Originally Posted by
skypair
...And the "trainwreck" is coming to those who actually rely on ALPA for "help" and "guidance" during negotiations, self-help, mergers, etc. That covers just about every commercial pilot, no? They're on their OWN side, guys! They need to keep collecting money and if its from strike fund war chest assessments, all the better! Look for drawn out negotiations even when shorter is possible!
Bob was smart. If you have an opposing opinion, you're better off agitating from the outside than from the inside. I notice Bob still got his plaque and lapel pin. I expect they'll be sending me mine, too, despite my record (which I won't go into).
skypair
Some of the rank and file has romaticized the image of ALPA national. ALPA does, indeed, make crucial decisions that affect members at both the local and national levels, and they do it to pad the ALPA pockets. How else can one account for the decision to admit to ALPA membership every strike breaker who crossed the CAL picket line? Clearly, this was a move that would ultimately dilute the strength of the whole union, but the dollars came first.
How, also, do you explain admitting the Air Canada Jazz pilots (who can fly up to age 65) into ALPA while, simultaneously, testifying before the U.S. Congress that it was unsafe to fly past 60? They wanted the dues dollars. It is this kind of chronic hypocrisy that has eviscerated both ALPA and the AFL-CIO. I just have a low tolerance level for this kind of stuff.
Pilots should make no mistake about it:
ALPA's failure to implement an ethical framework for behavior is a major cause of the internal disunity that results every time a merger takes place. In my experience, ALPA national and local have rejected all attempts to inform the rank-and-file of modern techniques available to create this framework.
Union membership in the private sector is now at 7.8%, yet some people are unable to see the collapse. The airline unions are a complete disaster and ALPA has not been able to cope. The American people have overwhelmingly rejected traditional unionism in favor of...well, nothing.
There is a move afoot at UAL to decertify ALPA. I don't think it has much of a chance of succeeding unless it tries something really new, but it shows how deep the internal divisions run.
I wrote about the "impending" train wreck many years ago. It is no longer impending. The wreck is in progress. Thousands of pilots are falling of the cliff and ALPA is not only watching it, they are causing it. Age 60 is but one factor that has led to ALPA's nearly complete inability to bring pilots together to fight even one strategic battle.
It's over, gang. It's time to create something new.
Thanks for the note.
Bob
P.S. By the way, I still appreciate the efforts of those who contributed to the strike funds during the strikes. Even though I believe that continued reliance on the ALPA "model" is very destructive to our profession and that paying dues is simpley proglonging the agony, I do respect those who want to do the right thing. And, I do not believe that name-calling does anything other than bring further discredit to the profession.