Originally Posted by
Denny Crane
Jointly agreeing to apply for mediation in March after a Dec. 31 amendable date has been part of our contract for a couple of cycles now.
I really don't see how it is a bad thing and it may be a good thing. If the company really wants to get a deal, they can when we re-engage. If a deal is close when the time to apply rolls around, I'm sure an LOA could be reached to delay application. If not, I think it's better to get into mediation sooner. It's one of the steps we have to go through in the process. It's unavoidable so why not get into it ASAP?
Denny
I agree with Denny.
There's nothing special about mediation. Its just another hoop we have to jump through. In fact, its pretty much pointless. As I've said before; ever since the industry "consolidated" there is
no chance that there will ever be a pilot strike at any of the big 4 airlines.
The NMB is irrelevant. By never allowing "self-help" and conducting negotiations for years and years beyond amendable dates, they have taken themselves out of the game. The sooner we realize that fact the better off we will be.
Here's an old post from before the TA got rejected and all the turmoil struck DALPA:
shiznit was making the same DALPA argument that pileit made to open this thread. ie= We have to cooperate with management and take whatever they offer or we won't get another contract for years and years. I don't agree. I think we have other ways to operate. The NMB is only relevant because management AND THE UNION find them useful as a scarewcrow to keep pilots under control.
Originally Posted by
Check Essential
Shiznit-
I don't know what's in this TA and therefore can't tell you if I'm for it or against it. But I do know one thing. The argument you make in that post really irritates me.
I'm mighty tired of my union being 100% passive, compliant and scared.
Scared of Anderson, scared of the NMB and scared of their own shadow.
And what's worse is using that fear as a weapon to control the membership.
We are not SWA or FDX or AMR.
There are plenty of things we can legally do to exert pressure on management to bargain in good faith. They seem to place great value on their success at taking labor risk off the table at Delta. The first thing we could do is start acting like a real union and put that risk right back on the table. FAST. And in a BIG WAY.
If this TA were to be rejected and Mr. Anderson stops bargaining in good faith and says he's going to go the "traditional route" (putting us "on ice" for years) the first thing we should announce is that we are putting him on ice and making it the #1 goal of ALPA to organize and unionize the flight attendants and mechanics and every other labor group on this property.
ALPA has had an official policy of letting the other employee groups twist in the wind while incompetent organization drives sputtered and stalled and failed. That policy of helping management defeat the other unions would end immediately. And you know what? I think we would succeed. We could have about 3 more unions at this company within a year. I think that might get management's attention.
And that would only be the first thing I would do. There's about 8 more.
So please knock it off with the "fear factor" posts -- telling pilots that if we don't capitulate to management's every wish then we will have to wait years to get a new contract. Its not true. We are NOT helpless. We CAN say no to management demands without getting put on ice.
I know ALPA doesn't want to abandon Moakism and the whole constructive relationship with management. Its been good for ALPA. It saves them a lot of money. But there comes a point when the pilots might have to stand up and defend ourselves. Whether ALPA likes it or not. We may have reached that point. We'll see on Tuesday.