U-Turn Replies to Jim Van SickleThe MEC waved the FUD and told us to vote for the assessment last year. The money went to ALPA National. It’s gone now. So is the $300,000 lump sum that the company guaranteed our MEC in the TA for completing seniority integration. ALPA took it with them. Editor's note: U-Turn's ability to move from generalizations and spout specifics keeps it worth reading regardless of your personal politics. Thanks again Dave! On Fri 4/18/08, U-Turn received this from former west negotiator Jim Van Sickle: From: Jim Van Sickle (jimandXXXXX@vansickle.com)Sent: Fri 4/18/08 12:54 PMTo: americawestpilots@hotmail.com Dave,I hope you realize you are partially responsible for what occurred to our pilot group today.Your non stop attempts to undermine our leadership, and fraternization with our enemies on the East have hurt the cause of the AWA pilots more than you can comprehend.I hope you are proud of yourself. Jim Van Sickle Jim, I feel your pain, but U-Turn had nothing to do with ALPA getting canned. First, 90% of all West pilots voted for ALPA. Only 1% supported USAPA. Those are ALPA’s polling. ALPA lost by 469 votes. Nothing U-Turn wrote changed any West votes. Second, U-Turn NEVER put out anything encouraging West pilots to support USAPA. We urged the opposite. U-Turn recognized that only ALPA could guarantee the NIC. With ALPA gone, and no participation by the West in USAPA, the NIC is dead. If you don’t think so, file a DFR and see how far it goes. Third, what difference did U-Turn’s criticism of our MEC blunders have on the election? They elected Rick Pitt’s buddy and union political novice, Kevin Kent as MEC Chairman. His major “accomplishment” in seven weeks in office was to negotiate on his own with the company. Without taking a Rep with him, he negotiated an agreement on merger funding. The East got over $1.4 million. He negotiated $180,000. If we had 50% of what East got, we wouldn’t need the second assessment. The MEC thought we were entitled to 90% of the new 757s. The East offered us 40%. We turned them down. Just before expedited arbitration was to begin, our merger attorney Freund told us we couldn’t win. We ended up settling for a 40% IOU that we still haven’t been able to use. The East offered us 40% of the E-190 CA positions in a non-precedent DOH basis. McIlvenna and Dotter demanded a rotating bidding system that would put the most senior pilot on reserve every four months. We ended up in arbitration and lost. We got 33% of the CA slots as IOU. No west pilots have upgraded on the 190. If we took their DOH offer, we would have upgraded over 40 West pilots already. Almost half could hold lines. The MEC waved the FUD and told us to vote for the assessment last year. The money went to ALPA National. It’s gone now. So is the $300,000 lump sum that the company guaranteed our MEC in the TA for completing seniority integration. ALPA took it with them. The MEC pushed a Hawaii LOA that got us the money we should have gotten two years ago. In return, we gave up our no two-duty periods in one calendar day protections. Jim, in spite of all the MEC blunders that U-Turn exposed, 90+% of West pilots supported ALPA. U-Turn had no effect. “fraternization with our enemies on the East.” What information did I give the East that changed one vote on either side? Attacking me based on who my friends are is McCarthyism. Your AWAPPA leadership has sunk to character assassination and intimidation. This is what your leader wrote to a West pilot (not me): From: "John McIlvenna" Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:43 AM I hope the pilot group does not know about your plan to pay USAPA dues and join as a member, else I fear for your safety. Anyone who supports a leader like John McIlvenna who throws out veiled threats is just as sick as John. U-Turn didn’t get ALPA thrown off the property. Neither did the MEC. ALPA got itself thrown off. Prater’s lack of leadership and ALPA’s refusal to present the list right after it came out gave USAPA the time to get ALPA thrown off the property. ALPA should have put the entire East MEC in trusteeship when they stalled and didn’t bargain in good faith. ALPA would still be gone, but at least we would have a NIC contract. That’s where the conflict of interest really is, Jim. When George Hopkins writes the East/West chapter in Flying the Line, III, U-Turn won’t even get a footnote. ALPA did it to itself. ALPA got caught up in a true conflict of interest and couldn’t figure a way out. What’s done is done. Get over it. PREDICTION: The ALPA BOD will remove Prater at their semi-annual meeting this fall. Dave Blomgren, for the U-TurnBigJetCity.com |
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