Would you rather ALPA spend time/money modifying the RLA and airline bankruptcy rules or fight the pilots and aviation community working toward 3rd class medical reformation (EAA, AOPA, etc, proposing self reporting 3rd class medical)?
Most of the legacy pilots/contracts got obliterated during BK. Now that airlines are wildly profitably they don't want to pay back that debt and make pilots whole again. What should be the high priority items at ALPA national?
For over 73 years the Railway Labor Act has governed airline contracts with only one minor revision in 1981.
Should ALPA be spending time/money creating more red tape for old timers (many former airline pilots and dues paying members of ALPA) to obtain medicals or working to prevent the decimation of future pilot contacts through "convenient bankruptcy" as well as change outdated RLA governance?
To my knowledge very little effort has been made by ALPA to put RLA amendments forth or work with congress (Democrat or Republican) to modify the RLA to reflect today's environment.
I'm told ALPA doesn't want to attempt change because they are AFRAID it could make things worse. Notice fear is embedded in virtually everything ALPA says or does.
CAPA, is having that conversation:
"At CAPA we feel that airline labor is no different than railway labor and should be protected with no less vigor. In today’s modern world, airline transportation is essential to our nation’s economy. Since airline labor contracts never expire, there is no logical reason why airline labor is excluded from the protections in bankruptcy that railway labor contracts enjoy. Airline contracts need to be given these same protections. All airline employees whether, working for financially sound or troubled carriers, are affected by bankruptcy code application.
We point out that it is not the bankruptcy laws in of themselves that has created havoc; there are obviously sound reasons for corporate bankruptcy laws. It is the discriminatory application of the bankruptcy law that creates the issue.
Creative manipulation of the NMB process inside the RLA by management has destroyed critical professions in an essential industry. Government must recognize that in order to promote airline safety, qualified professionals must be attracted to the airline industry. Revising arcane regulations and bankruptcy code applications must be the start of the process to rebuild aviation careers and the aviation industry."
Jeff Skiles on behalf of CAPA
Jeffrey Skiles (Sully's Co Pilot) Explains How Railway Labor Act Hamstrings Airline Workers - Democratic Underground
http://www.capapilots.org/capa-appla...aibt-amendment
http://www.capapilots.org/Websites/c...tcyhearing.pdf