Hi Tacoma,
I feel so very sad for you, and for others on the Q who believe that ALPA has this problem licked. If you take your thinking just a little bit further, you will see that the one list is a stale document that won't be updated past the last update in August. Once the statutory freeze is over (when the CBA is handed down by the Kaplan chap), the WPDL will be officially dead and buried, and the only terms of employment that will exist for the mainline pilots will be the CBA.
What I think ALPA would like you to believe, is that the company will just accept the LOU and sign it. Why would they do that? Both pilot groups have decided they want ALPA, so the company is under no moral obligation to defend the one list. Zero. Hiring and pilot retention is the company's concern, not ALPA's. Don't you worry, the company has a plan for dealing with Q pilots and it doesn't involve the headaches of a combined list. If ALPA want's a combined seniority list, they should concentrate their efforts at the CIRB with a common employer ruling, because with the way that ALPA has sabotaged the relationship between upper management and themselves, there is ZERO goodwill from which to draw on. The company would rather see ALPA suffer for its behaviour than sign that LOU.
I hear the CPA (Link) is working out great...think about that. What would it take to sell the Q operation?
Regarding the legality of the proposed LOU, I made some inquiries. I wouldn't be so sure that it passes muster. As WeedPro has pointed out, ALPA and the MEC are constitutionally obligated to follow the policies of the Executive Board. Again, as WeedPro pointed out, the seniority list has to be ordered by DOH, which ALPA has finally conceded and why ALPA now needs an LOU to get back what is now lost. The WestJet Pilot Seniority List that Kaplan ordered Swoop pilots added to, does not have any current Q pilots on it...
- ALPA_1956_Seniority_Policy.jpg (601.7 KiB) Viewed 2748 times
What the proposed LOU says is ALPA will try to override seniority. In effect, they will try to bring in super-seniority for pilots who flowed from the Q. That will be interesting, as the same 1956 Executive Board policy that dictated DOH for the seniority list construction, also dictates that seniority (not super-seniority) will govern all promotions etc (see attachment, Seniority- General, (c)). Although the proposed LOU will never see the light of day due to the company's refusal to even look at it, if it did, the OTS pilots would have an instant breach of contract action against ALPA. The remedy for a sucessful breach action would include restoring pilots to the position they would have been in absent the breach by ALPA. The company is fully aware of ALPA policies and what would happen if they had to retrain and demote people etc in the event of a challenge. They won't be touching a seniority list or upgrade list that is based on something other than DOH at mainline.
- ALPA_1956_Seniority_Policy.jpg (601.7 KiB) Viewed 2748 times
And remember, the company will shortly begin the long process of negotiating a CBA with the Q pilots. Why would they hand over a gift now? They would be better extracting something in return. Same with the mainline pilots. If the mainline pilots are so hot and horny to have the one list, the company will extract a pound or two of flesh in return. What are the mainline pilots willing to give up in order to give Q pilots credit for time served at another company?
One last reason that the company will not entertain closer ties between the Q pilots and mainline pilots by way of an LOU, is that it brings the company one step closer to a successful common employer action, which ALPA has admitted is their goal. Ain't gonna happen
ALPA knows all of the above to be true. The document they issued a few days ago regarding the one list was merely designed to deflect the anger that will occur when the former and existing Q pilots realize that the emperor is not wearing any clothes, there is no WPDL, and all current and former Q pilots will take their place on a mainline seniority list according to the day they started employment. At mainline.
I take no pleasure in informing you that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are fictional characters, along with any concept that a one list has a life beyond Kaplan's decision on the CBA. Contact your LEC reps for more details.
My condolences.
- ALPA_1956_Seniority_Policy.jpg (601.7 KiB) Viewed 2748 times
Sort of miss him, welcome back man.
