Resolution Course Correction

The Atlanta Council Meeting is one week away (click here for the meeting notice).  We have new Reps taking office March 1st who have pledged to try and improve communication and accessibility.  Having met with them this past week I am encouraged and hopeful about their leadership of our council.  This same possibility exists with new officers at our Detroit and Salt Lake City councils as well.  I think we all wish them well as they embark on new terms in office, I know I do!

My goal in proposing resolutions was to speak to the frustrations and dissatisfaction I experience, hear from copilots I fly with and in listened to in conversations in my previous role on the Communication Committee.  In trying to put those frustrations into doable actions, my overriding goal was to find common ground, take a positive approach and suggest solutions most Delta Pilots would agree with.

Collaboration is rewarding, time consuming, at times messy, and fraught with the possibilities of not reaching agreement.  Collaborators come and go depending on their interests, available time, ability to tolerate frustration, and degree of feeling listened to and included.  With that in mind, I have made some changes to my resolutions.

Communication and Transparency.  I made some minor adjustments here.  No big changes.  Our council officers need guidance on how often the council wants to hear from them.

Pay.  The original resolution was very similar to one passed by Council 44 more than 2 years ago.  Since it was the basis of a resolution at the MEC level, the concern was expressed that it may be ignored as a repeat.  Instead I have written the kind of wording I think pilots would like our LEC and MEC use to confront our management on the circumstances of our harsh contractual cuts, our expression of the intent to restore our losses and the expectations on our union leaders.  A possible second pay resolution is in the works by another C44 member.  It may use some of this wording, may end up as a substitute resolution or may stand alone.  The goal is to collaborate and prevent the meeting from being a two day affair.

Conflict of Interest Resolution.  This resolution has created controversy for numerous reasons.  There are some misstatements of fact in the resolution.  Their are a wide variety of viewpoints among very knowledgeable line pilots, former reps and legal resources.  This one may take time to find more of a consensus.  There are two parts that there is general agreement with pilots have spoken to:

• Having one legal council for all of ALPA does not provide the innovation and airline specific solutions we seek.  We need our own Delta-Pilot-specific lawyers for negotiations. 
• We all want to know who is running for ALPA National President before our MEC supports a candidate.  This relates back to Communication and Transparency, "Tell us before you decide for us."

Since the second bullet point impacts us this fall, I will have a short resolution asking the MEC to only support declared candidates for National so that we can comment to them before they decide who to support.  The Atlanta Council intends to hold more frequent Council Meetings, the discussion of Scope, conflicts and strategy will continue in future meetings and between meetings.  Hopefully this will be true in other councils as well.

There are currently 9 Resolutions on the ATL Agenda.  Here is a link to 1, 2, 3 and a Proxy.  Here's the link to 5-9 and a Proxy.  My attached proxy (revised) is good for any of the 9.  Please find someone who plans to attend to carry it for you.  They can carry up to 3 proxies.

My hope is that this effort initiates more involvement in our Union.  If any of these resolutions speak to you, please take your own "personalized" version to your council meeting.  Our union only listens when they hear the call for better communication loud and clear from through out our membership.

Delta ALPA; Self Protection Trumps Membership Interests

Resolution 3, Ending the Conflict of Interest at ALPA National is the start of an effort to change our by-laws.  This proposal is an effort to make our union structure more appealing to the members. This resolution is not advocating “the certification of a different collective bargaining representative.”

The Delta Communication Chairman posted an excerpt from the Landrum Griffin Act, calling for “refraining from conduct that would interfere with its performance of its legal or contractual obligations.” It is his interpretation of the resolution's wording that convince him (or whomever is behind the effort to censure it) that this resolution violates the act. The wording was chosen carefully.  It represents a concept; that ALPA serve as an umbrella for two groups that whose differences both groups find restrictive (they sue, we hold back on negotiating what we really want to suit their lawyers.) If better wording can be found to achieve this goal, let's use it.

There is no-decertification involved. It is entirely possible that Regional Carriers will find a better strategy to attain their goals. Delta Pilots can proceed into 2012 negotiations unrestrained. Regional and Legacy Pilots all work together on those areas where we have common interests.  We are permitted unrestrained competition when it comes to improving pay and growth.

Proxy Form

Proxy

Proxies will only be valid for the business listed on the published agenda – even if there are other resolutions presented, proxies may not be used since they were not submitted with the advanced agenda.

Being unable to attend the DAL Council 44 Meeting on March 4, 2010,

I designate ___________________________________as my proxy to represent me at the above local council meeting and no other to vote on the specific subjects listed on the published agenda for this meeting,

a. Resolution 1 - Thanks to Leaving Reps
b. Resolution 2 - Transparency and Communication
c. Resolution 3 - Pay
d. Resolution 4 - Conflict of Interest
e. Resolution 5 - Membership Ratification
f. Resolution 6 - Web Conferencing
g. Resolution 7 - Ballpoint Proxy Voting
h. Resolution 8 - Professional Negotiators
i. Resolution 9 - RLA vs. NLRA

Strike out and initial any resolution you do not want carried by your proxy.

Signed _______________________________________Date____________

Print name ____________________________________________________

ALPA Number ___________________________________

Constitution and By-Laws Article III, Section 3G, Proxies: "Proxies for a Local Council meeting must be in writing, from an Active member in good standing, and for the specific subjects listed on the published agenda. Stated on the proxy must be the name of the person issuing the proxy, the person to whom issued, and the subjects covered by the proxy. No member shall be able to vote more than three (3) proxies. Proxies may be used in any vote by secret ballot in a Local Council meeting except those votes enumerated in Section 3E of this Article." Article III, Section 3E, Voting: At all meetings of a Local Council, all questions coming before such Council shall be decided by a majority vote of the Local Council members in attendance (including valid proxies except as provided in the following sentence), and each Active Local Council member in good standing shall have one (1) vote. Proxies may not be used for secret ballots required in Article III, Section 2E(3) (Interim Status Representatives); Article III, Section 7A(1) (Nomination of Representatives); Article IV, Section 2B (Strike Votes); Article IX, Section 7B (Assessments), and ALPA's contract ratification procedures. Interpretation of the Executive Council: The Executive Council, at its December 2000 meeting, interpreted Article III, Section 3G as follows: “Proxy forms under Article III, Section 3G of the Constitution and By-Laws must be completed in their entirety and signed by the member giving the proxy, including the name of the proxy holder, when the form is signed.”

Transform ALPA - Delta Air Lines Pilots Association: Banned from the DALPA Forum

Transform ALPA - Delta Air Lines Pilots Association: Banned from the DALPA Forum

Banned from the DALPA Forum

 This is the post that is not permitted on ALPA's webboards.
  Tuesday, February 09, 2010

09 Feb 2010 08:24 AM

Ending the Conflict of Interest at ALPA National Whereas having Major and Regional Airlines in ALPA has created a conflict of interest with respect to scope clauses leading to lawsuits, insufficient protections and ultimately reduced pay and growth for the Delta Pilots and Whereas our Union has not found an adequate nor acceptable solution to this problem, Whereas despite this conflict of interest we recognize the many areas of common interest between Major and Regional Airlines including safety, security, government affairs, etc., Be it resolved that the pilots of Council 44 direct their LEC make every effort to split ALPA into two distinct unions, one for Major Airlines and one for Regional Carriers while forming a Federation for both of these unions to pursue common interests and Be if further resolved that the Pilots of Council 44 direct their LEC Officers to present a similar resolution to the MEC including the stated goals of: Identifying the position of every candidate for ALPA President on this issue and Support only candidates for all ALPA National Office that take aggressive action to end this conflict of interest within their first year in office and To only support and vote for candidates that declare their intent to run for office with publicly stated positions before August 2010

Resolutions for Change

Resolution 1: Transparency and Communication (Revised)

Whereas the Pilots of Council 44 are highly interested in the manner and substance of business conducted by the Delta MEC,

Whereas Trust, Unity and Collaboration between the pilots of Council 44 and their LEC and MEC leadership is enhanced by timely, informative and open communication,

Whereas the pilots of Council 44 were not given notice of ongoing negotiations and talks with respect to LOA 19 - No Fly Lines, LOA 20 - MAC Charter Operations nor ALPA’s support of the JAL Joint Venture; therefore preventing direct, timely input to these and other ALPA-Management negotiations,

Be it resolved that the pilots of Council 44 direct its Officers to communicate the subject of all negotiations and union business that impacts the majority of Delta Pilots as early as possible to the Council, seeking input and guidance from council members and subsequently using that input when directing the MEC Administration and Negotiating Committee.

Be it further resolved that the Pilots of Council 44 direct their LEC Officers to pursue at minimum bi-monthly communication utilizing technology that facilitates timely, informative, worldwide contact with its members including but not limited to a council website, instant messaging, video or teleconferencing, and that

The Officers of Council 44 commit to using their influence to establish these standards, through out the Delta MEC.

Resolution 2: Pay (Revised)

Whereas the Delta Pilots have sustained an unprecedented assault on our contract by the management of Delta Air Lines resulting in draconian changes to nearly every section of our contract,

Whereas management utilized every means available including threats of dire consequences, company liquidation, and the stringent provisions of bankruptcy law to impose pay cuts in excess of 40%, divestiture of the contractual and moral obligations of the Delta Pilot Pension Plan and the drastic alteration of long established work rules,

Whereas no other employee group at Delta Air Lines sustained pay cuts in any way comparable to those imposed on the Delta Pilots, nor did any other Delta employee group endure the default of their pension and subsequent transfer of pension liabilities to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation resulting in a drastic reduction of pension payouts,

Be it resolved that the pilots of Atlanta Council 44 will seek full restoration of wages, pensions and work rules at every opportunity.  We further direct the Officers of Council 44 and the Delta MEC to vigorously pursue this restoration with each and every negotiation with Delta Management and to state this intent in all communications regarding any negotiation.

Resolution 3: Conflict of Interest

Whereas the Delta MEC will be supporting and/or voting for a candidate for President, Air Line Pilots Association, International at the Fall Board of Directors Meeting,

Be it resolved that the Pilots of Council 44 direct their LEC Officers to encourage the Delta MEC to commit to only support and vote for candidates that declare their intent to run for office with publicly stated positions before August 2010.

Be it further resolved that the Pilots of Council 44 request that this be accomplished by the submission of a resolution to the Delta MEC at the next Delta MEC Meeting expressing this commitment.

"I don't want one cent of our dues money to be spent trying to win the un-winnable war of public perception of my salary. I would rather quietly prepare for the future...saving money and getting ready for the real battles ahead."  Lee Moak Supporter.


So this war would be un-winnable and costly?  I used to think that way as well.  That has been conventional thinking for my whole career.  As Vice Chair of Communication under Captain Moak, I said this many, many times and heard it repeated by others often.

But consider this:

Traditional media is a dying industry.  Newspapers will eventually not print newsprint (most young people never read them, many of the rest of us get our news on-line).  TV has been fractured from 3 networks to hundreds.  At the same time electrons have essentially become free (or nearly so).  It costs nothing to post Press Releases, stories on websites, blogs, etc.

Now I would agree that most of the time, people do not seek out pilot pay stories.  Generally they don't care about pay, they care about cheap tickets. 

But there are spikes in interest.  When Sully Sullenberger crash landed in the Hudson and then testified in front of Congress, there was a weeks worth of stories on pilot pay and retirement.  There was lots of free coverage on pilot pay.  It was great coverage for us.  Maybe that lead to these other stories like this (more free publicity). 

We never know when interest in pilot pay and retirement will occur.  Interest is dependent on breaking stories related to airlines.  That is just one reason why we need continual press releases or website stories about pay.  Look at what is out there now.  If a hot story broke and a reporter did a Google Search for background information here is what they would find:

• "Pilot Pay" - a real mix of stuff with Airline Pilot Central at the top
• "Pilot Pay + Delta Air Lines" - The top link is "Will Fly for Food" a pilot job information site.  #2 is the Delta Pilots Website (yeah) but it is the old one and is worthless (boo); There is not one story on page 1 about the travesty of our pay cuts.  Our union is failing when it comes to being internet savvy.
• Our hero, "Sully + Pilot Pay" - Great stuff, we should be so lucky.

There is another reason to be more public.  It involves one of my personal interests, organizational psychology.  We live and die with pilot unity.  Right now, we are asleep, apathetic and beaten down.  Two issues (pay and scope) are like gaping wounds that won't heal.  Addressing them publicly is letting pilots (the members who pay dues) know that the union is painfully aware, it is always thinking about, and will use every opportunity to regain losses of pay and retirement.  Publicly reminding management from time to time is an act of good mental health.  It will keep us together and focused. 

Sadly when I worked for Lee, the MEC Administration did all it could to keep pilots from getting worked up.  It was a conscious decision, one I am sure management loves.  The times they were most responsive was when we perceived a wrong and rung their phones off the hook and posted ad-infinitum on the Forum.  Our union is only truly responsive when we force them to be.

I Like Lee

From the Forum.  A pilot posted, "I like Lee".  Of course that got me thinking.  Here is a response:

Fair enough.  I respect that opinion.

Speaking as someone who worked under him for almost 5 years, I like him too.  He is very personable, handles tough questions well and is an incredible politician.  He surrounds himself with good people.  All likable, all hard working, sometimes innovative.  I would agree, some good things have been accomplished.

At the same time there are several problems with this picture.  First of all we don't see the whole thing.  Lee and his people are deal makers.  Deals are done in secret, promises are made, established policies we think are being followed, are not always.  Pilots expect the highest standards from other pilots.  We are trained to be lead, but as a cohesive, responsive team.  There are former team members who will tell you this is not the case.

Secondly, they are great at messaging.  They point to USAir, American and United and say, do you want to be them?  They paint conflict as only only two choices, white or black.  WHITE: We do it Moak's way, a business approach.  Company assertions that we have to make a profit before there is any significant return is accepted as gospel along with company data and business plans based on lower pay (and flexibility for higher oil). Or BLACK: We do it like those carriers that are out there screaming in pain and are taking their companies down in ruin by doing so.  Then there is GRAY: We have all been through negotiations.  They have never been just business without some pushback.  Therefore the negotiators conduct cordial business while the Communication paints a very mixed reality including in our public statements.  IE "We love Delta, we care about getting our passengers safely and happily to their destinations and By the Way our trusted CEO cut wages 42% and broke a solemn promise of a pension.  Why do we avoid conflict?  Why do we accept only 2 choices?  Even big business does not operate this way.  We need to be agressive; publicly and privately.

Our union has managed our expectations.  That is the companies job, not theirs.  Next Tuesday evening there is a Frontline on PBS called, Flying Cheap.   Have you ever seen a reporter make a case for us before we make the case for ourselves?   Our Communication Communication should be saying, "Thank God, finally they get what we have been saying".   But sadly, that is not the case. 

On top of that their is a clear conflict of interest in our union.  Regionals in our union sue us for taking their flying!  What has ALPA not split this union in two?  Does dues income have anything to do with it?  This is a problem screaming for fixing and NO ONE in ALPA has touched it.

It is great to be happy.  Perhaps life is better not paying attention to our union's actions (many of which are done behind closed doors) and not interested in the stories behind the anger you see here on the Forum.  I can understand that.  I just hope when someone inarticulately explains their disdain for ALPA you think, there may be more than just sour grapes behind it.

DVR Alert: FRONTLINE Presents Flying Cheap

FRONTLINE INVESTIGATES SAFETY PROBLEMS OF MAJOR AIRLINES OUTSOURCING FLIGHTS TO SMALLER REGIONAL CARRIERS

FRONTLINE Presents
Flying Cheap
Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS

http://www.pbs.org/frontline/flyingcheap/

Last February, Continental Flight 3407 crashed outside of Buffalo, N.Y., killing 49 people onboard and one on the ground. Although 3407 was painted in the colors of Continental Connection, it was actually operated by Colgan Air, a regional airline that flies routes under contract for US Airways, United and Continental. The crash and subsequent investigation revealed a little-known trend in the airline industry: Major airlines have outsourced more and more of their flights to obscure regional carriers.

Today, with regional airlines accounting for more than half of all scheduled domestic flights in the United States and responsible for the last six fatal commercial airline accidents, FRONTLINE producer Rick Young and correspondent Miles O’Brien investigate the safety issues associated with outsourcing in Flying Cheap, airing Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings). 

Read more . . .

The Pilot Story You Won't See on TV Tonight

On your next airline flight, as you walk by the cockpit, you now know on average, the coffee you purchased in the terminal cost more than what both pilots will earn from your passenger fare for each hour of flight they accept responsibility for your safety.

Read more ...