Originally Posted by
Ottolillienthal
My dads union was much different than ALPA. They were a bunch of 8th grade educated pipe fitters and welders. No one ever crossed one of their picket lines. They had suits to deal with too in their management, but even their suits didn't cross the line.
During the time your dad's union was dealing with management, there were labor-friendly federal judges on the bench, appointed by presidents who owed their ability to be elected to the support of organized labor.
Now, in part to the way the middle class votes in national elections, we have a different group of people comprising the federal judiciary. They are the ones who are now interpreting the Wagner Act (in your father's case) and the Railway Labor Act (in our case) with a definite pro-management slant. The judgment against Delta's ALPA ten years ago and against United's MEC in 2008 would have never come about in your dad's day.
Think about that the next time you go to the ballot box. Pilots, especially, think they can be trade unionists and vote like they're upper management. Pick one or the other and live with the consequences.