USA320Pilot
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- May 18, 2003
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Compass Correction Coalition Update (Unionism Cleary Style!): January 26, 2012
Unionism Cleary Style!
Fellow Pilots,
After a clamoring for more updates from the Compass Correction Coalition at the PHL Domicile meeting yesterday, we respectfully share this little tidbit with our fellow Pilots at the personal risk of First Officer Dave Sye and his Mafioso releasing a torrent of personal dirt on us in order to quiet us.
We expect a resolution from McKee, Crimi, Ingram, Szpyrka, Gillies to audit CAPA, the Teamsters and the SWA Pilot Association to follow - aka witch hunt du jour!
Fraternally,
Eric Rowe
PHL AB330
Dave Ciabattoni
PHL AB320
December 2, 2011
Captain Michael Cleary
President
US Airlines Pilots Association
200 East Woodlawn Road, Suite 250
Charlotte, NC 28217
Captain Cleary,
I am sending this letter to follow up on a phone conversation we had on November 18 regarding the communication piece you sent to your USAPA membership on November 6th. While your choice of legal counsel for USAPA is your business, I find it both inappropriate and unprofessional for you to publicly speak about other unions’ relationships with said counsel. In this case, such public correspondence is particularly problematic because your information is both misleading and inaccurate.
In your November 6th letter, you stated that SWAPA “terminated their relationship with Seham just this year for "incompetence and billing irregularities". It should be noted that SWAPA did not have a long-standing relationship with Seham, Seham, Meltz & Petersen, so there was no relationship to be “terminated”. We hired Mr. Seham’s firm for a single System Board of Adjustment/Arbitration in Spring of 2010 in which we were attempting to get a pilot reinstated after a termination.
The firm had been recommended to SWAPA by another Southwest union that uses the firm regularly. SWAPA chose to hire outside counsel for that arbitration because the subject-matter relating to the pilot’s termination was specialized, and Mr. Seham’s firm had done extensive work in that field. That single arbitration is the only experience SWAPA had with Mr. Seham’s firm. When that arbitration concluded, our relationship with the firm also ended. They were not “terminated” by SWAPA for either incompetence or billing irregularities. We elected to not use them going forward at that time.
Because your letter to the USAPA membership is misleading and inaccurate, I again request (this time in writing) that you retract the statements made to your membership and issue a correction about SWAPA’s past business dealings with Seham, Seham, Meltz & Petersen.
Sincerely,
Steve Chase
President
Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association
A Compass Correction
( sent out on December 6th, 2011)
The Mike Cleary Issue
Innuendo, Versus Facts!
For those pilots who remember the USAPA President's message entitled "The Lee Seham Issue" of November 06, 2011, this letter from the President of the Teamsters Local 1224 will be interesting. Those who do not recall that particular message from Mike Cleary may remember it was largely a rationalization for unilaterally firing the Seham Law Firm.
Among his proffered reasons for this action was Mike’s assertion that most of Seham’s other clients were dissatisfied with the firm. We shall not dignify Cleary’s libelous claims by repeating them here, but they can be reviewed on the USAPA Website.
Cleary asserted that among those unhappy clients of Seham, Seham, Meltz and Peterson are the Teamsters Union.Well, the following letter, written to Mike Cleary from Mr. Boyd, President of the Teamsters Local 1224 is a full refutation of Cleary’s characterization of their professional relationship and a lot more. Enjoy the read. This letter has not been edited for content.
Please direct any thoughts, or questions you might have after reading Mike’s President’s Message and this letter to Mike Cleary and the Board
November 28,2011
Captain Michael ClearyPresident
US Airlines Pilot Association
200 East Woodlawn Road - Suite 250
Charlotte, NC 28217
Dear Captain Cleary:
My name is Captain Robert Boyd former President and Chief Steward of Airline Professional Association (APA Teamster Local 1224). On background I have been employed at ABX AIR INC., former Airborne Express since 1979. During my time at Airborne I've had the opportunity to represent the Local's Pilots and Professional Flight Engineers both as a two-time elected Chief Steward for 4 years and two-time elected President of Teamsters Local 1224 for six years exclusively representing the Cockpit Crewmembers of Airborne Express.
I have recently reviewed a communication you distributed to your USAPA members making certain representations concerning Mr. Lee Seham of Seham Seham Meltz and Petersen regarding the legal services both he and this law firm provided to the Teamster membership.
As President of Teamster Local 1224, my appointed duties involved the direct hiring and oversight of the Local's staff legal counsel as well as the recruitment and hiring of outside counsel used in several specialized areas oflaw. The Local believed that the crewmembers it represented deserved a vigorous legal representation to protect their valuable careers and the Local cast the net wide to hire the best and notable in each area of law required to represent the membership.
I would request to go on record that to my direct knowledge during my tenure in office the only legal representation Mr. Seham provided for the Teamsters both at the Local or National level was for Teamster Local 1224.
Mr. Seham represented Teamster Local 1224 as outside lead counsel on cases that broached well beyond the areas of expertise and experience that could be provided by the Local's own staff attorneys. Mr. Seham represented our membership at RLA arbitrations, DOT ALJ legal hearings and before the NTSB. In every case his experience, commitment and tenacity helped the Local prevail in very difficult cases in defense of the members' valuable careers. While I am aware of Teamster criticism of Mr. Seham at the International level, that criticism was based on his representation of independent unions and not on the quality of legal services provided to Teamster members.
Given Mr. Seham's factual track record of service for Teamster members at Local 1224, I am requesting that you correct or retract your statements made to your membership concerning Mr. Sehams Legal representations of Teamster Pilot members. For the record we currently have members flying today, and providing for themselves and their families, as a direct result of Mr. Sehams involvement.
Fraternally,
B-767 Captain Robert Boyd
President (2000-2005)
Unionism Cleary Style!
Fellow Pilots,
After a clamoring for more updates from the Compass Correction Coalition at the PHL Domicile meeting yesterday, we respectfully share this little tidbit with our fellow Pilots at the personal risk of First Officer Dave Sye and his Mafioso releasing a torrent of personal dirt on us in order to quiet us.
We expect a resolution from McKee, Crimi, Ingram, Szpyrka, Gillies to audit CAPA, the Teamsters and the SWA Pilot Association to follow - aka witch hunt du jour!
Fraternally,
Eric Rowe
PHL AB330
Dave Ciabattoni
PHL AB320
December 2, 2011
Captain Michael Cleary
President
US Airlines Pilots Association
200 East Woodlawn Road, Suite 250
Charlotte, NC 28217
Captain Cleary,
I am sending this letter to follow up on a phone conversation we had on November 18 regarding the communication piece you sent to your USAPA membership on November 6th. While your choice of legal counsel for USAPA is your business, I find it both inappropriate and unprofessional for you to publicly speak about other unions’ relationships with said counsel. In this case, such public correspondence is particularly problematic because your information is both misleading and inaccurate.
In your November 6th letter, you stated that SWAPA “terminated their relationship with Seham just this year for "incompetence and billing irregularities". It should be noted that SWAPA did not have a long-standing relationship with Seham, Seham, Meltz & Petersen, so there was no relationship to be “terminated”. We hired Mr. Seham’s firm for a single System Board of Adjustment/Arbitration in Spring of 2010 in which we were attempting to get a pilot reinstated after a termination.
The firm had been recommended to SWAPA by another Southwest union that uses the firm regularly. SWAPA chose to hire outside counsel for that arbitration because the subject-matter relating to the pilot’s termination was specialized, and Mr. Seham’s firm had done extensive work in that field. That single arbitration is the only experience SWAPA had with Mr. Seham’s firm. When that arbitration concluded, our relationship with the firm also ended. They were not “terminated” by SWAPA for either incompetence or billing irregularities. We elected to not use them going forward at that time.
Because your letter to the USAPA membership is misleading and inaccurate, I again request (this time in writing) that you retract the statements made to your membership and issue a correction about SWAPA’s past business dealings with Seham, Seham, Meltz & Petersen.
Sincerely,
Steve Chase
President
Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association
A Compass Correction
( sent out on December 6th, 2011)
The Mike Cleary Issue
Innuendo, Versus Facts!
For those pilots who remember the USAPA President's message entitled "The Lee Seham Issue" of November 06, 2011, this letter from the President of the Teamsters Local 1224 will be interesting. Those who do not recall that particular message from Mike Cleary may remember it was largely a rationalization for unilaterally firing the Seham Law Firm.
Among his proffered reasons for this action was Mike’s assertion that most of Seham’s other clients were dissatisfied with the firm. We shall not dignify Cleary’s libelous claims by repeating them here, but they can be reviewed on the USAPA Website.
Cleary asserted that among those unhappy clients of Seham, Seham, Meltz and Peterson are the Teamsters Union.Well, the following letter, written to Mike Cleary from Mr. Boyd, President of the Teamsters Local 1224 is a full refutation of Cleary’s characterization of their professional relationship and a lot more. Enjoy the read. This letter has not been edited for content.
Please direct any thoughts, or questions you might have after reading Mike’s President’s Message and this letter to Mike Cleary and the Board
November 28,2011
Captain Michael ClearyPresident
US Airlines Pilot Association
200 East Woodlawn Road - Suite 250
Charlotte, NC 28217
Dear Captain Cleary:
My name is Captain Robert Boyd former President and Chief Steward of Airline Professional Association (APA Teamster Local 1224). On background I have been employed at ABX AIR INC., former Airborne Express since 1979. During my time at Airborne I've had the opportunity to represent the Local's Pilots and Professional Flight Engineers both as a two-time elected Chief Steward for 4 years and two-time elected President of Teamsters Local 1224 for six years exclusively representing the Cockpit Crewmembers of Airborne Express.
I have recently reviewed a communication you distributed to your USAPA members making certain representations concerning Mr. Lee Seham of Seham Seham Meltz and Petersen regarding the legal services both he and this law firm provided to the Teamster membership.
As President of Teamster Local 1224, my appointed duties involved the direct hiring and oversight of the Local's staff legal counsel as well as the recruitment and hiring of outside counsel used in several specialized areas oflaw. The Local believed that the crewmembers it represented deserved a vigorous legal representation to protect their valuable careers and the Local cast the net wide to hire the best and notable in each area of law required to represent the membership.
I would request to go on record that to my direct knowledge during my tenure in office the only legal representation Mr. Seham provided for the Teamsters both at the Local or National level was for Teamster Local 1224.
Mr. Seham represented Teamster Local 1224 as outside lead counsel on cases that broached well beyond the areas of expertise and experience that could be provided by the Local's own staff attorneys. Mr. Seham represented our membership at RLA arbitrations, DOT ALJ legal hearings and before the NTSB. In every case his experience, commitment and tenacity helped the Local prevail in very difficult cases in defense of the members' valuable careers. While I am aware of Teamster criticism of Mr. Seham at the International level, that criticism was based on his representation of independent unions and not on the quality of legal services provided to Teamster members.
Given Mr. Seham's factual track record of service for Teamster members at Local 1224, I am requesting that you correct or retract your statements made to your membership concerning Mr. Sehams Legal representations of Teamster Pilot members. For the record we currently have members flying today, and providing for themselves and their families, as a direct result of Mr. Sehams involvement.
Fraternally,
B-767 Captain Robert Boyd
President (2000-2005)
