Originally Posted by
flyguy23
Im guessing 3662 and DC are the same person. The funny thing about these anti IBT threads is they offer no other options. Im no fan of the IBT, but who is better? ALPA has countless examples of drawn out and dissapointing contract negotiations. There is an inhouse that the company would bankrupt in less than a year. The only other argument is to not have a union. As much as one may hate IBT, the thought of bedford having the freedom to impose his own work rules and wages is downright scary. So bash away and continue to offer nothing constructive.
There are several examples of successful In-House Unions. SWAPA, APA (I'm not too sure of their effectiveness), Delta considering DPA, IPA at UPS and FAPA.
FAPA is a small group of pilots (<700) and we always had a good working relationship with Management. That doesn't mean we rolled over every time, we just tried to negotiate (discuss) a settlement prior to sending the issue to the System Board of Adjustment and Arbitration.
Prior to merging with RAH, I believe we may have lost 1 out of 30 (approximate numbers) SBA's or Arbitration's - mostly because we chose our battles wisely and pursued the issue with all of our resources.
Starting an In-House Union is a bit scary, the first couple of years you don't have a very big bank roll if you get into an expensive battle, but after that you'll have enough money to fund whatever you wish.
I would say it depends on the level of trust that exists between Management and the Pilot group and if there are any expensive issues to be addressed in the near future.
Remember, whatever you choose, it's the pilots - from your company - that choose to become involved that makes all the difference, IBT, ALPA, UTU, etc., are only as good as your own pilots participation.
UTU stepped up BIG for the Lynx pilots considering the amount of dues they collected from the Lynx pilot group. They also have an effective, extremely experienced RLA Attorney.
Our old CEO actually suggested the pilots form a Union, he was tired of a new pay proposal from a pilot or a group of pilots hitting his desk weekly.