Originally Posted by
N1sync
It’s not about what they’d do differently it’s about the resources they have and the inherent structure set up to manage negotiations. Our negotiators might be nice, we’ll intentioned people but the fact is that they are outgunned, out maneuvered, inexperienced, and unwilling or unable to invest in proper outside assistance. We can’t afford to continue to pay their tuition at the cost of our careers. Additionally, If it’s true that the company can go over the locals head and petition Teamsters National to send us a contract to vote on then we will always and forever have something less than what we deserve.
I don't know if the outgunned, etc is true. From everything I have heard the company is using in-house people (BF, DC, etc) to negotiate. BF has only worked with FAs and has never negotiated a section 6 for pilots. DC is an allegiant quality attorney, take that for what it's worth, but he has never negotiated a pilot contract either. The only real negotiator that the company employed (that I am aware of) was DM and he quit after a few months because of how incompetent the company team was. At least there are a couple of people on our team who have been in negotiations before, albeit none have experience negotiating a contract for a major airline. I tend to lean more towards the company (MG) thinking that we're "different" and refusing to do the things every other airline does. I don't think any union can overcome that. It's going to take a shock to the system that proves that standpoint is incorrect.
Whose tuition are we paying?
100% agree with your last sentence. If that's true, we're screwed. Pilots are greedy and willing to take significantly less than they deserve because 'reasons.'
Originally Posted by
N1sync
Really? How many pilots does sun country have? Kalitta? Hawaiian? How many pilots did spirit have 10 years ago.. 20 years ago? Alpa would take us and we could really benefit from their resources, they have their faults but they are the ones best suited to represent professionals like us. We need to start playing the long game, that means making significant changes to address not this contract but the next one. Not this management group but the next one. We deserve better.
I think he meant that ALPA only cares about the big players (DAL/UAL) and not that they wouldn't let us in. They would let us in, but speaking from experience, ALPA does not love all of its children equally. They love DAL/UAL a lot more and it shows in the level of support the other carriers receive.
With that being said, I can't argue with the fact that if we were starting fresh, ALPA may be the better choice. I'd even be interested in having that debate AFTER we get a new CBA .