Our campaign websites will be coming down sometime in the couple of weeks but before they do, we wanted to take a few moments to thank you all. It doesn’t matter whether you voted for us or not—we are glad you participated in the process. As you probably read recently, we had 39% of our eligible EWR voters turn out. Not stunning, granted, but it gives us a foundation upon which to build the unity required as we move closer to actually engaging management in the battle for Contract ’08.

 

We know you all thought you were done with ballots for a while but we ask for your vote one more time; this one is to determine who will be the Chairman of our Local Council. Traditionally, this position has gone to the Captain representative—and it should this time as well. Please go back to BallotPoint and cast your vote for Jayson Baron as our Local Council Chairman. This ballot closes December 10th.

 

Since the election results were announced we have conferred with each other on a daily basis. We remain fully committed to our campaign goals of education, excitement, and involvement that will lead to the changes that must take place. Our conferences have focused on the strategies we will be developing to ensure we provide the effective and dynamic leadership you all voted for. We pledge that:

 

· We will do our best to craft an effective campaign to educate our pilots. We are far behind the industry in virtually every area of our contract—and many pilots don’t know it.

 

· We will use this educational effort to fire the imaginations of our pilots, not only to see the possibilities for our futures, but to create the excitement to join the battle to come.

 

· We will use our newly-engaged pilots to staff not only the many committees we currently have standing, but several new committees we will create, as well. The ultimate goal of everything we will do is simple: To create a large, unified, and involved group of pilots who are not satisfied with the status quo and who are willing to volunteer their time to bring home a contract we can all be proud of.

 

The one constant in these plans is YOU, the pilot. In the past, the union may not have seemed responsive to you and you may have tuned it out. It’s now time to turn the radio back on and crank it up. A lot of new information will be coming your way—and along with that information will come many new opportunities to get involved. Not only will your voices be heard, your actions will be seen and felt as well. Your opportunity to shape Contract ’08 is here; DO NOT WASTE THIS CHANCE!

 

Although we do not take office until March 2009, we urge you to seek us out, ask questions, and prepare to get involved. We do not plan to use our first couple of MEC meetings to “spool up”; we intend to hit the ground running from Day One. We have an ambitious agenda and we will not waste a single moment of the time we are allotted to bring it to fruition. After our websites come down, so will our temporary e-mail addresses so please contact us here:

 

CA Jayson Baron: JBaron7256@aol.com 610-442-3817

FO Tara Cook: Tara.Cook@alpa.org 610-220-8904

CA Kaye Riggs: Scribe@RanchoPerro.com 830-431-0450

 

We ran for union office because things needed to change. All right, we’re here. We did our part. Are you ready to do yours?

 

In Unity,

 

CA Jayson Baron

FO Tara Cook

CA Kaye Riggs

 

 

“Jeff Nason realizes that a man is known by the company he keeps… and acts accordingly.”

If this statement is true, and it is, then our opponents are in trouble. It’s bad enough that every time they open their mouths their own feet appear there; it’s worse when the hatchet men they have come to rely upon for their baseless personal attacks on us provide nothing but, well, baseless personal attacks. It had become bad enough, and this was before their latest round of political slime-slinging, that their candidate for Secretary/Treasurer, Jeff Nason, resigned from their ticket in disgust. We received e-mails from Jeff apologizing to us for the conduct of his running mates and their volunteer thugs. We all assured him, however, that his apologies were unnecessary. And they were. Jeff acted like a gentleman, and gentlemen rarely have to apologize for their own conduct.

We are not interested in slinging anything except the truth, and we will remain focused on what we intend to do once we take office.

We fully intend to:

· Open an LC 170 office near the airport with complementary transportation;

· Create an effective communications program to include frequent blastmails, a code-a-phone, the revitalization of The Nor’easter, and a first-class website that will be easy to navigate;

· Visit the crew rooms at least monthly and be available to all pilots at other times as much as is humanly possible;

· Create an educational campaign to clearly show every pilot just how far behind every other airline we are in every area of our contract as one of the first steps to building the unity we lack today. This campaign will include a short-course on negotiating under the Railway Labor Act and explain why a pilot group united behind outstanding leadership cannot be derailed; and

· Create a whole host of Local Council committees staffed with the volunteers who were previously shut out of the process. We have many, many talented and dedicated pilots in EWR; we intend to use them.

We will also carry the fight to the company in the following areas:

· We will keep the “A” Fund intact.

· We will ensure that no pilot will be without medical insurance no matter how new they are to Continental Airlines.

· We will continue the fight for Seniority Block Representation.

· We will fight to end the “B” scale for our pilots with two to six years of service.

· We will fight to eliminate probation as we know it today.

Some of these issues can be addressed as soon as we take office. Some must be addressed in the context of a full, industry-leading contract. Regardless, we will address these issues.

This article from Bloomberg News dated November 5th indicates that we may have the first airline labor-friendly administration in years. This means that, for the first time, we may have the perfect storm at our backs instead of in our faces as we begin to negotiate the economic sections of our new contract. Remember, with the recent collapse in jet fuel prices management’s own numbers show we have saved over THREE BILLION DOLLARS on an annualized basis. Very soon now, management will run out of places to hide their windfall. Some of that windfall belongs to us—and we will take it. We will take it in the form of substantial increases in our pay rates, real work rules, enhancements to our retirement programs, and more time at home with our families.

Every one of us has sacrificed to keep Continental Airlines flying, and every one of us will share in the gains we will fight to bring home. We pledge to represent all pilots equally, whether you have twenty days, twenty months, or twenty years on the property.

If you voted for our opponents, you have voted for the status quo and managed expectations; we, every one of us, is worth more than that. It’s not too late to change your vote: Vote Baron/Cook/Riggs TODAY!

Balloting is still open and will close on Monday, November 10th, at 10:00 EST. To cast a vote for Jayson Baron, Tara Cook and Kaye Riggs, you may do so by phone or through Ballot Point online. Both methods require your Voter ID and PIN. To vote by phone, dial 1-888-647-1787, follow the prompts to enter your Voter ID and PIN, select the ballot, and vote. To vote online go to: https://www.ballotpoint.com/alpa then enter your Voter ID and PIN and select “View Ballots” to vote. If you need a new Voter ID and PIN or a replacement, you may get an activation code to establish your voting credentials by going to the ALPA website, navigating to “MY ALPA,” then “Elections” for instructions, or you may call Membership at 1-888-FLY-ALPA, select 3, then follow the prompts. All this information can be found under "My ALPA" and “Elections” on the ALPA website.

Thank you all for your help and participation.

Captain Jayson Baron / JaysonBaron.info

First Officer Tara Cook / TaraCook.info

Captain Kaye Riggs / KayeRiggs.info

 

 

 

October 20, 2008

 

Baron/Cook/Riggs – The Balloting is Open!

 

Fellow Newark pilots,

 

    Voting is now open for the election of the Local Executive Council for the Newark pilot base. The pilots from our largest base will decide which candidates will serve as we negotiate our next contract and face a changing industry and a challenging economy. We deserve professional, competent and aggressive representation as we fight to get the industry leading contract we all deserve. The choice is clear: Jayson Baron, Tara Cook and Kaye Riggs!

 

     While the opposition ticket has spent the past weeks engaged in rumor mongering, opining about non-existent pay loss scandals and, most recently, resorting to hateful, personal attacks, the Baron/Cook/Riggs team has been formulating strategies to effectively lead our council in its fight for a contract worthy of the contributions that we, as pilots, make every day to the success of our airline. Our ticket advocates transparency within our union, clear and open communication with the membership, and education to have the informed pilot group that is necessary for the leverage we need to effectively negotiate that industry leading contract. While the opposition uses management’s fear tactics of blaming “greedy pilots” for airline financial woes, the Baron/Cook/Riggs team vows to tell you the truth and to unite and energize the pilot group, not tear it apart from within. The Baron/Cook/Riggs team plans to win the election with a positive message, a belief in our fellow pilots and a focus on issues like Seniority Block Representation, recruiting the best volunteers from the whole of our pilot group for our important committee positions and educating our fellow pilots on what a premier airline compensation, benefits and work rules package should look like.

 

We know that this pilot group is ready to fight for our future and for the well-being of our families. We are not afraid to do what we need to do to win this fight. We know that our airline is one of the best in the world and we know that we are a very large part of that success and whether it continues. It is time for our contribution to be recognized with a premier contract with leading pay rates and retirement benefits so ALL Continental pilots can look forward to a comfortable retirement and work rules that allow us all to enjoy our lives and our loved ones. Jayson Baron, Tara Cook and Kaye Riggs will fight for every Newark pilot and will be a representational team that will be honest, trustworthy and professional, without being distracted by personal agendas or allowing fear to be used as a weapon. The Newark pilots deserve nothing less.

 

    Balloting is now open and will close on November 10th at 1000 EST. To cast a vote for Jayson Baron, Tara Cook and Kaye Riggs, you may do so by phone or through Ballot Point online. Both methods require your Voter ID and PIN. To vote by phone, dial 1-888-647-1787, follow the prompts to enter your Voter ID and PIN, select the ballot and vote. To vote online go to: https://www.ballotpoint.com/alpa then enter your Voter ID and PIN and select “View Ballots” to vote. If you need a new Voter ID and PIN or a replacement, you may get an activation code to establish your voting credentials by going to the ALPA website, navigating to “MY ALPA”, then “Elections” for instructions or you may call Membership at 1-888-FLY-ALPA, select 3, then follow the prompts. All this information can be found under My ALPA and “Elections” on the ALPA website.

 

     Thank you for your vote to return our union where it belongs:   to the pilots!

 

CA Jayson Baron  www.JaysonBaron.info

FO Tara Cook        www.TaraCook.info

CA Kaye Riggs      www.KayeRiggs.info

 

 

October 1, 2008

 

Baron/Cook/Riggs - Change is coming!

 

To all Newark-based pilots:

 

· At the Local Council 170 meeting this past Monday, September 29th, nomination balloting was conducted for our Local Executive Council for the three-year term beginning March 2009. By an overwhelming 7:1 margin over the second place finishers, Jayson Baron, Tara Cook, and Kaye Riggs received the most nominations for Captain, First Officer and Secretary/Treasurer Representative. While these results are unofficial, pending certification by ALPA National, they show clearly that we are the overwhelming choice for your next representational team. Keep in mind that the purpose of this nomination ballot was to choose the two highest vote-getters for each representational position. The actual election for representatives will begin on or about October 15th, with voting remaining open for approximately three weeks.

 

· During the course of the nominating process, Kaye Riggs has emerged as the candidate for Secretary/Treasurer whose views and fighting spirit is most aligned with the Baron/Cook vision for our Local Council for the next three years. We are pleased to announce our endorsement of Kaye Riggs for Secretary/Treasurer and look forward to working with him throughout the election cycle and beyond.

 

· We want to thank everyone who participated in the nomination ballot process. Regardless of your viewpoint, the pilots can only benefit when good candidates step up and volunteer to serve. We want to especially thank the many pilots who took the time to vote in what is, arguably, one of the most important elections since the Continental pilots re-unionized, as the representatives you choose will oversee the negotiation and completion of Contract 08.

 

· Now that the Baron/Cook/Riggs team has cleared the first hurdle, we again ask for your vote in the representational election. Since Ballot Point is a relatively new procedure, detailed instructions are available at www.CALALPA.org by navigating to My ALPA/Elections. If you have any difficulty getting your Voter ID or PIN numbers, please call any one of us for help or check out our websites for balloting procedure updates.

 

www.jaysonbaron.info

www.taracook.info

www.kayeriggs.info

 

 

 

Monday, September 22, 2008

 

By now you should have received an LEC 170 nomination ballot from ALPA for the terms of office starting on March 1, 2009.

As Continental pilots, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. If we want a viable contract with major increases in pay, retirement, insurance benefits, quality of life, and scope language, we need a drastic change in our current direction.

The road map to change starts with electing EWR representatives who have the integrity, intelligence, dedication, drive, stamina, and ability to force a major change in the direction of the Continental Master Executive Council (MEC). The team to make this change is Jayson Baron (CA Representative) and Tara Cook (First Officer Representative.)

One of the areas most in need of change is communications. Timely, reliable, truthful, and consistent communications are the back-bone of an effective union. “Information is knowledge and knowledge is power.” If elected, we pledge to improve communications via LEC weekly blast-mails and code-a-phone messages. Additionally, we will commit to reviving the Nor’Easter. As a team, we will communicate directly, openly, and honestly with our constituents on current events and we will introduce a comprehensive union education campaign about the issues that effect Continental pilots.

The key to effective communication is accessibility. To that end, we would like to borrow an idea from the Delta Council 44. They have a separate Local Council office in Atlanta and we would like to do the same. Although our budget may be small, we believe that we can afford to have a small office in EWR, a place for council volunteers to come work, send faxes, and store materials. A substantial portion of our annual LC budget will be returned to ALPA National this year. In effect, we are losing this money because we haven’t spent it. What better way to serve our constituents than to provide a place for them to come to volunteer and get involved.

In closing, we would like to once again state our commitment to our constituents and our five basic goals for Con tract ’08. We assure you that WE SUPPORT ALL EWR PILOTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY RESIDE ON THE SENIORITY LIST!

*We will fight to preserve the frozen "A" Plan lump sum.
*We will fight to significantly enhance the retirement for all Continental pilots
*We will fight to substantially increase the pay and improve the work rules of all Continental Pilots
*We will fight to eliminate the "B" scale years two through six
*We will fight to ensure medical insurance for every Continental pilot from day one.

Please remember to return your Nomination Ballot to be received by September 29, 2008 or plan to personally deliver it to the LC meeting on the 29th at 11:00am at the EWR Marriott. Replacement ballots can be requested by calling 1-888-FLY-ALPA, ext 4212. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Jayson Baron & Tara Cook
www.jaysonbaron.info
www.taracook.info

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 8, 2008

 

My name is Tara Cook, and I have decided to run  for the office of LC170 First Officer Representative for the term starting March 2009.  I have worked for Continental Airlines since July 5, 2005, and am currently flying the B-777.  I am asking for your support for my candidacy.

 

After finishing my probationary year, I began attending Local Council meetings and doing union volunteer work.  I first volunteered on the Membership Committee and followed-up by attending P2P training.  Currently, I am a volunteer for the Furlough Assistance Committee to provide support for our union brothers and sisters facing this challenging time.  

 

My time on the Furlough Committee has been an eye-opening experience as it has afforded me the opportunity to sit in the EWR crew room and talk to EWR First Officers of all seniority levels. It has made me realize that the EWR First Officers are ready for a change.  The First Officers in our largest base are tired of living under a concessionary contract with sub-par compensation and even worse work rules.  We are tired of being treated like day laborers when we are professional career men and women who are the lifeblood of this airline.  We realize that we are in Section 6 negotiations, but we do not understand why we have failed to capitalize on two successful picketing events.  We do not understand why there is no union-sponsored education campaign or communications regarding the progress of our negotiations.  We do not understand why violations of our contract go without comment from our union leadership.  We do not understand how we are to achieve an industry leading contract without a credible strike threat.  We do not understand how we can be approaching the amendable date of our current collective bargaining agreement without having seen our opening position for the next.  We do not understand why we are furloughing pilots when other labor groups go unscathed, both at our own airline and at our weaker competitors.  We are frustrated, and we do not understand why these questions remain unanswered.  This is why I am running as First Officer representative, and this is why I am campaigning with Captain Jayson Baron, Candidate for LC170 Captain Representative.

 

Jayson and I are very different in our backgrounds and our leadership styles, but we agree completely on our vision for our Local Council.  We agree that the EWR pilots deserve honest, timely communication.  We believe the pilots of our council deserve to be educated about the issues that affect them and their families’ well-being.  We believe that negotiating an industry leading contract requires a Negotiating Committee who acts as the voice of the pilot group with an SPSC Committee who brings to bear the leverage of an informed and motivated pilot group.  We believe that the EWR pilots deserve Seniority Block Representation in order to be represented in a manner which accurately reflects the relative size of our largest base.  We believe this pilot group has a common goal--an industry leading contract in both compensation and quality of life.  We believe we can make these things happen.

Jayson and I pledge that we will always represent the will of the EWR pilots first.  We pledge that we will keep you informed and keep you motivated.  We pledge we will fight for the things you want and not for those you do not. We pledge to always tell you the truth--good, bad, or ugly.  If you share our vision, please write Tara Cook for FO rep and Jayson Baron for CA rep on your nominating ballot and either mail it to be received by September 29, 2008, or come to the LC 170 meeting on September 29, at the EWR Airport Marriott at 1100 to present your ballot in person.    Fraternally,

 

Tara Cook

First Officer

Local Council 170

Alpa # 1493949