Azdryheat:
Azdryheat asked: “If the RC4 are out of touch with the membership, has any recall attempt been made. Granted this takes some time, but from 320's posts this has been going on a long time. Any members of these councils care to comment.â€
USA320Pilot comments: In regard to a RC4 recall, let’s look at what happened at the June 25 Philadelphia LEC meeting where the recall of the Reps was on the meeting agenda.
On Sunday, June 27, 2004, in a letter to the PHL council 41 pilots when discussing the recall effort, F/O Rep Dan Von Bargen said, "Both the proxy certification process and ballot certification process were conducted with the utmost professionalism and accuracy by the six volunteers."
Let’s look at this in greater detail:
The pilots leading the recall effort had more than 328 names on the PHL recall petition submitted to ALPA International to force the election. The petition was submitted to ALPA since Captain Rep John Crocker refused to accept certified letters from members seeking his recall. Moreover, the word “on the street†was that there were close to 400 names total seeking the recall meeting.
The Philadelphia Reps, obviously unsure that they would have 400 votes to stop the recall, attempted to invalidate faxed copies of proxies just days before the meeting. Upon notification that this violated ALPA policy, ALPA National intervened and told the Reps to accept fax copies. The Philadelphia Reps knew fax copies were allowed all along, but they attempted to violate ALPA policy anyway.
The Philadelphia Reps did not invite anyone from ALPA National to attend the meeting, even as observers, despite repeated requests by those leading the recall effort to do so. If the meeting was going to be legitimate, why not agree to permit ALPA National to attend, since Council pilots requested the ALPA National appearance?
The LEC meeting and recall election was held in a bar where alcohol is served. Moreover, the proceedings were in full view of the public where 162 US Airways pilots were conducting ALPA business.
The PHL Reps then appoint the ballot certification committee to both certify the proxies and to count the ballots cast, without permitting those seeking in the recall to participate in the process. Instead, only “hardliners†were allowed to count the vote. Why were both parties not allowed to participate in the ballot count process and only “hardliners�
The Philadelphia Reps win, stop the recall effort, and are not recalled. They win with a stunning 377 votes cast against the recall, amazingly close to the 400 they thought those leading the recall might bring to the meeting.
When the pilots in the room were counted, this meant the Philadelphia Reps had at least 94 pilots on their team out of the 162 pilot’s total in the room, with each and every one of those 94 pilots carrying exactly 3 certifiably correct proxies with no errors! None, every proxy was perfectly completed.
Those leading the recall had a very difficult time getting correct and properly filled out proxies. However, the Philadelphia Reps were able to get every pilot in the room on their side to have 3 perfectly filled out proxies with no errors.
The Philadelphia Reps laugh so hard they fall down, probably holding their sides so much that it hurts because they were able to prevent the recall by only allowing their side of the union to validate the recall effort.
Respectfully,
USA320Pilot
