Originally Posted by
MD340
I agree we need representation!!! However we need a union that will represent us, THE COLGAN PILOTS and not have any aliegence to the Pinnacle pilots.
ALPA cannot represent us without worring about what the pinnacle pilots want!!!
ALPA made a big mistake with US AIR when they did not favor the bigger pilot group and US AIR voted them out. It cost ALPA over 10 million per year. If ALPA were to represent Colgan they would always favor the bigger pilot group which happens to be pinnacle. They are not going to make that mistake again.
The scope language that the Pinnacle pilot group wants to put into their new contract will limit us Colgan Pilots to flying Aircraft with 34 seats and that is one of the issues that the mgm is fighting. If the Colgan pilots were to be represented by ALPA I do not think the management would care who was flying the aircraft and let the pinnacle pilots have them and ALPA will again favor the bigger pilot group and that will leave us with just the SAABs.
There are just to many issues between the two pilot groups that will at some point have to be addressed to have one union reperesenting both of us.
ALPA will do for Colgan what ALPA did for US Air
I suggest you take some time and learn more about how ALPA works and do more research then what you hear in the crew room. ALPA doesn't need to worry about what we want and what PNCL wants. The Colgan pilots and the PNCL pilots get their contracts, not ALPA. Think of ALPA as a franchise. so you actually believe that PNCL will limit colgan to 34 seat stuff huh, Pilots and conspiracy theories, who killed Kennedy btw?
I can tell by your post you really don't know what your talking about. You said, "ALPA made a big mistake when they did not favor the bigger pilot group." Then never favored any pilot group, ALPA merger policy was followed. USAIRWAYS pilots and AWA pilots were at the helm throughout the merger. Then the merged list was decided by an independant arbitrator. I think the best leason learned was avoid going to arbitration in a merger, but I actually took the time to figure out what happened. If you want to go by what you hear in the crew room fine, but your doing yourself and your coworkers a disservice.
The ALPA OC put their names out in the open day 1 with a letter to the pilot group, the IBT 747 OC hasn't done anything. That in itself speaks volumes. ALPA cards authorize a vote by the pilots, signing an IT card could mean IBT becomes a union without a vote. These little things add up and show alot about a group. Colgan has stated they would prefer IBT to ALPA. There is another warning flag, of course they want the union that will have the least bargaining power.
There isn't and doesn't have to be issues between the pilot groups. Those who are choosing to act like little kids are far and few,and they will remain at the childrens table. At the big person table everyting is fine and everyone knows we can work together to make both pilot groups lives better. The PNCL pilots deserve a new contract, and the Colgan pilots deserve representation that they can use to better their lives. ALPA or IBT can do that, in the end it's up to the pilots. But ALPA provides the best resources, lawyers, support, training and will power. Who is the IBT OC again?