Originally Posted by
Making Sense
No, our current union leadership wasn't elected by us, and the dynamic with management remains as bad as it was during AR's time.
While you may not fully understand the intricacies of our airline's situation, your perspective unfortunately mirrors how many of our fellow pilots view things. We've become an overly cautious group, almost paralyzed by an addiction to follow procedure, treating any hint of uncertainty like it's an existential threat. Just whispering the word "chaos" makes many of our coworkers break into a cold sweat.
This unnecessary cautious herd mentality completely misses how things work in the actual business world. Sometimes, a period of disruption is exactly what's needed for positive change - it's simply a temporary tool for achieving results. There's no need for alarm; this happens regularly in business
Think of a union as a service we pay for - and we pay substantial dues specifically to get results like those contract negotiations. Yet in two years, our negotiating committees has achieved virtually nothing significant. It's almost laughable to suggest that independent negotiators could have done worse.
For a rather unsettling experience, check out Allegiant's Trustee Webinar from December 17, 2024. It's difficult to watch them discuss strategies like "building an army from the ground up" and "increasing passenger engagement" as keys to successful negotiations. The disconnect in their thinking is remarkable. Do they even hear themselves?
It doesn't matter who's negotiating the contract, they will find themselves up against Allegiant. This isn't a normal airline. Allegiant just wants to wear the pilot group down but its not going to work. The Union is going to have to figure out how to start ratcheting up the pressure with the $10 million in the bank, that email with a very public spanking a few days ago was a good start. If we have to sit here another 10 years then so be it, I'll watch this place burn down before I trade anything away. Allegiant pilots are to have the same rules and pay as everyone else. 1100 pilots are not trading work rules for cash so the other 300, whom the work rules would never apply to anyway, can be happy. That $7000 a month cumulative retention bonus can just sit there an accrue until the end of time.