Originally Posted by
TallFlyer
You seem to be forgetting all of the ALPA regional carriers getting large increases in compensation, particularly for FOs, in the last year.
In pilot markets like we've had for most of the last 20 years, regional pilot compensation is constrained more by an oversupply than by ALPA. Now, not so much. "Underbidding" is hardly the problem.
In addition, there are other benefits to ALPA. Just looking at my own carrier's ALPA directory, we have committees for:
Accident Investigation
ASAP
FRMP
FOQA
Training Review
Communications
Contract Enforcement
Grievance Review
Hotel
Legislative Affairs
Membership
Merger & Flow Through
Negotiating
Pilot Assistance
FMLA
Aeromedical
CIRP
HIMS
Pro Stans
Retirement and Insurance
Scheduling
Security
P2P
And backup for all that at the national level.
Or maybe we should just let each pilot handle all that for themselves.
Recent gains for regional FOs mostly benefits management. So many weak unions out there allowing FOs to receive uneven pay raises and bonuses is nice for the newbies but is not exactly something to be proud of. It also doesn't address the fundamental problems (of principle) with being associated with ALPA.
So you don't think that regionals under-bidding each other by taking concessions was a major problem? What does that do to our leverage?? What is the purpose of associating with ALPA if they wouldn't put a stop to it?
What's stopping anyone from having all those benefits under a different union? Do we need to suckle ALPA's teat so bad that we should sacrifice the ability to jointly negotiate?
But yeah, let's waste all that leverage and money so we can have Pro Stans
