JetFlyer06

I agree, it's interesting to hear the argument from a "mainline" carrier's side. When I was at a regional a lot of us thought that ALPA was protecting the mainline and we got whatever scraps were leftover. We weren't big enough (read: paying enough dues) to really matter to them. That being said, maybe it is time for a changing of the guard. I'm not necessarily advocating a removal of ALPA but we could certainly elect new reps and with 12,000+ pilots I'm sure we could make our voice heard at ALPA national. The new DAL will by far be ALPA's largest revenue stream and when they hear these rumblings of an in-house union drive I'm sure they would stand up and take notice.

There are a lot of things wrong with ALPA, but there are a lot of things right as well. I've known several people who went through the accident investigation/response training and they have everything good to say about it. I can personally ouch for their Aeromedical division and the decades of experience they possess. Believe me, when you have a medical issue (and most of us will at some point in our careers) you want someone on your side who knows what they are doing and has been there before.

In my opinion, ALPA has a place at DAL going forward and right now they are best suited to represent us both personally and professionally. If you feel strongly about an issue, call your reps and let them know. Far too many people complain on the line and never bother to pick up the phone and make a simple call. I do agree we need to protect scope diligently (look at SWA) since it is our livelihood. The line between regional and mainline aircraft has blurred to the point of non-existence. I hope in the future that ALPA will step up and get us the scope reform we deperately need. If they dont, who knows?