PilotsUnited.com

Bonus Section

This section is for deals, inside scoops, and psycho bable B.S. that you really didn't know you needed to know.

Pilots Vote down TA 68.2% to 31.8%

With a Special MEC Update for Friday, April 20, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. Central Daylight time, this is MEC Communications Chairman Steve Derebey

A substantial majority of pilots voting on the Line Guarantee and LCO Pay RIG Tentative Agreement have rejected the proposal. Of the 6473 eligible active pilots, 5733 pilots (88.57%) participated in this ballot. 3909 (68.18%) voted AGAINST the TA and 1824 (31.82%) voted in FAVOR. Two ballots were cast in which the voter did not select any options.

The message you've sent is clear: While contractual improvements are critical, you are through providing this management relief in any way, shape or form. They have previously stated that they “have all the tools necessary” to create a profitable enterprise. Management must face the reality that the pilots of United are through subsidizing failed decision-making. Your vote states loud and clear that you are angry at the excessive “compensation packages” awarded to those who claim to have a cogent plan to manage the company outside the bankruptcy environment.

We will enlighten the American public regarding your anger at “shared sacrifice” not translating into shared rewards. Like our colleagues at other airlines, we will turn the focus toward redirecting the flow of revenue from the corporate suite back to those of us who make this airline fly.

Now that the pilots have spoken regarding the Tentative Agreement, we must focus on the next phase of the United MEC's Fix It Now! (FIN) campaign. You have sent the first strong signal, but many steps remain in the FIN process, designed to reclaim what was extracted from us during United's bankruptcy. Your continued participation is key to securing meaningful achievements well in advance of the upcoming Section 6 negotiations with the Company.

SHAME ON GLENN TILTON: $39,700,000 IN 2006!

In a proxy statement filed Monday to the Security and Exchange Commission, United Airlines revealed that UAL chairman, chief executive and president Glenn Tilton received compensation worth $39.7 million in 2006. According to an Association Press story, the lion's share of Tilton's remuneration came in the form of stock and option awards granted in February 2006, including an award United valued at $20 million when it was issued Feb. 2, one day after UAL emerged from court-protected bankruptcy.

After United’s emergence from bankruptcy, Tilton received subsequent awards worth about $18 million over the next four weeks. He was paid a base salary of $687,083, received $839,028 in non-equity incentive plan compensation and was granted other compensation of $210,959.

Tilton’s bonuses, salary and stock options all came as United’s unionized employees continue laboring under working agreements and wages implemented during United’s bankruptcy. In response to United’s filing, the Union Coalition at United Airlines, which is comprised of an overwhelming majority of unionized United employees, issued the following press release to all major news outlets across the United States:

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UAL Union Coalition Demands Shared Rewards

Chicago, Ill., March 27, 2007--Angered that management has been enriching itself in the face of life-changing sacrifices made on the part of workers at United Airlines, the majority of United’s unionized employees have formed the “Union Coalition at United Airlines” to demand our fair share in the financial rewards that management currently enjoys. Because of the sacrifices and efforts of United’s employees, United Airlines avoided liquidation during its three-year bankruptcy.

The union leaders call on management to, among other issues, make immediate, tangible improvements to the compensation and success sharing program for all employees, address quality of work-life issues, and move up Contract bargaining dates.

“The employees of United Airlines are inexorably linked to the future and success of our airline,” said the Coalition in a statement signed by Greg Davidowich of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), Lou Lucivero of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), Jim Seitz of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), Craig Symons of the Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA) and Mark Bathurst of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

“Throughout United’s bankruptcy, ‘shared sacrifice’ was the mantra employees heard frequently from upper management. But executives have failed to lead by example as employees have watched these same individuals collect millions of dollars worth of stock, pay raises and bonuses. On Monday, the full extent of upper management’s 2006 profit package was revealed in the Proxy Statement filed by United. Unionized employees are outraged. Management continues lining its pockets with millions of dollars while its employees still struggle under the same working agreements and wages implemented during United’s bankruptcy. Clearly, United management values the concept of ‘sharing’ as a public relations tactic to extract billions of dollars in concessions rather than a principle by which they should live and manage. United’s employees don’t subscribe to management’s philosophy that sharing ends at the sacrifice stage.”

Through concessions, nearly $5.5 billion was extracted from labor during United’s stay in bankruptcy.

“The dedication, sweat and sacrifice of all United employees have led United Airlines on the road toward sustained profitability,” the union leaders say. “Management already is reaping the rewards of United’s new found financial health. It is time the efforts of the airline’s most important stakeholders – the employees – are recognized and respected. Shared sacrifice should equal shared rewards.

“It is not unreasonable to demand our fair share in the financial rewards that management currently enjoys. Standing together and speaking with one voice, United Airlines’ unionized employees will work aggressively to force management to recognize our part in transforming our airline.”

Combined, the coalition’s five labor unions represent more than 30,000 United employees.

GET INVOLVED: Go to http://webhelp.ualmec.com to get a lot more information!

Educate yourself!

FIN: Fix It Now!

Here are links to the streaming video of the United MEC "Fix It NOW" Rally held on Friday, January 26th at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago. The first link (High Bandwidth) is for High Speed Internet users and the second (Low Bandwidth) is for "Dial-up" users.

In the next few weeks the UAL MEC will be sending you a DVD of the event, along with several special features not contained in this streaming version. They want to thank the more than 400 pilots who attended this event in Chicago to officially kick off the "Fix It NOW" campaign!

Link to the NEW ALPA Forum

I went to the old ALPA forum to find it had disappeared. Oly Olson gave new link:

http://ualmec.com

and for help

http://webhelp.ualmec.com/

There is an excellently produced tutorial on the help page that walks you step-by-step through registering. You'll need to know the email address you have on file with the UAL ALPA MEC. A direct link to the tutorial is http://tutorials.ualmec.com. The forum links in both the side and top menus of this site have been updated.

The new forum format is awesome, by the way. The content generated by the members is still the same (25% good info, 25% camaraderie, 25% humor, senseless and otherwise, and 25% UFC-style brawling.) As usual, the volunteer Sysops are doing a bang up job containing the inmates at the asylum. See you at Boyle's!

photo courtesy of www.JetPhotos.com

PBS (Preferential Bidding System) Direct Link

Here's a direct link to the PBS. Use the same login as your www.UnitedSkynet.com link (your standard Skynet login). As I type this, Skynet My Workplace is unavailable, but this link bypasses it so you can still bid before they close.

https://united.intranet.ual.com/pbs-pilot

By the way, years ago I registered www.UnitedSkynet.com and www.UnitedUnimatic.com. When I came back from my leave of absence, I forwrded www.UnitedSkynet.com to the long url, so now you can just type in www.UnitedSkynet.com and it takes you there. I recently forwarded www.UnitedUnimatic.com to the Unimatic link, so in the next week or so you'll be able to do the same for Unimatic. I just registered www.UnitedPBS.com and forwarded it to the link posted above and it is already working. I can understand why the company wouldn't just do this themselves, as it's 3 x $7.95 that could go to more important things like retirement funds, bonuses, and raises for C-Level managment. Cheers from Sean Brown and PilotsUnited.com!

Awesome Resource and Website: AirlinePilotCentral.com

Check out this website that Scott O'Brien just sent to me. Want to know what we're making? Take a look at http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/legacy/united.html. Now go take a look at what FedEx is making at http://airlinepilotcentral.com/airlines/cargo/fedex.html. But don't pay no mind, as we all know that you can't make money in cargo. The rest of the site is a very well put together resource that is worth your browsing time.

Skype a must for International Pilots!

Returning to the line, I needed to figure out a reasonably inexpensive way to call home from Narita, Sydney, Bangkok, and Frankfurt. I guess FREE is inexpensive enough. Skype is exceptionally easy to install and just as easy to get started. All you need is a microphone and headphones (I bought a combined headset for $19 at BestBuy... there's nothing really special about them.)

What is even cooler is that when I was on my last trip with John Salvini, he had Skype and a webcam, and when he called me, I could see him in very good resolution on the screen! So when I'm away, if I install Skype on my son's computer and then call him from Bangkok, I can show him the view from my room and have a great face-to-face conversation with him.

I have written an extensive article on "How to get Started with Skype." Check it out for details on how to completely revolutionize the way you communicate on your trips.

UniformSpirit.com:

Special Occasion and Commerative Uniform Epaulettes

For an innovative way to show your spirit or support, check out www.UniformSpirit.com. You know how some pilots wear ties that have the American Flag on them, or they wear the Christmas or St. Patrick's Day ties? Think this, but for your uniform epaulettes.

Get a Sneak Peek at your Next Month's Line

Want to have a peek at what your line is likely going to be but don't want to wait until they load them into Unimatic? Well, you can. I was flying with John Salvini and he told me about a neat trick. Sign into the PBS system (either through www.UnitedSkynet.com or go directly via www.UnitedPBS.com.) Once in the PBS system, go to the "Reports" menu and select "Single Line Reports" and then select the month that just closed.

You would use this trick between the time the bids close and the time they are posted in Unimatic. I just went to look for mine on December 18th and it's there (Yahoo, I got the HDOs that I wanted while on Reserve), but it is still not in Unimatic and I suspect they won't be there unitl the 20th.

I don't know how accurate it is. In other words, I don't know if this is just a holding place for them trying to work things out so it's subject to change or if it is really the real deal, but at least you get a good idea of what your'e getting. Someone from the System Scheduling committe could email me a clarification if they wanted.

The Lighter Side of Aviation

Two 747s Drag Racing Sweet, two 747s drag racing on the tarmac!

Wassup Navy Tomcat Style.

The Pilot Training Path WARNING: Gratuitous crossdressing scenes!

On Becoming a Pilot As a former PI, I don't remember TK being like this.

405TheMovie.com American Airlines lands on LA's 405 Freeway.

Spitfire Low Pass over Reporter This would scare me, too.

Jive Talkin' Ward was awful hard on the Beaver last night.

Skydivin' for Bud Light Don't mix flyin' and Bud Light.

Franklin's Flying Circus What you get when you mix stand-up comedy and an airshow.

And for just plain comedic bizarriosity, check out the Comedic Video Clip Page.

When you see a Pilot... they're not getting paid!

This was forwarded to me by Scott O'Brien. We're not sure who wrote this, but it is definitely very, very true.

Great, another "over paid airline pilot" article. Do you know that when you see a pilot, he's not being paid?

• When you see a pilot going through the same security you go through, he's not being paid.
  
• When you see a pilot walking in the terminal, he's not being paid.
  
• When you see a pilot at the gate pulling up paper work, planning the flight, and conferring with the agent, he's not being paid.
  
• When you see a pilot walking around the aircraft doing a preflight inspection, he's not being paid.
  
• When you board the aircraft and look in the cockpit and see the pilots setting up the aircraft, they're not getting paid.
  
• When you land safely at your destination and walk off the aircraft and see the pilots shutting down the aircraft, they're not being paid.
  
• When you see a pilot waiting for a ride to a hotel for the night, he's not being paid.
  
• The only time the pilot of your aircraft is getting paid is when you DON"T see him... when he's locked behind the cockpit door as you push back from the gate. Every thing else he does until this point is for free. For no wages. Nothing!
  
• The average airline pilot is at work for 12- 14 hours per day, yet gets paid for less than 6 - 7 hours.
  
• The average airline pilot is away from home, at work, for 70+ hours a week, yet gets paid for only 15 to 18 hours per weeks work.
  
• Most pilots schedules have them working 15 days or more a month... that means they are not at home half the month.
  
• Holidays, weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, summer vacations.... not at home.
  
• A majority of pilots have 4 year college degrees, or more. Then they begin training as pilots.
  
• A large majority of Pilots have spent 8 years or more flying in the military, risking their lives and protecting your freedom for wages most of you wouldn't accept in the civilian world.
  
• Civilian trained pilots have spent $50,000 or more to acquire the training that qualifies them for a Regional Airline job, which pays a wage less than the poverty level in most western countries.
  
• Most pilots do not attain the required experience level to be hired by a major airline until they are well passed the age of 30. The average age of a new hire airline pilot is 32.
  
• Until recently, airline pilots were required to retire at the age of 60. This gave most of them less than 28 years to maximize their income and fund their pensions, hoping that greedy airline execs won't steal it. Today, they still have to worry about the greedy execs.
  
• Airline pilots are subject to random drug and alcohol testing, any time they are at work. Fail it and they lose their job.
  
• Airline pilots are required to undergo rigorous re-training and certification every 6 to 9 months, at which time they could fail and lose their jobs, licenses and livelihood.
  
• Airline pilots are required to submit to random government "Line checks" during which their license could be revoked and livelihood destroyed.
  
• Airline pilots are exposed to radiation levels far exceeding the normal safe radiation limits mandated by the FDA.
  
• Airline pilots are required to submit to a government medical examination every 6 months (Captains) and 12 months as First Officers. Year after year. Fail that, and their career is over.
  
• How many of you go to work where people try to kill you? How many of you have had your office turned into a cruise missile? How many of you work behind a bullet proof door?
  
• How many of you are responsible for the lives of 200- 300 people, with any small mistake in your performance resulting in the death of your customers (and yourselves), and the financial destruction of your company?
  
• How many of your jobs require you to fight your way through thunderstorms, rain, snow, ice and turbulence, day and night, year after year? No mistakes allowed? The excuse " I had a bad day at work" never accepted?
  
• Many pilots volunteer (on their own time and own dime) to be trained as Federal Flight Deck Officers, and carry weapons to defend their aircraft, crew and passengers. They maintain their proficiency and qualifications twice a year on their own time and money.
  
• How many of you go to work where you are searched, patted down and your personal items scrutinized by strangers, even though you can kill everyone in your place of work with your two bare hands?
  
• Airline pilot pay scales and hours worked are usually posted by absurdly overcompensated Airline Exec's who are waging a PR campaign against their Pilot Unions and trying to justify their own greedy bonus's and draconian wage and pension cuts. Cheap ass airline passengers just love this shit since they don't care if their airplane is flown by the lowest denominator, as long as they can fly for next to nothing. Course if they don't get to their destination, their next of kin can sue....
  
  {signed by }// Sick and tired of seeing this stuff in the press..
  

List of Lists

Whew, we're getting so many lists (all of 4) that we had to make a list of our lists. We call it, er, the PilotsUnited.com List of Lists. And no, "Things You'd Do With Goodwin's Head if it Were Separated From His Body" is not one of the lists. The latest two are the "LAS Commuters" and the "Aero Medical Examiners" lists. Go to the List of List page for both the lists and the method to get your data on the lists.

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