Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I've done the survey and the "call to actions."
Well done.
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I can't say that I "regularly" engage my reps because frankly I find that a total waste of my time and theirs. For the most part, they are just going to disregard anything I have to say anyway. I did send them my input for C2015.
From which they will derive our opener. Again, well done.
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I also engaged them back in January on the new FAR 117 requirement for clarification on the 8 hour uninterrupted sleep opportunity. (They blew that one big time.)
Not sure what you're referring to here.
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
I engaged them on the CDO issue with the FAR 117 TA.
And they clearly listened and agreed.
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
And I sent them my input that Lee Moak needed to be recalled after he totally bungled the Bloomberg/Business Week interview and did irreparable harm to our negotiating position for C2015. Of course, most of that basically fell on deaf ears... so why again am I engaging these reps?
Out of the four specific issues on which you recently engaged, I count one agreement, one disagreement, one unsure (at least one my part), and one hasn't happened yet. The fact that they don't always agree with you does not mean "deaf ears."
Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
As to ALPA PAC... sorry, but I'm not sending money to support any aspect of an organization that doesn't have at its core the objective to restore our profession and our careers back to some semblance of what we all reasonably expected when we got into this profession. And I also don't like the idea that ANY of my money would go to support politics that I think is ultimately damaging to this country.
Two issues here. One is whether the objective is high enough and the other is whether there is sometimes a conflict between what is good for our profession and our country.
It seems to me that, regardless of how our reps are aiming, the more we help, the more they will achieve. As such, regardless of whether we believe that they are doing enough, we can only help ourselves by helping them achieve more.
I have no answer for the dilemma that what is good for our profession in isolation may be bad for the country as a whole, or that those politicians who would be willing to help our profession have ideas on other issues with which we disagree. Ultimately, I guess that's a personal decision.
I will say, though, that there seems to be less and less alignment among those who support us regarding their positions on other issues. As such, the money we spend on them, D and R alike, gets ALPA their ear on issues important to pilots, and that can never be a bad thing, unless you disagree with ALPA on those positions.