actually all aviation unions are not closed shops but agency shops ( and not all of them are even that) . the difference between closed shops like the plumbers union and the agency shops of alpa is that in a closed shop you have to join or you cannot work, but at an agency shop you do no have to join to work, however you still pay dues. you pay the same dues as all the other pilots minus a 0.1% and you do not get the union protection. the dues the non members paying dues pay is for " contract administration".
Originally Posted by
APM145
If an airline is non-union then its pilots are also non-union. If the airline is a union carrier, like most in the US, then all pilots will be union pilots and protected by that union. This is because these are "closed shop" unions and to work there you must be a union pilot. If you research some labor history from the early days you will see how and why unions were formed and why they are still needed today in professional jobs such as Pilot,Police officer, Dr, RN, Etc...
Good Luck