Figured it would come back to this typical BS and the "yea but" with the same crowd.
So continuing onto another front for the less brainwashed.
ALPA National had a conference call with the Atlas guys on the decertification. They spent a lot of time tap dancing around crewmember questions and not answering almost all of them in any convincing manner. Looks like Atlas for Teamsters info on their site must have been right. I would like to thank those crewmembers that participated and allowed National in their own words prove exactly what they have been doing to us. Resulting in this push for
Atlas For Teamsters. I also found that they put most of the blame for the problems on Polar on that call. I'm certain if or when they have a conference call with the Polar membership that they will blame all the Atlas crews for all the problems in front of that audience.
Also of note:
The earlier Atlas VARS messages about protocols and National's promises that they will be done or forced have come to a lack of fruition. Not too unusual. National has rarely lived up to their promises to the Atlas council.
Some interesting reading for you.
Originally Posted by From Atlas MEC Chairman
November 5, 2008
Captain John Prater
Air Line Pilots Association
1625 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dear Captain Prater,
I am in receipt of your letter dated November 4, 2008 regarding the ongoing Atlas/Polar Single Contract Negotiations now taking place as earlier directed by the Association’s Executive Council, and more specifically the negotiations that were to have been completed in October regarding "protocols". Needless to say, the Atlas MEC is very disappointed that your office has again declined to direct the Polar Master Executive Council to engage in good faith negotiations regarding protocols, not withstanding the Executive Council's directive to do so as issued in September.
You will recall that following a meeting held on September 10, 2008 in Reston, VA the Association, the Polar MEC and the Atlas MEC agreed that during the October negotiations with the Company the Joint Negotiations Committee (JNC) would strive to complete the protocols as a prerequisite to continued negotiations toward the single collective bargaining agreement (SCBA). Additionally, as directed by the Executive Council, that protocol agreement would include provisions for binding interest arbitration. You further assured the Atlas MEC that if the Polar MEC did not comply you would take the necessary action to compel them to do so.
While the Atlas MEC's representatives to the JNC did meet with the Company in October to complete a protocol agreement, the Polar MEC Chairman directed that his representatives engage in no protocol discussions, in direct contravention of the Executive Council's and your directives.
Your letter of November 4th does nothing to remedy this situation. In fact, while it requests that the Atlas representatives continue protocol discussions with the Company, it does nothing to compel the Polar MEC's compliance. The Atlas representatives have no authority to bind the Polar representatives to any agreement that may be reached. And notwithstanding your very vague statement to the effect that you may or may not even sign such an agreement, even if you did, such an executed protocol agreement would have no binding affect on the Polar MEC.
The Atlas MEC and the Crewmembers we represent are committed to completing this merger. The infighting between these two crew forces has already been allowed to go on far too long. We have stood very patiently while the Polar MEC Chairman has done everything he could to prevent it, even while his own fleet and crew force were suffering the direct consequences of a shrinking airline, and even while he has attempted to move flying legitimately at Atlas to Polar to make up for his losses. It was our hope that after the Executive Council finally directed that the merged seniority list be presented to management last May (a full 18 months after Arbitrator Harris issued his decision), the last step of the process, negotiations for a single CBA could finally be completed. That, clearly, has turned out not to be the case.
Based on these circumstances and consistent with what I advised both you and the Executive Council on September 10, 2008, we do not believe that any further negotiations with the Company, either on protocols or the single CBA, are appropriate. This will remain our position until such time as either the Polar MEC agrees in writing to fully comply with the directives of the Executive Council to complete the merger, including agreement to interest arbitration should direct negotiations not result in a SCBA with the Company, or the Association directs them to do so.
Our patience has finally been exhausted.
Respectfully,
Royce W Setzer
AAI MEC Chairman
Cc:
AAI MEC
Bobb Henderson
Teresa Dodson
Bob Hester
ALPA Executive Council
Bruce York
I hope that the Polar guys let alone the Atlas guys that are getting tired of not getting anywhere remember that they can make a difference by voting Teamsters and Moving ON.