Originally Posted by
Gjet
Cynicism? No sir, it's clarity that comes from not drinking the union kook-aid. I call it as it is.
In today's news, take a look at the new Envoy.... What do you think Envoy is going to do with all those surplus pilots? Get ready for year 1 again (if you are lucky) at your new operation, and for this cycle to repeat to infinity until labor takes a stand.
Lets see how ALPA helps these poor guys out, and how their dues helped protect them from this merry-go-round.
Until you guys wake up, speak up and take action, this is going to be the norm.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
No, it's cynicism.
The problem is that you don't understand what a union CAN do and CAN'T do. Unions don't own companies. They represent employees. Belonging to a union doesn't mean that your pension gets protected, that your pay can never be cut, that your airline can't be mismanaged into the ground, that you'll never be furloughed, or that you're not subject to marketplace forces. Unions can influence those things (sometimes), but they don't control them.
If the owners of Envoy want to shut their doors tomorrow, that is THEIR choice. There is nothing ALPA can do about that. It is THEIR company and they run it AS THEY CHOOSE as long as it complies with the contracts they have with their employees.
So how do Envoy's ALPA dues protect them from the "merry-go-round?" Pretty simple. Their dues DO NOT protect them from the idiots managing Envoy. If Envoy management wants to choose a path where they want to ignore the economic realities that exist today concerning pilot labor and continue to throw concessionary contracts to their union employees, there is NOTHING ALPA can do about that. ALPA can't force Fabregas to stop offering ridiculous contracts. All ALPA can do is say "yes" or "no" to the contract offered their pilots. That's it.
How can ALPA help those "poor guys" out? Well, ALPA is right now, aren't they? They're helping every regional pilot in the biz, in fact. Had it not been for ALPA (or any union, for that matter) on the property, right now the Envoy pilots would be flying under an incredibly concessionary, long term contract. What happens then? Now every other regional would be forced to match that concessionary Envoy contract if they didn't want to shrink. And if the other ALPA regionals said "no" to concessions themselves and were forced to shrink as punishment, then you'd be on here complaining about how terrible ALPA is at THOSE regionals. It seems to me that ALPA, and the Envoy pilots (more significantly), are doing much for the industry right now.
Now if the Envoy ALPA pilots continue with their (balsy) stand, eventually do suffer the consequences of refusing to accept a ridiculously concessionary contract, and are furloughed, there is NOTHING ALPA can do about that. ALPA needs to honor its pilots' wishes. After the vote it's on Fabregas and AMR. About the only thing ALPA can do is perhaps get them preferential interviews at other regionals, which they won't need considering the regional job environment.
And your poem refers to a Nazi purging, which is inappropriate to the situation that exists now. Other pilots ARE standing up to management, aren't they? Didn't ExpressJet say no? Didn't Republic say no? Didn't Envoy say no? Isn't that what is supposed to be happening?
Now what you're implying is that you want "ALPA" to do something? You're the president of ALPA. What do you do? And if it involves some sort of "Code Red" which would be against the RLA, by all means, show us all how it's done by starting a website, putting your name at the top of the list, and organizing that stoppage until your demands (whatever they are) are met. You don't need ALPA to be a tough guy. Go for it. Show ALPA how it's done! What's the date going to be and what are we doing? A sickout? Show up for work and set the brakes? A good 'ole fashioned sit in? What's the plan?