Originally Posted by
captain152
I know both of them have pros and cons, and I know by a long shot that ALPA is a much bigger and theoretically more powerful union. Not to mention it's the same union Pineapple Express (sorry Pinnacle guys/gals, couldn't resist
) has, and if we do eventually end up merging (I have heard NOTHING that would lead to such an idea, just speculating), from what I have read it wouldn't matter which union we had anyway, we would end up with ALPA.
You are right, both have their pros and cons. Since you asked this question on a public forum, I think you'll hear both good and bad things about both unions. The guys that are pro-IBT always say they've heard nothing but bad things from ALPA carrier guys.... well I personally have heard nothing but bad things about IBT... People hear what they want to hear. The important thing is to consider the factors that will affect US, Colgan pilots.
You said you've heard NOTHING that would lead to such an idea as a merger, well there are many threads on this forum alone regarding the whole Pinnacle Airline/Pinnacle Corp alter ego issue.
If and when we do merge, we WILL be absorbed into Pinnacle's union (ALPA), because Colgan pilots make up less than 35% of the sum of the two groups combined. If we are Teamsters at that point, the merger process would be guided by Allegany-Mohawk as opposed to the ALPA merger policy if we were both ALPA. THAT's why it matters what union we get for now, even if ALPA is an eventuality. (among many other reasons, of course.) I would love to discuss this with you in person or on the phone, or I can email you a explanation of how this all works, if you really care about this (and you should).
and btw, here is another thread on ALPA v. IBT:
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/un...-contrast.html