I can really understand why you guys keep f'ing yourselves with these guys leading the way.
Update for August 28, 2007
“Dear Johnâ€
John,
Never before has the President of this organization appointed a pilot from this property to a National Position without the courtesy of a “heads up†or referral. Never before has a President of this national union moved into our crew base without a courtesy call to the council officers.
You are coming with questions, not answers. You are presently presiding over an organization that does not recognize the value of seventeen years of dues paying loyalty vs. apprenticeship. You are presiding over an institution withholding support for parity for its membership on this property in order for them to eat a [expletive deleted] sandwich to take you off the hook for the Nicolau Award. You are allowing yourself to become part of the ALPA Establishment. On your present course, you will take nothing back!
This is needle-ball and airspeed type stuff, John, not rocket science. Your being in PHL will create tension, not relieve it. Our pilots have told you what to do and you don’t have the stomach for it.
The Rice Committee has terrific talent with all kinds of smarts, but no answers for our pilots, only questions too.
By the way, there is hardly a pilot on this property that does not know true hardship. I would never berate your experiences in labor but I’ve been fired before for union activities, and was hired by TI in the spring of ’78 only to be saved by Allegheny Airlines. Your credentials are meaning less and less to the Pilots of this Airline.
Council 41 is solidly on board with litigation to vacate the Nicolau Award. We are moving forward to negotiate a separate path for our pilots and from what I hear all hell is about to let loose in PHL. You can’t stop it. The price for peace will be parity. Get on board or get out of the way.
Eric Rowe
Greetings John,
It’s past time for all the talking to end and for our National Association to start acting like a Pilot’s Union again…….you know…. break the “Status Quoâ€! In fact, I believe it may be too late on this property.
John thanks for providing your resume for us again; we reviewed it thoroughly when we signed on as early supporters and active campaigners for you.
Here is mine: ACA, PIA, Skywest/Sunaire, FAL, PID, AAA. The Frontier story is a rather interesting one; I’m sure you had the chance to talk with a few of the old guys that ended up at CAL. I still have the Letter from Hank Duffy telling me how “Gut wrenching†it was to watch what happen to us at Frontier: Another ALPA National Success Story! Flying the Line Two is missing a few of those details.
As far as boycotting your meeting, so far you have failed to act in the best interest of the US Airways pilots and have been very clear that you have no intention of doing so. What did you not understand in Herndon on May 21st? Your travels to our crewrooms are right out of the Phil Comstock play book. It won’t work this time.
John, the solutions you seek are in the best interest of the association and its attorneys, but only in the short term, you will see.
The Rice Committee and Mike Abram are selling us a fix, which with our participation will affix the errant Nicolau Award on our pilots for ever. The List can’t be fixed and will eventually come back to haunt the Association. Did you not hear this from the 498 pilots at Herndon? Our Pilots have grown weary of ALPA’s Negotiated Fixes like Parity +1%, more Air busses than God can count, the No Furlough clause, J4J soft landings, RJ Scope relief, follow-on variable DC Plan, LOA 93 Stock and Profit Sharing, and our current Transition Agreement. None of them lasted or were enforced by our National Association.
Eric and I will not even consider fixing this list because in doing so we would be affirming it. While I can not speak for the rest of the MEC, we do have a Unanimous Resolution stating just that. Have we not been clear?
John, we know you are not afraid, but who ever is advising you is doing you a grave disservice. I’m wondering if they are setting you up to fail. Be carefulfrom whom you seek advice; so far you have struck out with our pilots.
Good luck,
Dave Ciabattoni