Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
(JMHO follows)
D-ALPA is characterized by its conservatism. It does not want to go out on a limb and risk being wrong, ever. It does not want to ever lose.
If D-ALPA pushes, they are going to lose from time to time. That's fine with me; but, are our pilots who view this from 50,000 feet at Mach 3 going to understand the process and why really trying means the occasional loss?
Interesting thesis here Bar, but it's flawed. You've made the incorrect supposition that D-ALPA wins now and then. They (we) do not, and haven't for quite a while. We lost the A330 crew rest issue, and we didn't even fight the scope violation of RAH. If D-ALPA is using this tactic of "conservatism" because they hate losing, wouldn't you think that all this losing would prompt them to change tactics?
The problem with D-ALPA is twofold. First is the requirement by national ALPA to look the other way in all matters of scope. If they don't look the other way, Moak will simply sign the document without your attendance. Second is the allegiance to our management team first, and the membership second. It's the old "trickle down" theory that whatever is good for the company will be good for the members. It's an arguable theory, but irrelevaant in my opinion because I'm paying for union representation. I want to work for a union airline. Instead I pay union dues to an organization that is little more than the communications arm of management. And a spin producing body that describes this perceived losing...as actually winning.
Carl