Our APFA National Officer elections are quickly approaching.
I cannot even begin to describe how greatly distressed and disappointed I am to learn that
one of my former negotiating team colleagues (from our 2001 contract and the concessionary debacle of 2003)
has decided to run for President of the APFA. Having served with Laura Glading for almost three years on the
negotiating team, I cannot think of anyone less appropriate to represent us during these turbulent times. From my
own perspective and experience, I feel that Laura Glading is naïve and concessionary. She has an arrogance that
is dangerous because she is unable too admit when she is wrong or has been fooled. (which was quite often in my opinion)
During the 2001 contract negotiations, if the Company could not get our team to cave on an issue, Laura Glading
was their "go to" person to circumvent the process and cause internal pressure. Laura Glading boasted openly on
how she thought Jane Allen was an advocate for the Flight Attendants. (What a joke that turned out to be)
Laura Glading had a front row seat during the concessions and is quietly trying to delete this from her resume.
At the same time Laura is using people like Steve Ellis, an elected member of the current negotiations team,
to claim she was responsible and deserves the credit for our 2001 contract. Steve Ellis was not an active participant
in the 2001 contract negotiations. I was, and can tell you Laura Glading was not fighting for this membership.
She stated many times openly that Denise Hedge's contract was not that bad. She became a roadblock many
times during our negotiations because the Company felt Laura Glading would be able to pressure the rest of our team
and base chair persons to settle much lower.
Fortunately Laura was unsuccessful.
I am greatly disturbed to see the Hutto-Blake administration attempt to reinvent Laura Glading into a fighter and
someone able to advance our careers. Laura has been working under Tommie, and her administration for much of
the last four years. For anyone that questions the validity of this, the facts and figures are in the APFA monthly
financial reports.
I see now Laura Glading is trying to distance herself from Tommie and claim she is a new deal. Please do not be
fooled! The very people that Laura is running with seem to be handpicked by Tommie herself. Brett Durkin is the
current VP of the APFA -Handpicked by Tommie.
Denise Pointer- Handpicked by Tommie to be the Info Rep Leader.
Look up the list of Tommie supporters, you will find all the same names supporting Laura. Again, please do not be fooled!
In my humble opinion Laura would be even worse than Tommie.
Like Tommie she carried the mantra of -Pull together win together- like it was gospel.
Now, like Tommie, she wants to pretend they were victims and betrayed by management as if that will regain our trust.
Seeing Steve Ellis endorse Glading gives me De-ja-vu. He seems to be embarking on a path that is perilously similar
to the one Patt Gibbs traveled at the end of her Flight Attendant career. If Steven is to be taken seriously he should
immediately make very clear his support is not in order to secure his first practice and learn the job at our expense.
I would encourage Steve to state he has no intention of accepting trip removal or employment as APFA counsel or
legal advocate if Laura is elected. While I applaud anyone who furthers their education, I see a great problem with
the APFA continuing to have individuals with little or no experience representing us. I hope Steve is successful in getting
hired by a respectful firm and gaining much needed experience. An attorney needs years of experience to stand up and take
on AA managements' attorneys that each have decades of experience. To believe anything else is ridiculous or foolish.
I fervently hope that this membership rejects this lame attempt to keep the status quo by electing Laura and her
running mates. They are thinking that by changing out Tommie for Laura we will be fooled. Our careers cannot afford
another four years from a group that played a driving role behind circumventing, changing, and then removing our rights
to vote on concessions and the numerous "Tests" that have been thrown at us these last years. We cannot afford
the "Status Quo is the best we can do" for another four years.
I do not know about you, but I cannot afford another four years of this. American management would love it!
And that should speak for itself. We have got to elect someone that will stay at the bargaining table until the last
dollar is off of it and in our pockets rather than in management bonus packages.
This company has no respect for working together unless it's for free on our part.
We have got to elect a "tree shaker" if we have any hope of getting back the fruit that was stripped from our plates.
Unless we can show this management that we are capable of shaking the tree, they have no intention of giving us
back the fruit of our labor.
I cannot even begin to describe how greatly distressed and disappointed I am to learn that
one of my former negotiating team colleagues (from our 2001 contract and the concessionary debacle of 2003)
has decided to run for President of the APFA. Having served with Laura Glading for almost three years on the
negotiating team, I cannot think of anyone less appropriate to represent us during these turbulent times. From my
own perspective and experience, I feel that Laura Glading is naïve and concessionary. She has an arrogance that
is dangerous because she is unable too admit when she is wrong or has been fooled. (which was quite often in my opinion)
During the 2001 contract negotiations, if the Company could not get our team to cave on an issue, Laura Glading
was their "go to" person to circumvent the process and cause internal pressure. Laura Glading boasted openly on
how she thought Jane Allen was an advocate for the Flight Attendants. (What a joke that turned out to be)
Laura Glading had a front row seat during the concessions and is quietly trying to delete this from her resume.
At the same time Laura is using people like Steve Ellis, an elected member of the current negotiations team,
to claim she was responsible and deserves the credit for our 2001 contract. Steve Ellis was not an active participant
in the 2001 contract negotiations. I was, and can tell you Laura Glading was not fighting for this membership.
She stated many times openly that Denise Hedge's contract was not that bad. She became a roadblock many
times during our negotiations because the Company felt Laura Glading would be able to pressure the rest of our team
and base chair persons to settle much lower.
Fortunately Laura was unsuccessful.
I am greatly disturbed to see the Hutto-Blake administration attempt to reinvent Laura Glading into a fighter and
someone able to advance our careers. Laura has been working under Tommie, and her administration for much of
the last four years. For anyone that questions the validity of this, the facts and figures are in the APFA monthly
financial reports.
I see now Laura Glading is trying to distance herself from Tommie and claim she is a new deal. Please do not be
fooled! The very people that Laura is running with seem to be handpicked by Tommie herself. Brett Durkin is the
current VP of the APFA -Handpicked by Tommie.
Denise Pointer- Handpicked by Tommie to be the Info Rep Leader.
Look up the list of Tommie supporters, you will find all the same names supporting Laura. Again, please do not be fooled!
In my humble opinion Laura would be even worse than Tommie.
Like Tommie she carried the mantra of -Pull together win together- like it was gospel.
Now, like Tommie, she wants to pretend they were victims and betrayed by management as if that will regain our trust.
Seeing Steve Ellis endorse Glading gives me De-ja-vu. He seems to be embarking on a path that is perilously similar
to the one Patt Gibbs traveled at the end of her Flight Attendant career. If Steven is to be taken seriously he should
immediately make very clear his support is not in order to secure his first practice and learn the job at our expense.
I would encourage Steve to state he has no intention of accepting trip removal or employment as APFA counsel or
legal advocate if Laura is elected. While I applaud anyone who furthers their education, I see a great problem with
the APFA continuing to have individuals with little or no experience representing us. I hope Steve is successful in getting
hired by a respectful firm and gaining much needed experience. An attorney needs years of experience to stand up and take
on AA managements' attorneys that each have decades of experience. To believe anything else is ridiculous or foolish.
I fervently hope that this membership rejects this lame attempt to keep the status quo by electing Laura and her
running mates. They are thinking that by changing out Tommie for Laura we will be fooled. Our careers cannot afford
another four years from a group that played a driving role behind circumventing, changing, and then removing our rights
to vote on concessions and the numerous "Tests" that have been thrown at us these last years. We cannot afford
the "Status Quo is the best we can do" for another four years.
I do not know about you, but I cannot afford another four years of this. American management would love it!
And that should speak for itself. We have got to elect someone that will stay at the bargaining table until the last
dollar is off of it and in our pockets rather than in management bonus packages.
This company has no respect for working together unless it's for free on our part.
We have got to elect a "tree shaker" if we have any hope of getting back the fruit that was stripped from our plates.
Unless we can show this management that we are capable of shaking the tree, they have no intention of giving us
back the fruit of our labor.
