This is one U-Turn we really wish we didn’t have to put out, but the furloughs are coming.
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This is what we get for replacing a pro-pilot C-62 with a pro-company C-62. This is the same group that wanted a cost neutral contract, giving up safety with 8 hours rest, meaning lower staffing.
Now our former MEC Officers are running AWAPPA and The Army of Leonidas. Why would anybody follow them? But this pilot group thought that putting in pro-company C-62 Reps in office would give them a different outcome. Insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.â€
We now face 175 furloughs this year and maybe more in 2009. AWAPPA just complains about overstaffed management and how Doug Parker runs the company. We’re not saying that AWAPPA doesn’t have some good points, but the company isn’t listening. They aren’t paying any attention to AWAPPA since it doesn’t legally represent us.
What does AWAPPA tell the pilot group to do? Nothing, except harass the new union. Now pilots are getting sued. AWAPPA is leaving them out in the cold with no legal help, protecting its own officers but not those who did their dirty work. U-Turn broke that news last week. No one believed us. We got emails saying we we’re telling the truth, but here’s the proof. One AWAPPA supporter is begging for contributions on the Internet (cactusboy53 @ forums.flightinfo) for the AWA PILOTS LEGAL EXPENSE TRUST to help pay for the lawsuits. AWAPPA turned its back on its supporters, this is what “cactusboy53†posted:
As one of the named defendants targeted by USAPA, I have had to organize the financial defense of those not represented by AWAPPA…we, the individual defendants must establish our own defense team and the cost may be high financially. The ten of us, “The Cactus 10â€, who are not on the AWAPPA Board of Directors need your help!
What can we do now? U-Turn says get your head out of your sand and get involved................ If everyone is intimidated by AWAPPA, we will have no voice at all. If USAPA gets no input from the West, then they can claim they never heard our demands. They can win a DFR lawsuit by saying we refused to be represented.
Make no mistake. U-Turn still believes in the NIC. If it is thrown out, we can file a DFR. It’s tough to win a DFR, but we can still file. But it’s a waste of time and money if we aren’t represented and if USAPA doesn’t know our position. If we have no reps, we have no way or addressing our grievances under the NMB and the LMRDA. If we refuse to participate, we will all lose. Wake up, guys! We need a voice. Until we have one rep, we have no voice and USAPA has every right to ignore us.
U-Turn has been trying to get the block hour and the aircraft number information regarding the TA minimums. Maybe those on the West who have them could forward the numbers to USAPA anonymously if they really want to help us. We have no sources in USAPA. None of us have joined, but as things develop we will try to keep you informed. If you refuse to go to their web site, U-Turn will. USAPA’s “members only†site is still accessible.........
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