Originally Posted by
Wasatch Phantom
ACL,
You really didn't address More Bacon's question, so I'll restate it.
Delta pilots are paying dues to ALPA national. ALPA national is paying attorneys lots of money to defend ALPA as a result of a lawsuit file by TWA pilots, (which ALPA lost). Some of the Delta pilot's dues money is being spent on those attorneys, both at the original trial and now appeal.
How specifically does that benefit Delta pilots?
I've tried to frame the question fairly, and would appreciate a sincere response...
The question assumes facts not known to be true. Typically the insurer(s) who are exposed to the loss manage and pay for the costs of defense.
Defense helps the Delta pilots in as much as ALPA itself helps to promote our profession in general and Delta pilots in specific.
The TWA case still surprises me a bit, after all the TWA MEC had the power to make their decisions and were sophisticated parties themselves. Both they and their pilots ratified a decision, which they with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight now blame on their attorney (ALPA).
I've spoken to their own expert on the case and he admits the damages are very speculative. We can only guess how integration might have gone had the TWA guys left their Section 1 intact and taken a hard line. We can only guess that a Judge would not have modified the TWA job protection provisions. I mean, nearly anything could have happened ... and now the AA PWA is going to go through Chapter 11. This thing has about a million shades of gray to try to define.