Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
Not taken as an "excuse," but when pilots are brought up in a culture which encourages pilot pushing they become used to it. At these airlines the Captains who take the risks are heroes until they break something or get regulatory attention. Then management sacrifices the Captain's certificate to get the FAA off their back, but continues pushing the next guy. This is why our union pushes back for "One Level of Safety" across the board.
As others have mentioned, a union which is conflicted about outsourcing loses focus on its core mission. It is impossible to take the moral high ground on safety, while out the back door you agree with management to facilitate outsourcing.
While I do not speak on behalf any of the candidates, a reason I support Dave Nestor and Chad Smith is my impression that they "get" ALPA's mission and are clearly focused on the foundational principles on which our association was built...
This really is the most salient point.
I have seen the game as it is played at a non-ALPA carrier.
I've been there, I've seen colleagues fired to "get the FAA off our back".
It's why I voted to be represented by ALPA in a representative election.
This is the key reason for having a national union!
One level of safety. As long as operators out there are able to take creative shortcuts, they will always have the lower cost of an ALPA represented carrier.
The biggest threat to ALPA isn't the DPA, but ALPA itself.
- Transparency
- Accountability
- And a desire for openness are the first steps.
Cheers
George