You hit on a really important issue which is precisely why we need term limits. These reps are politicians. And I will paint with a really broad brush here... ALL of them are politicians. And when (sic) "they aren't kissing babies they are trying to steal their lolipops". Anything they can do to stay in power is what they will do. It's funny that you hear talk about how arduous being a rep is, yet some of them get there and stay forever. Do your own math on that.

That is what over 30 years have taught me. Like many of the young guys on here, when I was younger I was a full on ALPA supporter and I watched contract after contract get negotiated and signed and ALPA would crow about how great the job they did was... only to see happen EXACTLY what is happening now.... right here on this very forum... complaint after complaint about how the company is violating the contract and how this isn't right and that isn't right. blah blah blah. Didn't they crow about how they 'fixed' all these issues and that THIS is the greatest contract ever? The one thing I will say they succeeded at is getting us paid for company transgressions, but I saw relatively little that actually got 'fixed'. ymmv.

I'm out of here in 2 (hopefully 4) years, so I am not really affected anymore by what the association does (or doesn't do). But... it pains me to watch the same mistakes being made by the membership that we have made over all the time I was here. I almost have to chuckle when I get asked why I didn't vote to fix the retirement issue before when it did (or didn't) come up. It is because I naively trusted what the MEC was saying...that 'this' was the best we were going to get. Frankly that particular thing is both embarrassing and humiliating. Then THIS MEC comes along and states they have a 4 pillar plan/agenda for C19 which included something for retirement for my demographic. Well that turned out to be a gigantic LIE now didn't it? Can you concede that? They. LIED. (And fwiw, I didn't expect a return of a DB pension nor did I really want one. It was interesting that they rubbed arsenic in the wound however by holding off on the DC contribution increases for a year wasn't it?).

So I implore you to learn from this. Change the diaper occasionally. Every election preferably. NONE of them are indispensable. NONE of them are so smart or brilliant that the association would fall apart without them. Didn't Hartmann's ARCOS giveback debacle not teach you this? And HE isn't elected by YOU. He has ZERO accountability to the line pilot. That particular thing doesn't affect me on the Panda, but I have read the complaints on here about it. But I'll let the rationalization begin on that. Go to a PUB event sometime at a location NOT in ATL. Count the rep to constituent ratio. They are drinking on YOUR nickel. In the mornings at the MEC, they drink coffee and eat doughnuts that YOU pay for. There's more that I won't go into on here. And lastly, stop using the word 'volunteer' when referring to union reps. They are politicians. They are professionals. What I suggest is changing the bylaws so that should they run unopposed they be allowed to be re-elected. If there is any competition for the seat, they MUST drop out. Go back to the line and actually live under the thing they negotiated.

/eor... standing by for incoming.