January 1, 2012--Today marks the beginning of the third year since our collective bargaining agreement became amendable under the Railway Labor Act. It has been one year and eight months since the merger was announced and over a year since the financial side of the merger transaction closed. Why is it that the employee group that gave up the most in bankruptcy and is the most responsible for the survival and growing success of United Airlines, allowing it to be in a position to merge, is still embroiled in increasingly protracted negotiations? Our families are long overdue for a recovery from the devastation wrought by UAL’s bankruptcy maneuvering. Our fellow brothers and sisters still on the street who wish to return to their hard-earned careers at United Airlines continue to pay an even higher price. . . . Today is a new day, one which marks the beginning of a clear and concise focus on delivering back to our profession that which those who came before delivered to us. Today, the entire representational structure at United Airlines ALPA asks for your support. Together, we can and will accomplish great things.

Click Here to read Captain Heppner's January 1, 2012 Message

United MEC Delivers SOC Training White Paper To Congress

"United ALPA has tried to bring the deficiency of the SOC training to the attention of the new United management; every level of the FAA, including the Administrator himself; the federal courts; and now Congress. Everyone is hiding behind the FAA. A number of stakeholders, including the public and their representatives in Congress, have been working under the assumption that the FAA is the top cop on the airline beat and ensures the highest levels of safety. We have found during UAL’s rush to receive an SOC that the FAA often isn’t effective or even methodical in its monitoring of airlines’ self-regulation due to limitations in the data it receives or chooses to analyze. The FAA is at best a weak safety monitor and at worst compliant and compromised when working with airline managers whose goals are cost-cutting at the expense of safety and for their own personal benefit."

--An excerpt from the United MEC's "White Paper on SOC Training, which was delivered to Congress late last week.

The United MEC has delivered to Congress, the media and the general public "A Report to Congress from the United Chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Inadequate Pilot Training and Compromised Safety by United Airlines Within the Process of Merging the Continental and United Airlines’ FAA Operating Certificates into a Merged Single Operating Certificate (SOC).

We believe it is important for each United pilots to have a copy of this "White Paper" to understand your union's concerns about the inadequate training we are receiving as a results in the company's rush to secure an SOC from the FAA.

Click Here to read the United MEC's "White Paper on SOC Training" (Note: The document is very large, and may take a little longer than normal to open).