Dear Philly Pilots:
I have talked to lots of Pilots and Flight Attendants in the last few weeks and find that a great deal of disinformation to outright lies by the 2 Pit MEC and the 2 PHL MEC members and their loyal "koolaide Drinkers" have fostered on this employee group.
We are making a tremendous decision this week that will effect us and our families for a very long time. It is a shame that the lies and scare tactics used by these 4 MEC members along with people that don't believe you should have all the facts, just the ones that want you to have is nothing short of criminal.
Recently, a letter was posted on the ALPA Website titled, "A Concerned wife" by a Linda Vaughn. She is the wife of PIT Captain Jerry Vaughn. But more important, and the part she forgot (on purpose) to tell you is that Linda Vaughn is the Attorney that represents the pilots that are suing ALPA and, in turn all of us. She is the head of the "Vaughn Group."
So, why do you ask is that significant? Because this is the woman heading the group that includes Fred Freshwater, Dan Von Bargen and Ira Josephson and of course, her husband Jerry, along with about 40 other pilots here. It helps their case if this pilot group votes down the TA and this airline goes out of business.
How you ask? Well, if the company goes out of business, they intend to try to prove that the company went out of business anyway after we lost our Pensions and so ALPA is responsible for giving it away and it didn't help the company. In other words, if we go out of business, they might be able to win their case.
Of course, you and I will be unemployed, but hey, they intend to make money off that.
In the last MEC meeting in PIT, the only questions Dan Von Bargen asked of the attorneys and advisors was how this TA will effect his law suit against ALPA. Not how this TA, if voted in will help us and this company, or how much we lost because the agreement prior to bankruptcy (Sept 6 agreement) was blocked by he and the other 3 MEC Reps. No! Dan asked numerous questions about what if this TA was voted in and this company succeeds, how will that help or hurt his Law Suit against ALPA and us.
It was the unanimous opinion of the lawyers that his case was extremely weak and that there is no place in the law that makes provisions for the charges he has leveled against ALPA and us.
So, really the only chance he has to make sure he can collect money from ALPA and us is to insure that this company fails.
So, if you read how concerned Linda Vaughn is for all of us and if you have read the letter put out by Crocker, Van Bargen and Josephson, please understand that they don't care about the Airline Pilots Profession. They don't care about you and your families. What they do care about is winning their law suite against ALPA and us and if it requires making sure we all lose our jobs, so be it.
It's funny how they have lost the argument that the company doesn't need help, or in Dan Von Bargen's own words, "He doesn't see the urgency in any of this." They no longer argue that if we just wait longer to have an agreement, the company will cave in and we will get a better deal. Both of those arguments have been muted because the facts are too strong against them. NO ONE BELIEVES THEM ANY MORE!
Now the new tactic is they want us to fall on our swords so the Airline Pilot Profession will not be hurt by our trying to help ourselves. Of course, where was this worry about the Airline Pilots Profession when American imposed the "B Scale," or when Delta pilots allowed the best scope clause in the industry to make sure they had lots and lots of small jets. Where were the United Pilots when they were going to merge with US Airways and were going to put us all at the end of their seniority list or American when they merged with TWA? The list is endless....Eastern with Braniff Pilots, Delta with Pan Am pilots. Airtran pilots, Jet Blue Pilots and of course, Mesa Pilots, etc and all their work rules and pay.
But now, we are supposed to allow our company to fail so that the other Airline Pilots can prosper! I hate to be vulgar, but that takes Balls!
These RC4 Reps have tried to scare you with lies in the past about LOA 91 having a secret clause that allowed the company to lower the mainline fleet number. They recently lied about what this TA agreement has when they put out a paper on the comparisons between this TA and our current contract. Asked who wrote that paper and they denied knowing who put it out, even though they signed it.
Now, they are at it again.
Newest lies:
LIE: Fleet size will be lowered below 279.
TRUTH: The fleet size will increase by 2 (281) in February (two aircraft will have major overhaul deferred). Of course, if the company loses the aircraft by being forced to return aircraft, then there is nothing the company can do. (Lets insure that by voting "no.")
LIE: Furloughs.
TRUTH: The figures of 500 pilot furloughs was a figure given last year and with the retirements and the pilots that have left for good or are on leaves, the increase in flying and two more aircraft added, the company sees a pilot shortage.
LIE: Furloughs out of seniority.
TRUTH: That part of the TA means that any pilot furloughed can not bump MDA pilots out. This is so training costs there won't sky rocket. However, if there are no furloughs or if MDA increases, then this is a mute point.
LIE: The judge has only allowed a 4 month wage and work rule contract change and will restore our pay and work rules at the end or that the company will give us a better deal.
TRUTH: The advisors and attorneys have been right every time they have told us that the longer we wait the worse it will get. History has proven they
are correct. The longer we waited the worse it has gotten. Thank the RC4.
Against all advice and against common sense or even a small amount of business sense, they think that the closer the company gets to liquidation, the more they can give us. The company doesn't decide, the financial community decides.
LIE: The reason we lost so much in the September 6th offer or all the other offers since last June is because the other MEC members and other websites have undermined the RC4 efforts to get a better deal.
TRUTH: The attorneys and advisors that are far, far more knowledgeable then all the RC 4 put together along with Don Hollenboch has stated that we had
the best deal we could expect and the longer we took to sign it, the worse it
would get. They were proven right and the RC4 were proven wrong. Again.
So, to sum it all up, you have to decide. Do we give this place one last chance to make it, or do we pull the plug ourselves and all go look for work? Do we allow people that have lied to all of us repeatedly to win and prosper at our expense or do we finally tell the RC4 and their minions to 'go to hell' with their law suit?
The vote closes Oct 21st at 11:55pm. The vote will be counted by Oct. 22 at 10:00am. Shortly after that on Oct 22, the financial community will know whether this place really is a lost cause or that we are willing and able to work towards success. The company has a good plan for the future. I hope we give them a chance to implement it.
My opinion (and some facts),
Author deleted
I have talked to lots of Pilots and Flight Attendants in the last few weeks and find that a great deal of disinformation to outright lies by the 2 Pit MEC and the 2 PHL MEC members and their loyal "koolaide Drinkers" have fostered on this employee group.
We are making a tremendous decision this week that will effect us and our families for a very long time. It is a shame that the lies and scare tactics used by these 4 MEC members along with people that don't believe you should have all the facts, just the ones that want you to have is nothing short of criminal.
Recently, a letter was posted on the ALPA Website titled, "A Concerned wife" by a Linda Vaughn. She is the wife of PIT Captain Jerry Vaughn. But more important, and the part she forgot (on purpose) to tell you is that Linda Vaughn is the Attorney that represents the pilots that are suing ALPA and, in turn all of us. She is the head of the "Vaughn Group."
So, why do you ask is that significant? Because this is the woman heading the group that includes Fred Freshwater, Dan Von Bargen and Ira Josephson and of course, her husband Jerry, along with about 40 other pilots here. It helps their case if this pilot group votes down the TA and this airline goes out of business.
How you ask? Well, if the company goes out of business, they intend to try to prove that the company went out of business anyway after we lost our Pensions and so ALPA is responsible for giving it away and it didn't help the company. In other words, if we go out of business, they might be able to win their case.
Of course, you and I will be unemployed, but hey, they intend to make money off that.
In the last MEC meeting in PIT, the only questions Dan Von Bargen asked of the attorneys and advisors was how this TA will effect his law suit against ALPA. Not how this TA, if voted in will help us and this company, or how much we lost because the agreement prior to bankruptcy (Sept 6 agreement) was blocked by he and the other 3 MEC Reps. No! Dan asked numerous questions about what if this TA was voted in and this company succeeds, how will that help or hurt his Law Suit against ALPA and us.
It was the unanimous opinion of the lawyers that his case was extremely weak and that there is no place in the law that makes provisions for the charges he has leveled against ALPA and us.
So, really the only chance he has to make sure he can collect money from ALPA and us is to insure that this company fails.
So, if you read how concerned Linda Vaughn is for all of us and if you have read the letter put out by Crocker, Van Bargen and Josephson, please understand that they don't care about the Airline Pilots Profession. They don't care about you and your families. What they do care about is winning their law suite against ALPA and us and if it requires making sure we all lose our jobs, so be it.
It's funny how they have lost the argument that the company doesn't need help, or in Dan Von Bargen's own words, "He doesn't see the urgency in any of this." They no longer argue that if we just wait longer to have an agreement, the company will cave in and we will get a better deal. Both of those arguments have been muted because the facts are too strong against them. NO ONE BELIEVES THEM ANY MORE!
Now the new tactic is they want us to fall on our swords so the Airline Pilot Profession will not be hurt by our trying to help ourselves. Of course, where was this worry about the Airline Pilots Profession when American imposed the "B Scale," or when Delta pilots allowed the best scope clause in the industry to make sure they had lots and lots of small jets. Where were the United Pilots when they were going to merge with US Airways and were going to put us all at the end of their seniority list or American when they merged with TWA? The list is endless....Eastern with Braniff Pilots, Delta with Pan Am pilots. Airtran pilots, Jet Blue Pilots and of course, Mesa Pilots, etc and all their work rules and pay.
But now, we are supposed to allow our company to fail so that the other Airline Pilots can prosper! I hate to be vulgar, but that takes Balls!
These RC4 Reps have tried to scare you with lies in the past about LOA 91 having a secret clause that allowed the company to lower the mainline fleet number. They recently lied about what this TA agreement has when they put out a paper on the comparisons between this TA and our current contract. Asked who wrote that paper and they denied knowing who put it out, even though they signed it.
Now, they are at it again.
Newest lies:
LIE: Fleet size will be lowered below 279.
TRUTH: The fleet size will increase by 2 (281) in February (two aircraft will have major overhaul deferred). Of course, if the company loses the aircraft by being forced to return aircraft, then there is nothing the company can do. (Lets insure that by voting "no.")
LIE: Furloughs.
TRUTH: The figures of 500 pilot furloughs was a figure given last year and with the retirements and the pilots that have left for good or are on leaves, the increase in flying and two more aircraft added, the company sees a pilot shortage.
LIE: Furloughs out of seniority.
TRUTH: That part of the TA means that any pilot furloughed can not bump MDA pilots out. This is so training costs there won't sky rocket. However, if there are no furloughs or if MDA increases, then this is a mute point.
LIE: The judge has only allowed a 4 month wage and work rule contract change and will restore our pay and work rules at the end or that the company will give us a better deal.
TRUTH: The advisors and attorneys have been right every time they have told us that the longer we wait the worse it will get. History has proven they
are correct. The longer we waited the worse it has gotten. Thank the RC4.
Against all advice and against common sense or even a small amount of business sense, they think that the closer the company gets to liquidation, the more they can give us. The company doesn't decide, the financial community decides.
LIE: The reason we lost so much in the September 6th offer or all the other offers since last June is because the other MEC members and other websites have undermined the RC4 efforts to get a better deal.
TRUTH: The attorneys and advisors that are far, far more knowledgeable then all the RC 4 put together along with Don Hollenboch has stated that we had
the best deal we could expect and the longer we took to sign it, the worse it
would get. They were proven right and the RC4 were proven wrong. Again.
So, to sum it all up, you have to decide. Do we give this place one last chance to make it, or do we pull the plug ourselves and all go look for work? Do we allow people that have lied to all of us repeatedly to win and prosper at our expense or do we finally tell the RC4 and their minions to 'go to hell' with their law suit?
The vote closes Oct 21st at 11:55pm. The vote will be counted by Oct. 22 at 10:00am. Shortly after that on Oct 22, the financial community will know whether this place really is a lost cause or that we are willing and able to work towards success. The company has a good plan for the future. I hope we give them a chance to implement it.
My opinion (and some facts),
Author deleted
