Culture is huge at most companies including airlines. SWA and JB spend vast amounts of resources managing the pilot culture. As one that has flown both sides, the CAL pilots are like most of the US work force; owned, controlled and ignorant. The ignorance part is what is most frustrating because the conditioning actually has them believing they are empowered and autonomous.....

They are great guys to fly with, but they've no idea how the system works, how they are manipulated and maxed out for productivity with minimal return. (like most of the non union, right to work US labor force)

CAL management has effectively owned the pilot group since '83. After breaking the union with the help of a special group that 'saved' the company... the in house union was created in part by scabs who grovelled and acquiesced to management. That ball-gag, gimp mindset festered well into the CAL ALPA days. Charlatans like Jay P. gladly traded scab acceptance, the profession and pilot culture for personal gain and hollow ego strokes...

The true unionist pilots at CAL fought an uphill battle not only with management but also among their own ranks as they found out what Tip of the Spear means... that CAL ALPA will help management impale a pilot with the spear... this included discipline (a hostile work place) for calling a scab.... a scab.

The complete and total incompetence of CAL ALPA during the JCBA and ISL is an indictment enough. I'll let someone else provide a critique of that....

The CAL 05-07 hires are true victims... believing they got hired at a Bob Six legacy airline ... Fast upgrades, scab acceptance and CAL ALPA propaganda, were the culture terms adopted to be accepted in the group..... this is culture. Be like this or you don't belong.

Regardless, too many if most CAL pilots are like pavlov dogs: whenever the chance to make a buck is realized they get glassy eyed, salivate and start metaphorically howling like a playboy was just tossed in their lap. Quality of Life, work rules and soft time are just ideas and not reality to the CAL guys... FUPM, their mantra and motto simply says... I'll be your owned wage slave, just pay me....

CAL pilots like most of the US non union labor force, have learned not to question management but criticize unions. Both critiques are valid, but just one is not. However, whenever CAL pilot says "you don't know this management' what they are really saying is.. "I am powerless and don't know what to do..."

This is culture. Culture is non tangible human conditioning that results in certain behavior patterns. Culture is what 'we do here'. This can be good or bad, depending on the result and who determines the culture. The fact that Benwarren keeps asking 'what is this culture you speak of' is too telling.

I have yet to hear a CAL pilot articulate the positives of the CAL pilot culture... They'll make generalized statements... but no clear examples.... many are certainly open to hearing about positive CAL Legacy pride.... so let's hear it.....

Of course defensiveness kicks in and the CAL pilots want to pull down the United pilot culture to make it easier for them... or they just want respect for showing up despite the Profit Sharing, pay banding, scab sympathy, management 'teamwork', JCBA delay, LOA25, etc.. The United pilots, including the double furloughees/uHires know too well the negatives, issues and problems with the United pilot culture... and also the positives.

Come to a LC meeting.... and see for yourself..... or don't come to a LC meeting.... which do you think management wants?