Originally Posted by
2loud
Typical response from a union guy when cornered.
I don't hate the union; it's a necessary evil....we get it! Our union happens to be extremely ineffective and quite honestly, I can't differentiate our union boys from the management. Sheep skins are pretty dang cheap, I guess.
Until we invest in powerful lawyers and formally educated negotiators, we will continue to get our a$$es handed to us every single time. No, a few weeks in Virginia in some quickie "negotiation course" is not working, as we can attest to. Yeah yeah yeah, we have lawyers and ALPO negotiators. You don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Let's look at our union. Who are they? Most of them, if not all of them, are very junior. Why? A happy ending schedule massage, perhaps. Less flying, more money, and weekends off. Sign me up! The end product says it all.
Isn't your union who you elect?
I am far from an apologist, but when the union has to negotiate in an environment of big/losses/bk it doesn't give them much leverage. Add in the RLA and pretty much the inability to ever strike again at a major airline, and you have nearly two decades of controlling the slide of the profession into the oblivion.
Why do the young volunteer at your airline? Maybe it's because they feel like the have the most to lose and without the benefit of seniority, the most to lose in QOL by crappy work rules.