Originally Posted by
orvil
What can you do to insure that we have success in the next contract?
First, you can beat the drum about completing the survey. Ask everyone you encounter if they know about it and have they completed it?
Second, become an expert on how Section 6 negotiations work. If this is your first rodeo, you have some reading to do. Section 6 negotiations can be extremely frustrating if you have never been through it before. It's important to understand what DALPA can do and not do. It's even more important for you to understand what you can and cannot do. Everything is about the status quo. Learn what that means and how it can affect you. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself.
Third, take personal responsibility with your financial perparedness. Now is the time to pay down your debt. Do not plan on buying a new car or a bigger house any time soon. Do not plan on assuming any new financial obligations. Pay down debt. Get liquid. Start saving some money. That way you can go into this effort from a position of power and not weakness. Once Section 6 starts, DALPA will be restricted in what they can say about this. That is why you must assume responsibility for your financial health.
Last, make sure your significant other has been educated in all the possibilities. The last thing you need is pressure from the home front. An educated, supportive spouse will be a huge asset. You are going to need a partner.
Now, if anyone has any other ideas, this is the time to start talking about them, here, at home and at work. It's not time to inflate the rat, but it is time to start your personal preparations.
I agree 100% and have been preparing for two years.
Of note, a lot of pilots I come in contact with really do not think that ALPA will take the fight to the highest levels afforded to them under section 6, and for us to be successful and for ALPA to be successful, that needs to change. It starts with DALPA showing the pilots that they got their back.