Do you really think the unions at American, Southwest, and Delta have any more power?? Are they also weak because of ALPA?? The problem isn't our weak leadership, nor (ALPA) national's intent (or lack there of) to force a intransigent management(s) to open the coffers and improve pay and working conditions. The problem is the
National Mediation Board and the politics behind the scene that allows managements to string out negotiations, knowing the government can force both sides (of which only one is truly disadvantaged) to endless negoiate because
they, our government, elected by the people, (not by soulless corporations) will not allow labor use self help.
The system is broken because our elected politicians, elected by the people (last I checked, working people, union members or otherwise, are citizens who elect their national leaders to represent
them)
are working against our interests. They are using the power of the bureaucracy, the courts, the legislative pen, to undermine our rights to deal with our employer with the only real power labor has, to withhold services.
Things are so broken that even to
talk about self help, either within a union or outside (as in this forum) is against the law!
The problem is not our union, our leadership, nor the collective desire of our brotherhood, at Fedex or the greater population of airline pilots. The problem is political, as in our elected congress and executive branch. The NMB is the problem, how its led, how its manipulated, how industry has hijacked the process to the detriment of workers in the industries it oversees. We will never be able to move forward as long as we are hamstrung by a process rigged to force us to endless negotiate. Where a third party has the ultimate power to decide what they consider reasonable, and they can hold up the process to proceed beyond mediation. Solve the "problem" of our government taking sides and then let us determine our collective resolve. We are not children, we won't take down our employer, our industry, the national economy, or risk our national defense. We only want to have the ability to use the club of self help. And in having that option, it will be up to both management and the collective power of the employees to come to a reasonable resolution during negotiations.
Stop my government from impeding
my right to bargain with my employer. Its as simple as that.