Welcome to my blog.
This is a place where I have committed to providing NWA and DAL flight attendants truthful and accurate information about our union. I decided to create this blog after reading far too many of the unfortunate and dishonest anti-union blogs by SFO FA Jose Ibarra and Michael Lehr. For those who do not know the motivations of Jose and Michael, I believe it is important to know that Jose was the founder of our former independant union (PFAA) and sadly, he is still very angry that we replaced that union. Michael Lehr -- well, I'm not sure what his motivation is - it's not like he ever volunteered a day (or lifted a finger) for any of our unions on the NWA property -- nor does he understand how any of them operate. But, as a highly accomplished 'actor', I'm sure he can use all the publicity he can generate for himself - and what's more fun than being a watch dog for our flying partners who work hard to better our aviation careers.
Because we have so much at stake in our next AFA election, I felt it was time to hold Jose and Michael accountable for their false statements and their destructive campaign to destroy our voice at work. In return, I welcome the same accountability.
Let me start with a recent blog from Jose, entitled; AFA and the High Price of Failure, where he posts several false statements concerning flight pay loss for me and many others who have raised their hand to work for our union. Better yet, let me share with you the email I sent to Jose - along with his response:
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This is a place where I have committed to providing NWA and DAL flight attendants truthful and accurate information about our union. I decided to create this blog after reading far too many of the unfortunate and dishonest anti-union blogs by SFO FA Jose Ibarra and Michael Lehr. For those who do not know the motivations of Jose and Michael, I believe it is important to know that Jose was the founder of our former independant union (PFAA) and sadly, he is still very angry that we replaced that union. Michael Lehr -- well, I'm not sure what his motivation is - it's not like he ever volunteered a day (or lifted a finger) for any of our unions on the NWA property -- nor does he understand how any of them operate. But, as a highly accomplished 'actor', I'm sure he can use all the publicity he can generate for himself - and what's more fun than being a watch dog for our flying partners who work hard to better our aviation careers.
Because we have so much at stake in our next AFA election, I felt it was time to hold Jose and Michael accountable for their false statements and their destructive campaign to destroy our voice at work. In return, I welcome the same accountability.
Let me start with a recent blog from Jose, entitled; AFA and the High Price of Failure, where he posts several false statements concerning flight pay loss for me and many others who have raised their hand to work for our union. Better yet, let me share with you the email I sent to Jose - along with his response:
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Email sent on 9/14/08 12:23 PMJose:
I was saddened by your latest hate-blog where you continue to take aim at me and others. As the founder of PFAA (a union where leaders DID earn 35 - 45% more than our flying partners), I want to educate you on how to read an LM-2 Form. For me, the LM-2 Form shows under the heading "Gross Salary Disbursements" 72,128.00. That figure is not what I was paid - that is what CWA paid. As you should know, when we drop flying for union work, the company bills us (the union) according to Sec. 23.I.2.b of our contract with a 28% over-ride. That over-ride covers the costs of our continued insurance benefits, sick leave accrual, vacation, etc...
Portion of our AFA Contract (Section 23)
2. Flight Pay Loss (FPL) When a Flight Attendant is on official Union business leave, he/she shall be paid flight pay loss for the trip(s) dropped when such leave has been authorized by the Union President or his/her designee. The following shall apply:
b. The Company shall be reimbursed by the Union for such actual pay plus twenty-eight percent (28%) of such amount for salary related costs incurred.
Now, I know this must be confusing to you (i.e, this is a different LM-2 reporting procedure than we had in the Teamsters and PFAA) -- but you have to remember that under those organizations, we were under the Flight Pay Continuance portion of our contract, where the company bill the union for our insurance premiums SEPARATELY. That's why our benefits did not appear under Salary Disbursements on those LM-2s.So, when you subtract 28% from that figure, it brings the total to around 50k. Moreover, that includes my ENTIRE accrued vacation (paid out) that I should have gotten in 2006 -- but didn't take. The last mistake you make is adding $3,908.00 to what you say I earned. $3,908.00 is money that I paid out of my own pocket that I was reimbursed for. For example, if I had to pay for a hotel room on my credit card for someone or any other expense during the campaign, that is money that came OUT of my pocket and was later reimbursed with submission of a proper expense report.
Where you came up with figures in the 90k range, I have no idea. I won't hold my breath for you to do the honorable thing and correct your slanderous blog - as I know it doesn't serve your agenda. You'd certainly gain back my respect if you did.
Danny
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And here is his charming response....
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Email received on September 15, 2008 7:38 AMYour are sadden! What happen? Did your drugs not arrive? Did they ship you the wrong load or batch? Get your respect? Honey, at one point many people respected you and I was one of them, today any way you put it, you are SCUM. Respectable individuals do not ask to get respect from SCUM.You want to educate me........Ha! Ha! Ha!......I have an education! You have none. I think your goal is an impossibility.-- Sincerely, Jose Arturo Ibarra
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Well, hopefully you recognize that I tried.
Jose's refusal to correct false information is not the most alarming part of this for me -- what I find even more upsetting is the hypocrisy. Let me explain...
Take a look at this 2004 LM-2 form from the union that Jose created (PFAA); http://www.afafrontier.org/aefiles/PFAALM-2004.pdf
Unlike our current AFA union, where the LM-2 includes 28% over-ride amounts that are not actual income for union officers, the totals in the PFAA LM-2 are pure salary. That's right -- in Jose's union, officers, negotiators and base representatives were all paid 35 - 45% more than the average flight attendant. That is not the case in AFA, where we are simply reimbursed the value of a flight schedule at our applicable rate of pay for time we spend working for our union.
You will note in the 2004 LM-2 from PFAA, that Jose Ibarra (SFO Negotiations Committee member) earned a modest $62,918.00 (if we play his game and include reimbursed expenses in the total -- or I can be fair and call it $46,917.00). But, what you don't know from this LM-2 is that the Negotiations Committee was only off-line in 2004 from May thru December of that year. In other words, if he had been off the entire year, that would have increased his PFAA pay by 33% to a whopping annual salary of $62,399.16 (with the expenses of $16,001.00 that is a grand total of $78,400.16).
Wow, Jose - and you are complaining about me (and others) being reimbursed flat flight time (where we earned less than $50k) under our current union?
Interesting side note; in 2004 Jose was also paid an illegal 'vacation advance'
by PFAA where he left the country to spend several weeks at his luxurious vacation chateau in Paris, France.Well, I think that pretty much ends this blog. Until next time - safe flying - wear your AFA pin with pride and get involved in our fight to keep our voice on the job. Offer your talent and your voice to the campaign today by visiting the official campaign website; http://www.deltaafa.org/
11 comments:
Danny
Your attempt to "tell the truth" is as hollow as usual. However, your ability to condescend to the "unclean masses" remains intact.
I'll get right to the point. While you have succeeded in obtaining a cushy - albeit deadly political - appointed position within the AFA structure, you have failed the NWA FAs. You know, the ones who gave you a chance to succeed only to have that trust brushed aside.
Remember your representational promises? Where is the promised superior representation? Where is the promised "professional communication"? Where is the finest flight Attendant union in the world?
How sad it is that you have renounced your pre-AFA mantra "member mobilization" in favor of the top-down bureaucracy so evident in all AFA decisions.
How sad that you have not provided accurate, factual information to the NWA FAs about what is going to happen to them in the upcoming merger. Ironically, the information you are providing via your new blog is personality based - not principle based. As is your history, you only "openly" communicate when your full pocket book or lack of work-ethic is noted and addressed.
How sad that you have resorted to this blog because you can never take the high road. A once honored senior FA once asked all around her to use this question when making decisions: "How does it look from across the street?" This was done to ensure the view was to the high road. It is so sad that you have discarded this advice. From across the street it sure looks like you have taken the path of least resistance and the path to personal benefit. The losers left beside that path are the NWA FAs who trusted and believed you.
The smiling face in your profile truly belies your internal torture. It is evident in your tragically sententious writing. But most of all, it is evident in your self-destructive behavior. You are sick to death that you have sold out to the very things you once held dear - or at least led others to believe you did.
You are so tragically sad and I pity you.
PS The next time you use the "I have Mono" excuse to not show up for something you don't want to do, remember this post and reflect on your behavior.
Oh, yes. And remember that you've used that lie far too many times already.
PSS Here's a challenge: show your spine and actually print this post. I know you can't because it cuts far too close to the bone. I would love it if you would prove me wrong.
m:
Rather than address the pesonal attacks, I'll respond to the 'issues'.
Do you deny that the information I wrote on my blog is correct or do you believe it is incorrect? In other words, let's stick to the facts here as they relate to the LM-2 salary figures.
Bottom line: is Jose lying or wrong?
I don't see any counter argument in your long comment -- so if you want to preach about sticking to issues, than let's do that - hence my definition about hypocrisy. Perhaps you think it is "condescending" to point out the truth, but I won't let that stop me from doing so. Contrary to your statement, I have taken the 'high road' for far too long as it relates to Jose's dishonesty and reckless behavior. And, as you accurately point out, our future is more at stake today than it has ever been before.
During the 18 years I have been at NWA, we were never 'less' mobilized than we were when we belonged to PFAA (and unfortunately, it was the most critical time in our career). Immediately upon joining AFA, that began to change when we launched into a REAL contract campaign. Unfortunately, most of the damage had already been done. Those are verifiable facts - supported by court dates and decisions (like the 1113e and 1113c motions).
Furthermore, we have never been in a union that was more 'bottom-up' than AFA is. As much as some of you don't want to swallow that truth, it is true that in Teamsters and PFAA, we had no power in the base leadership. Today, our highest governing power in the entire union stems from the Local Executive Council. LEC leaders carry votes on the Master Executive Council, the AFA Board of Directors and ALL local executive council business. That was not the case in the Teamsters or PFAA.
I believe even more today in the 'Mobilization Model" than I ever have. And, it is more relevant today (at our airline and in our country) than at any time in our history. While I recognize there are many 'new' leaders that don't grasp the concept, I believe the membership at large still carries the lessons and benefits from our years striving to live under that model.
Sadly, I think that some FAs are less interested in debating the model than grinding personal and political axes. Fortunately, I think that number grows smaller over the years.
Danny, Danny, Danny. I must say I am proud of you for leaving my previous post up as long as you have. However, you remain blinded to the actual issue and your response shows it.
To directly address your question:
Do you deny that the information I wrote on my blog is correct or do you believe it is incorrect?
I believe you are incorrect.
I believe the amount of money you collected during the period June 2007 through May 2008 is higher than the amount included on the LM-2 covering the same time period.
If you continue to think that the LM-2 accurately discloses the total cost of your employment by AFA (and consequently accurately discloses your total cost to the NWA flight attendants), I challenge you to post your paystubs from NWA and AFA in addition to any other compensation documentation (expense reimbursements, etc.) you may have had as a result of your NWA and AFA employment for the months of June 2007 through May 2008.
Your compensation aside,
it is difficult to understand (and the point you missed in my post) why you are not providing the NWA flight attendants with solid, fact-based information about our collective futures. Instead, you created your blog to address the "facts" as they relate to you. You have proven once again that you communicate directly with the flight attendants only when your pay or other personal issues are exposed about you.
Please get out of yourself, Danny, and start thinking about the group and what is our concern. I assure you it is not you.
M
m:
I will take you up on your offer - and will upload a PDF of my final 2007 paycheck (12/27/2007).
What it shows is the following...
1.) Vacation Pay Out (just as I stated in my blog) of $1,423.88
2.) Flight Pay Loss for the year: $49,469.72 (actually LESS than what I stated in my blog)
3.) Emergence/Equity Claim/Performance payments of $9,047.90
Here's the link: http://www.afafrontier.org/aefiles/2007%20Pay001.pdf
So, will you now stand corrected about my blog and the 28% over-ride that is reflected on the AFA-CWA LM-2?
I agree with you that this campaign is NOT ABOUT ME. That is why I am working with our C3 Team (both Delta and NWA FAs) on official communications for the campaign. Those communications can be found on our official website at www.DeltaAFA.org
Danny
Oh Danny,
I applaud you for posting your paycheck.
"So, will you now stand corrected about my blog and the 28% over-ride that is reflected on the AFA-CWA LM-2?" Of course not. You have not provided the entire truth.
Seems you have fallen into the same lunacy that Kevin Griffin has: showing everyone your December 27, 2007 paystub. Do you really think flight attendants are that gullible?
Just in case you believe this is an apples to apples comparison, you are wrong. Your December 27, 2007 paystub does not display your compensation during the same time period that the AFA-CWA LM-2 covers. Your paystub covers the time period January 2007 through December 2007. The AFA-CWA LM-2 covers the time period June 2007 through May 2008. I thought I wouldn’t need to explain that to you but apparently I do. This paystub also does not display any reimbursement you received from AFA.
Let me make the request for you one more time:
I challenge you to post your paystubs from NWA and AFA in addition to any other compensation documentation (expense reimbursements, etc.) you may have had as a result of your NWA and AFA employment for the months of June 2007 through May 2008.
Now remember, Danny, this includes paystubs for each month from June 2007 through May 2008 (24 total). Also include any special checks which may have been distributed. This request also includes all expense reimbursement documentation you received from AFA. I’m sure they provided some sort of documentation for your reimbursement requests. Please post those documents as well.
While we are all glad to hear you are working with the C3 Team on official communications for the campaign, I hope you are using better logic and comparable facts with your advice to them versus the regrettably inaccurate December 27, 2007 paystub comparison to the AFA-CWA LM-2 disclosure you have provided here.
m:
How sad is it that you can't admit when you are wrong or say "sorry"?
There are exactly TWO THINGS you need to verify my statement concerning what I earned and how the 28% that Jose lies about is actually 'backed out' of the figures he posted: 1.) My Dec. 2007 paystub and 2.) My tax return for 2007. Here's the tax return; http://www.afafrontier.org/aefiles/2007%20IRS%20Filing001.pdf
For anyone with 1/2 a brain, it is painfully obvious that there IS no other income. You don't need a degree in economics to figure this out (or do you?). What is the point in posting 24 documents, when the tax return and final 2007 paycheck verifies exactly what I am telling you? In terms of "expenses" that are reimbursed, you already have that figure -- it is on the LM-2 form ($3,908.00). That isn't 'income' - it is expense out of my own pocket that was reimbursed.
Obviously, I haven't filed my taxes for 2008 yet - however, there is NO CHANGE to the amount of flight hours I am reimbursed (so the only change this year is going to be the .39 cent increase in hourly pay we all got on 1/1/2008.)
Why is it so hard to say "Sorry -- Jose and I were wrong?" Try it -- it feels good to be humble.
m:
One last thing...
When reviewing my $3,908.00 expenses, I want to point out a few things to you.
Check out this expense report; http://www.afafrontier.org/aefiles/MesaExpense001.pdf
This was a contract campaign training I conducted for the Mesa AFA FAs in Chicago in May 2007. It illustrates a few things...
1.) I don't put in for PER DIEM (never have)
2.) I didn't incur a hotel charge
3.) I seldom ever put in for meals (an old habit I adopted when we were in the Teamsters)
In short, I am probably the "cheapest" union activist around. Compare this with the PFAA LM-2 form; http://www.afafrontier.org/aefiles/PFAALM-2004.pdf and you will see that even THEN, I only incurred $414.00 for the entire year -- compared to Jose's $16,001.00 for the same period of time.
Now you tell me -- which do you think the FA members would prefer working for their hard earned dues dollars?
I am humbled that my posts have so gotten under your thin skin, Danny. I'm sorry I haven't done it sooner.
You remain in some sort of half-brained haze: what you are disclosing (on an AFA sanctioned websites no less) is not remotely a true comparison to what is disclosed by the LM-2.
There are exactly TWENTY FOUR things which when posted will verify the NWA portion of your compensation from June 2007 to May 2008. It doesn't take an degree in accounting to see that.
Your 2007 tax return is useless in addressing your expense reimbursements as expense reimbursement funds are not even addressed (since it is considered reimbursement not income). Despite your "disclosure" you haven't yet coughed up the documents.
I think the flight attendants should be aware that you can't even get it right when asked to compare apples to apples. I think that point has been made very clear.
One last thing...
If this "education" you are providing is NOT ABOUT YOU, why are you making it so much about you?
I'm done with you. Such a waste of time.
M: You wrote...I am humbled that my posts have so gotten under your thin skin, Danny. I'm sorry I haven't done it sooner.
Well, that speaks volumes to your motivation. Mine is to educate and provide the truth - not to be mean-spirited. You should try it.
You are right, the information I posted is vastly different from the LM information. That's the entire point of all of this. It is different an amount of (guess what?) 28%! Maybe if you swallow a humble pill & stand corrected (and perhaps even reach deeply into your heart and apologize for not knowing how to read the LM-2), this would all make sense to you?
Once again, the entire amount of my expenses ARE included on the LM-2.
In summary, I have provided EVERYTHING you need to verify my statements. You just refuse to accept the truth. Maybe if you go back to the possible 'motivation' in the first paragraph above, it will illustrate what the real mental block you have here is?
You wrote...I'm done with you. Such a waste of time.
Actually, I think it was a good exercise in peeling away the layers of truth. It's too bad you can't say you are sorry.
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