to dissent on the record. I know because I was there, and while I begged others on the Board to support my dissent, John Ward remained silent. Perhaps if John Ward had dissented, and if he had stated his objections to the process on the record, other Board members would have been convinced to support my efforts. I would certainly have welcomed the support.

Not once during the entire process did John Ward voice his objections to the actions of the Board. If, at this late stage, he argues that it was all the Board's fault, and he had no hand in what actually transpired, then where was he? Where were his objections? Is this the kind of leadership we can expect from John in the future? Whenever the going gets tough, he simply sticks his head in the sand and deflects all blame onto the Board. If so, we, as a union and as a membership, are certainly in for a hard road should he be elected.

On the other hand, I can endorse Laura Glading's slate (Glading, Durkin, Pointer, Barrerra). I have not always agreed with Laura, but she has always listened to what I had to say, and has consistently shown respect to my differing viewpoints. Brett Durkin for VP is a real fighter, and I know that Pointer and Barrerra will do great jobs as Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

We are in for the fight of our lives in these contract negotiations. I have no doubt we can do it. I have been a union rep for the better part of 23 years, and it has NEVER been a walk in the park for us. I want to know, however, that our union is being run by somebody who can engage and unify all the different interest groups in our workforce, and in our union. I know that Laura can do that.

John Nikides
 
I just received this in my email. John Nikides, the LAX Chair of APFA, gives his perspective on Ward. Remember that Nikides was one of the only dissenting voices on the APFA board during the voting fiasco that resulted in the Restructuring Agreement and if I recall correctly, only he and one other chair remained firm throughout the entire process.

This email really confirms what I have already suspected and known about Ward.

John N was a most impressive witness during a court appearance on one of the TWA legal cases.
 
This letter speaks volumes coming from John. He is in my opinion, one of, if not the most effective APFA advocates out there and is well respected on the BOD.

This endorsement should bode well for Glading.
 
I have had the pleasure of working with John Nikides when I was based and on the LAX council. He is by far the best union rep the APFA has had in its history. He is fair and stands up not just for LAX, but the entire system. I have always encouraged John to run for APFA President. Hopefully one day he will and if/when he does...AA management better be ready for him! I have the utmost respect for John Nikides.

The Glading 08' Slate; Is the only slate!