ALPA and Scope
You guys are looking for a fix to Scope, maybe we should look at the problem. The root of the problem is ALPA's organization. I feel that there is a severe conflict of interest when the same national union represents majors as well as regionals. I worked for a regional under ALPA for 7 plus years before coming to NWA last year. If I'm in the same union why did I take such a pay and seniority sacrifice to move into the majors? My uncle who has been an electrical union member for years works for various different companies throughout the country for his union yet his compensation and seniority continue to go up. The problem is that our union ALPA is just a greedy business and is not looking out properly for the entire member groups' longevity and total compensation. There is no real fix for this but here are some ideas.
1. ALPA makes a rule that if a major is represented by ALPA then the regional that provides feed for that same major cannot be represented by ALPA.
2. ALPA needs to split the regional groups into its own union separate by all means from the major more than they are now.
3. The ultimate fix for scope would be that ALPA is responsible for compensating its members nationwide and we work for ALPA but fly for the airline. Is this so crazy? We all would wear ALPA uniforms and we would have one major seniority list. All 121 Airlines would have to use ALPA pilots by federal law. We could have a nationwide pay scale based on equipment and longevity. This would be safer, and all pilots would have a natural career progression, we could handle our own training, and we would have the numbers to demand the compensation we all deserve. No more worries about a merger or scope. Once an ALPA pilot, always and ALPA pilot. This is how my uncle's 'powerful' electrical union works and he is very happy with his union.
I have seen both sides of ALPA from the regionals and now the majors, and it appears to me that we are butting heads against are own brothers and sisters and that is what management loves, shy of no union at all.
I do not have the proper solution but I see the problem behind the scope issue and it is ALPA representing both regionals and majors. If we at the majors keep giving up scope then the regional ALPA members will soon out number the major ALPA members.
I vote for my idea number 3 but this make so much sense so ALPA and the airlines will not even consider it.
All this being said, lets fix the scope issue now before management wants to order 1000 large small jets and the major consist of just a few wide bodies and a handful of pilots.