Pinnacle MEC Chairman Recall

[JoeMerchant]

Which is exactly why ALPO has no business trying to represent the regionals against the legacy, conflict of interest.

They lose sight of their pilots and follow ALPO directions...

With emphasis to collect dues.........................

They do lose sight...and they get scared of flying. Our MEC Chairman is finally being forced back to the cockpit by the new MEC...It's been over 8 years since he flew an airplane.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Seriously? That's all you've got?

"Don't hate on Lindsay Lohan unless you've been Lindsay Lohan."

Look, I've had many roles with ALPA including committee chair and LEC rep (some of which was during contract negotiations and bankruptcy). I've known our MEC reps very well including the chairmen.

Please re-read my post. Did I say it is an easy job and I think they are slacking? Nope.

What I said was it's not too much to ask to stay current. (Do you want an FAR reference for what that means?) Going to recurrent ground school once a year, taking a PC and recurrent sim training twice a year, getting a line check once a year, and flying once every 90 days really isn't that much to ask. I never said it should be mandatory. I think the Pinnacle resolution was dumb.

The whole point is that if you stop living like a pilot it can be a little tough to appreciate what they are going through. Just because you did it years ago doesn't mean it is even close to that now. Ever taken a sim check with an instructor who hasn't flown the line in forever? That's a treat.

Oh... and since you have to have done the job to make a comment, I guess that goes for you too. You better not ever criticize George Bush as you've never been President of the U.S. And Sarah Palin is off limits too since you've never been the Governor of Alaska (or even the mayor of Wasilla). Don't ever comment about B-717 captains since you aren't one. Unless you've DONE THE JOB you have no idea what it's like. Is that fair?

I fully support ALPA but it's lines like "Have you ever served in that sort of position?" that just kill me. I guess I can't have an opinion if I haven't done the job, so from now on I'm never going to question anything my union leadership does.

I'm going to get some new bag stickers printed up that say "My MEC speaks for me... But I best not question what they do since I've never done the job!"

Instead of the MEC chair at any pilot group flying the line on occasion to "appreciate what they are going through".. how about the avg line pilot make an effort to understand what the MEC chair and status rep are going through?

Fact is, when pilot reps interact with company and govt, they aren't looked down upon because they don't fly the line on occasion. That only comes from pilots. Govt and company reps give MEC and LEC reps the credit they deserve as pilots. (their political skills might be another matter...)

Look, union reps know what pilots go through... they have lived the life... for years, even decades.... what most, even 80% or more don't know is the political world of pilot representation...

The issue isn't a MEC or LEC rep losing touch... it is the line pilot who rarely makes an effort to understand what representation is all about...

 

[samballs]

Which is exactly why ALPO has no business trying to represent the regionals against the legacy, conflict of interest.

They lose sight of their pilots and follow ALPO directions...

With emphasis to collect dues.........................

Don't try to explain this to him. PCL only position is a 3 point stance in front of prater

 

[PCL_128]

It's been over 8 years since he flew an airplane.

And during those eight years, he's done a great job. Flying would have been nothing more than distraction. Just silly politics.

 

[say again]

And during those eight years, he's done a great job. Flying would have been nothing more than distraction. Just silly politics.

Are you serious?!?!

 

[Smarta$$]

Why does every post that JOEMERCHANT and those that think like him or engage him in any way, become the SPECIAL OLYMPICS?

You are not solving the worlds problems and you create pages after pages of wasted time for the rest of us. STFU.

Now, I want an answer as to why the motion was withdrawn.

Was it

A. The reps that put fourth the motion suddenly got smart enough to realize this was an epically stupid idea?

B. The reps that put fourth the motion looked around them and realized there was not enough reps around them dumb enough to support the motion, and they realized it would FAIL anyway?

 

[CFI2766]

I'm on full time leave, but I still keep current. My thoughts:

-Keeping current is simply the right thing to do. How can I negotiate for the pilots on my seniority list if I don't know what they (we) are going through?

-I'm still safe when I fly, but I'm not as good as I was when I flew every week. If my voice is heard on a CVR for whatever reason, there is little doubt that I will face greater scrutiny, fair or not, in an ensuing investigation due to my flying schedule.

-The flying I do does detract from what I am on full time ALPA leave to do. There is no question about it. The people that I interact with in the GO are in the office every week of the month. I am not.

-For every complaint about full time reps not staying current, there is a corresponding complaint about the inefficiency and lack of progress of what my committee is responsible for. Stated differently, there is a damned if you do, and damned if you don't feel to the concept of currency while on full time leave.

 

[Tarzan]

And during those eight years, he's done a great job. Flying would have been nothing more than distraction. Just silly politics.

I guess you've never heard of the Vice Chairman position......

 

[dondk]

Instead of the MEC chair at any pilot group flying the line on occasion to "appreciate what they are going through".. how about the avg line pilot make an effort to understand what the MEC chair and status rep are going through?

Fact is, when pilot reps interact with company and govt, they aren't looked down upon because they don't fly the line on occasion. That only comes from pilots. Govt and company reps give MEC and LEC reps the credit they deserve as pilots. (their political skills might be another matter...)

Look, union reps know what pilots go through... they have lived the life... for years, even decades.... what most, even 80% or more don't know is the political world of pilot representation...

The issue isn't a MEC or LEC rep losing touch... it is the line pilot who rarely makes an effort to understand what representation is all about...

I have to disagree.
The union is a volunteer organization, yes you heard right... volunteer. There is no application process, interview and hiring manager that says you are hired to be a rep, committee member, chair, LEC or even MEC member. In each of those positions, come payday they are paid from whom they are employed with, not ALPA.

The issue is the rep losing touch, not the average line pilot not understanding what representation is all about. The rep chose to do that job, no one has forced them to do it, the rep chooses how much or little effort to put into it. Ironically the MEC chair and other full time buy union positions are compensated well above guarantee and commonly well above what the average line pilot is compensated.

They are compensated above their peers for the silly politics, for the time they spend with management, meetings in Washington or wherever. They are not doing it for free, even though they volunteered for the job. If they fly the bare minimums of 1 trip a month, they are STILL compensated, so where is the downside for the union rep? No one is asking them to do it for free, they are just asking them to do it.

So, for that extra compensation, what is the issue with staying FAR current?

That is the problem with the system that passes resolutions that give union leaders extra compensation, the ability to no longer be current, the ability to no longer be a pilot for which they were hired for in the first place. Again, the company hired them, not the union, the company is writing their paycheck and it is signed not by Prater.

So, who is losing touch?

 

[higney85]

A rep spot is a 7 day a week ordeal when things are happening. Reps are not paid to do it, but as was stated, if a rep has to be at a meeting they are bought off the trip and paid as if they did it (less perdiem). If the meeting is last minute and you were already off or on vacation there is no pay for doing it. I'm not complaining, but a rep spot comes down to wanting to help the pilots. In the end some pilots will always complain, no matter how much money is or isn't involved. I believe a rep does need to stay current. At 9E the reps all have full lines (the last few months at 90+ block), I'd say we are pretty current and linked to the group we represent.