Originally Posted by
full of luv
Completely uninvolved observer of your situation but:
You'd have the "national" organization step in and trump the interests of a pilot group that even you said were "improving their own contract" but at the same time you argue that APA is better because it's not responsible to anyone other than it's own pilots????
So the pilots who negotiated a raise and improvement in their QOL had no right to their own self determination, but you at APA are somehow granted that benefit.... hmmm.
I'm going to assume you're not familiar with what occurred. The company offered a largely concessionary contract to PSA (another AAG wholly owned) that promised to transfer our CRJ-700's to them if they signed. (There's a whole lot more to it than that, but that's the gist.) That's not PSA negotiating improvements, that's the company using strongarm whipsaw tactics against their own pilots.
In the old days, when ALPA actually thought of themselves as a union, there is precedent for ALPA national to come take an MEC into receivership when they won't "toe the line." My memory is hazy but I believe it happened when the airlines were trying to get rid of the FE positions years ago. If ALPA national had any balls or principals whatsoever, they would have told the PSA MEC there is no way in hell they would enable AAG management to use this kind of tactic to play ALPA pilots against each other. An association (spit) that allows one group to directly undercut another is worthless as a labor organization, period. Isn't that the WHOLE POINT of a union?
ALPA, APA, SWAPA, etc all look out for their own groups. ALPA just has an overall commitment to the profession as well when it comes to regulations effecting safety, qol, and the various legislative proposals that come down the line.
The safety, security, aeromedical, legal, and other departments DO have an enormous positive impact on our profession. But I sure as hell don't want them to be my union representation.
ALPA National is not there to prevent any one pilot group from improving their lot to protect another's. That's why the regional model is/was the bane of pilot labor going back to the creation of the first scope clause.
No, ALPA was created to act as a union, and for the better part of their early history, they even acted like it. Their goal WAS to prevent whipsaw by management, no matter how big or small the operation. Now, it's a good old boys club that doesn't GAF that up until the last few years we had regional ALPA F/O's that made fast food wages.
The biggest mistake APA EVER MADE was allowing any flying to be done by pilots off their list. If the APA members want leverage again, they need to fix that.
ALPA is NOT the solution.