Originally Posted by
forgot to bid
you make a lot of great points, but I wonder how much does a distrust of ALPA factor into the DPA drive? I don't think I have a single friend who signed a DPA card that uttered "I got screwed" or "the contract didn't go the way I thought it should" or "I didn't lIke the SLI " or "I expected to be in the tophalf of the ER list by now and since I'm not i blame ALPA". Pilots are smarter than that. They (my friends, all RJ guys btw) all did it because they don't trust ALPA to be out for anyone but ALPA.
I signed up after the RAH debacle.
FTB, I make business decisions on facts, not emotions. If this comes to a vote it will be the biggest business decision of your career. Anti ALPA for past sins is not a strategy to move forward and one of my problems with DPA is I see nothing in their literature that suggest they have a better way forward. The only examples I see of independent unions and thus one of my major decision points is they haven't delivered anything better than DALPA and in most cases have an inferior product. You cite outsourcing and I agree that it is the major problem we face, now tell me who will have the best chance to influence the battlefield going forward ? A national union with political clout or an independent union that only represents 11000 or so pilots. OBTW if and when that independent union garners the political support that ALPA has now the battle will be over. As far as the proliferation of Regionals go it was purely a cost/economic issue that caused the rush to and rise of the RJ's. Their demise has already started and when the majors start poaching each others regional pilots in about 3 to 5 years it is of my opinion that the flying will have to be brought back to mainline.
You are a smart guy and a much better poster than I so I don't plan on winning any web board arguments. I just ask that you take a realistic view of the present and look to your future based on facts and not rhetoric.