January 11, 2012

Last week, your elected representatives met to decide whether to continue Interim Discussions and accept the final 3% pay raise associated with the current agreement or re-enter Section 6 negotiations. The MEC received extensive briefs from ALPA’s Director of Representation and Director of Economic and Financial Analysis, had a lengthy discussion with your Negotiating Committee, and thoroughly discussed important pilot survey input received from each of you, at which point the MEC voted to accept the final 3% pay raise and continue Interim Discussions. This decision aligned with the opinions of the above experts and aligned with our crew members’ input as represented through the negotiating survey. Notwithstanding this decision, the MEC unanimously believes our remaining contractual issues cannot wait years for resolution. 

In addition to receiving briefings, the MEC engaged in an in-depth discussion concerning our continuing contractual objectives and the best manner in which they could be achieved. This strategic “vision” discussion was essential to the MEC’s overall decision-making. Here are some take-aways from the MEC discussions:

·         We continue to pursue a focused negotiating approach with an emphasis on specific areas identified through polling and direct feedback.  

·         To ensure that pilot areas of concern, priority and focus have not changed, the MEC and the Negotiating Committee will review the survey results at the February MEC meeting. This scrutiny will enable the Negotiating Committee to engage the Company on the remainder of our contractual objectives with the full investment and support of the MEC.

·         As Interim Discussions progress this Spring and Summer, we – the Officers, the MEC, and the Negotiating Committee – expect to see a number of our high priority subjects discussed with the Company. It would be unrealistic to not anticipate resistance to some of our issues. That being said, we expect the company to engage us in a meaningful way so we can conclude our negotiations in a timely fashion.

The presence of a strategic vision created by your representatives with the aid of the Negotiating Committee and ALPA’s subject matter experts is critical to our success. That vision enables the Negotiating Committee to bargain an agreement which effectively addresses our collective objectives in a proper time period. A unified strategic vision maintained and monitored on a consistent basis by the MEC enables us to be unified in name and in purpose. In turn, your communication with your representative or LEC significantly impacts the purposes and objectives of ALPA. I encourage you to continue to let your reps know what matters to you.

The MEC discussions concerning the decision to accept the final 3% and continue Interim Discussions were, at times, challenging. We also know that differing rational perspectives existed within the pilot group. None of this is surprising, as issues like this are reasonably subject to different viewpoints. But, as I have written before, it is time to move on to the next challenge and to do so with a unified purpose and vision. FedEx waited anxiously as the MEC worked, but rest assured, the Company will now return to its time-tested method of watching the crew force to determine the strength or weakness of the Union. There is no time for delay as your Negotiating Committee continues to tackle contractual issues of increasing value and complexity. Pilot unity is the key and when applied at the table that means “My Negotiating Committee Speaks for Me.”

Please continue to stay engaged as we move forward.

In Unity,

Captain Scott Stratton
FDX ALPA MEC Chairman