Originally Posted by
Sniper
I hope so. Typical RLA stuff: The company violates the contract, and it takes years to resolve. By the time its resolved, Mesa could be insolvent, and Mokulele (now owned by RAH, I believe) could be the #2 inter-island carrier in Hawaii.
Meantime, AirTran's got a pilot terminated b/c he wore his uniform to drop his family off @ a circus sponsored by NPA on his way to work.
The company gets to sink the union's boat. The union can't fire back, but is left to negotiate for the pieces of the wreckage years later. Gotta' love the system.
Airtran pilot was suspended, not terminated I believe. In any case, you're absolutely right. It doesn't help that the company always has an "out" away from the RLA process, which the union never has -- which is bankruptcy.
Always noticed that for any contract improvement that the full slow process of the RLA is used? Years and years sometimes of operating under the old contract, but any time contract concessions are called for they happen in weeks or months?