You're listening to Fly By Night, a podcast by FedEx pilots for FedEx pilots, brought to you by the FedEx Master Executive Council of the Airline Pilots Association. And now, here's your host, MEC Communications Chair, Captain Chris Lee. My guests today are P2P Committee Chair and FAC Team Member, First Officer Kevin Messmer and FAC Team Member, First Officer Eric Morez. Thanks for stopping by. On January 23rd, we released a communication introducing the FAC team to the pilots. Kevin, let's start with you. Can you talk about that some? Yes. Following that introductory communication, the TA'd section started rolling out, and pilots have been and still are reviewing these sections. We started with the release of Section 26 on January 26th, followed by Section 8 on February 5th, and the most recent release was Section 7 and 21 on February 12th. You know, Chris, all this information on the release TA sections can be found on our TA website, fdxta.com. So if you haven't visited the website yet, please do so. Can you explain where the FACT team idea and the model came from and why it exists? Also, this is not a new or unique program that's only available to FedEx pilots, correct? That's right, Chris. It's not a new idea. United and Continental first used a fact team style approach during their pilot seniority list integration back in the 2013 timeframe. Alaska used a similar type team in their last contract negotiations. Then United's MEC had what they called a fact team after the rejected TA in 2022. The fact team pilots helped to separate the actual contract language from commentary during ratification. And also other pilot groups have adopted this same model, correct? Yeah, right. Since then, Air Canada, WestJet Encore, Air Transat have all used similar FAC team models. And Alaska and Hawaiian are putting together their FAC team for their upcoming contract event. So while FAC teams haven't been around for a very long time, they're actually becoming a standard within ALPA. So then the natural question really to ask at this point is, well, how did it show up on our property? So you have to go back to 2023 when RTA was rejected. Our MEC took a hard look at the entire ratification process, and one clear takeaway was that when the next tenant agreement came out, we wanted a structured way to provide straight, factual answers about what the actual language was. So in the spring of 2025, the MEC passed Resolution 2529, formally creating the FACT Team. and having the FACT team was an MEC decision with the purpose of strengthening the whole ratification process. So essentially, the FACT team is a program that is using lessons learned from our last TA ratification process, correct? You're exactly correct, Chris. During and after the 23 vote, there was a lot of discussion across the system and there was some confusion as to what was or wasn't in the TA, especially online. There were strong opinions, which was great, but many opinions were not based on what was actually in the TA. The MEC goal at this time was to make sure that pilots if they want can have a clean lane where they can get answers about the agreement what it actually says separate from debate commentary or even advocacy That what Resolution 2529 was designed to accomplish Can you talk about what the FACT team actually does Absolutely Chris We answer the what types of questions in regards to the TA For example, a pilot might ask, does this affect my commute? Or am I reading this correctly? How is this language different from our current CBA? We can answer those types of questions. But Chris, it's important to understand what kind of questions we don't answer. Questions we don't answer are things like, why was this negotiated or that not negotiated? Why is this provision good or bad for us? Or how should I vote after reading this? Anyone who asks those type questions that we consider these why questions or opinion-based questions can attest that you were either directed to your block rep or maybe we forwarded the dart to the negotiating committee. We're just focused on what the language says. And Kevin and Eric, you are both FACT team members. Can you talk about the other pilots who are also on the FACT team? Of course, Chris. Our pilots are line pilots that are a cross-section from fleets, domiciles, and current committee members from the various committees, including scope, scheduling, R&I. It's important to remember that no matter what their individual backgrounds are, before a section is released, the FACT team pilots sit down with the negotiating committee and any relevant subject matter experts and go through the language carefully. That way, when a question comes in, the answer is aligned and consistent. It's not one person's interpretation. Our answers are aligned and based on the actual language that's been published. And Eric, continuing on that, can you walk the pilots through the process and how the FACT team actually handles a question when it comes in? Of course, Chris. A pilot will submit a DART using the FACT team and section number. When the team gets a DART, the team will check whether it's already been covered in a published Q&A. If it is, they'll point to that Q&A, typically with a link that goes right to the question on the Q&A website. If not, they're going to use their training that they receive from the negotiating committee and redline language. If needed, we'll coordinate internally and make sure the answer is precise. Nobody's seen it, of course, but on the back end, it has gotten quite busy trying to answer a single nuanced question. But remember, if it's a why question on a negotiating strategy or intent or the rationale, then that gets redirected to the block rep or negotiating committee as appropriate. And there's also a Teams option where pilots can book virtual meeting directly with a FACT team member. That's correct, Chris. You can go to FDXTA.com, select the section that you're interested in, and on the question and answers, go down to the bottom, and there's an option to select Speak with a FACT team member. This is a virtual option to speak face-to-face with a FACT team member regarding the question you have on the section that you selected. Finally, when we have a full TA, our current plan is to have FACT team members present in the crew rooms as well. Can you walk the pilots through some details and any data you have on how this is working so far? Yes, Chris. Since we launched, we've had 67 dart submissions directed to the FAC team. 13 of those were reassigned to the negotiating committee because they were those why-type questions. And the response time for these darts is pretty quick. Yeah, Chris. We usually respond in less than a day, and most are answered within a couple of hours. It also important to note Chris that we had over 15 views on FDXTA to date Eric can you talk a little bit more about the Q and how they came to be Sure. The Q&As are a negotiating committee product. However, as the FACT team goes through training, our volunteers try to come up with questions that they think the line pilot will ask. Those questions are then compiled and given to the negotiating committee to answer. Those Q&As are what you see on the day a section is released. Now, we knew we weren't going to get it spot on in the first attempt, so we developed a process to update the Q&As. As we release sections and start to get those questions via DART or via the team's calls, we've seen clusters of similar questions that come in around certain provisions. So when that happens, we flag it to the negotiating committee and request them to update the published Q&As. So Q&A sections have been updated based on the trends from the submitted questions. So simply, pilots ask questions, patterns emerge, the published information improves. So then when future pilots go to the Q&As, they benefit from clearer answers. Your questions are helping other pilots. And in the end, we believe this strengthens the overall understanding of the language. So Kevin, when the darts are closed, these responses are assigned the fact team instead of individual names. Can you talk about why it's set up that way? Sure, Chris. Simply the function of the FACT team is institutional. You can think of it as a help desk. Many answers involve multiple people and coordination to make sure they're precise and, most importantly, consistent. Signing the FACT team reflects that the response represents an aligned review and not just one individual's personal take. This is no different than many of the messages that come from the organization on a weekly basis. This keeps the focus on the language and keeps the personality out of it. It keeps it clean. The focus is the factual answer and not the messenger. And again, if you schedule a team session or see a fact team member in the crew room, you obviously know exactly who you're talking to. But again, that person may have to go back and ensure their answer is the fact team's answer if the question becomes a little more complex. The written format simply reflects that it is a team function. Can you discuss the FACT team's presence on JetFlyers? Sure, Chris. We talked to two of the JetFlyer moderators, and they were both gracious enough to allow us to have an organizational account on their Facebook page. Just like we sign our darts, the FACT team, we also post as FDXMEC FACT team. The moderators made it clear to us no opinions, and we said we don't foresee that being a problem. We added that if we post something that seems like it's selling a provision or selling a section, let us know and we'll pull it down. From the fact team, there's not going to be any, this is better because of X or this helps the pilot because of Y. So far, we've only seen two items to clear up. Everything else we've seen has been debate on the release sections, which is fine from the fact team's perspective. So in the end, to be clear, the fact team account will not engage in debate or prolonged discussions on Jet Flyers. Chris, I really think it's important that we take time to thank Tom and John for allowing us to be guests on Jet Flyers. We really think that our presence will help the pilots in the end with their decision on the TA So thanks Tom Thanks John Yeah thank you There is some understanding that there are pilots who may not want fact team help or feel like they need assistance with any understanding of the agreement. Yeah, Chris, and that's completely fair. Some won't, but others appreciate being able to confirm their understanding or clear up any misconceptions. Even in our current CBA, with language that's been around for over a decade, pilots still have questions on a daily basis that need clarification. But now, new provisions and concepts always introduce new scenarios. So having a clean place to ask, am I reading this correctly, strengthens the process for everyone regardless of how someone ultimately votes. But again, if you understand every nuance of the TA, that's great. Others, as we've already seen, are benefiting from having an MEC-level answer. The feedback our team has gotten so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Well, Kevin, Eric, thanks for taking the time to stop by and talk about the FACT team. Any final thoughts? And we'll start with you, Eric. Yeah, Chris, there are a few. You know, we all know that in a negotiating cycle, strong opinions emerge. We absolutely believe that that's healthy. What matters, though, is that the opinions are focused on facts and not misconceptions. The FACT team is not there to sell the TA. The team is there to answer factual questions about the TA's provisions. As in every TA, there are provisions that some pilots are going to see good, some pilots will look at the same provisions and see them as bad, and some will see them as a push. We're not there to give you our personal thoughts or argue the pros and cons. Our team members know not to tell you how they're going to vote. You need to make that decision for yourself and for your family once you have the complete TA in hand and have all your questions answered. The FACT team's goal is to provide factual information to the pilot. Again, this is not a new program or unique here to the FedEx pilots. This is a program and a model that's been used multiple times and has shown value at other ALPA properties. Chris, I also think it's important that we're not telling you how to vote. We're not telling any member on how to vote. The choice on how they vote on the TA is solely up to them. We want them to have all of the information to make a no vote just as equally as they can make a yes vote on the facts of the TA. Our FACT team members, they don't persuade, they're not there to campaign for the TA or against the TA, and they don't instruct anyone on how to vote. It was approved to be used here by your MEC after lessons learned from our rejected TA and lessons learned at other properties. Its purpose is simple, to make sure every pilot has access to clear, consistent information about the language before making their decision. As a reminder, if you haven't yet, please go to our TA website, fdxta.com, and familiarize yourself with all of the information that has been released on TA'd sections. Eric, Kevin, thanks again for taking the time to stop by, and thanks for listening. If you have any questions, please go to our website, fdx.alpha.org, and utilize the Dart link. And as always, be safe out there, and we'll see you next time.
