Phoenix said earlier today: "Speaking of "experts", there seems to be a lot of talk lately about our "experts", coupled with demagoguing against people perceived to be outside the bounds of their expert advice. Lets think back about our expert advisors…. The experts, for as long as I can remember, have always painted an unfavorable doom if we didn't take their advice. Oddly though, as far as I recall their advice has always advocated that we accept the company's FIRST offer to work more days, for less money, with fewer pilots. And we have always followed their advice!!
Our advisors have always whispered echoes of "more, more, more… give the company more, more, more"… and here we are with less, less, less... but at least we have a job that is enjoyable, with great people to work along side.
Be that as it may, no credit or blame goes to our advisors… neither to individual pilots.. we voted collectively, whenever we could. And all the credit or blame goes to us, hey "We are ALPA." Don't' ya know it"
I kind of agree with you on the history of listening to and following, or not heeding the advice of our hired guns. But I have to reset a new starting point to the formation of USAPA. We mandated that a professional negotiator be front and center at the table. Even that wish was crushed in the first 3 years, and I fault Seham and Company for not doing as we asked. But here we are now, with the plan being executed as was voted in 2008. Not listening to ALPA paid advisors is one thing. But 2/3 of our current legal team was hired by Cleary, and Roland was hired (put over the top) by the CLT reps after Hummel took office. Seems to me politically the legal team is amoral to local politics. I choose to follow their advice, the BPR to a man has done just the opposite.
Greeter