Originally Posted by T Dawg
The elitist mentality of airline pilots vs. other LABOR groups is truly disgusting. If you two want to try to go it alone…..good luck, look what that has done for our industry.
Originally Posted by
boosh
I suppose dentists and doctors have elitist attitudes vs their community college graduate co-workers? If any other labor group had to bring HALF to the table to get their job that a pilot does than you might have a point.
I understand TDawg's point...and he's right.
We as pilots have always seen ourselves as "better than" other labor groups. Maybe it's the uniforms or that we fly planes. Yes, we have specalized licenses.
Let's cut to the chase. We move one of two things. People (passenger carriers) or commodities (cargo). So do bus drivers and truckers.
Yes, that's simplistic and offends. But put yourself in the seat of management for a minute. What do they call FA's? Glorified sky waitresses. They think of us the same way. Labor that produces a product (a safe flight) that moves a commodity (people or boxes) and generates revenue for the company, profit for the shareholders and bonuses for them...IF they can drive down the cost of production (wages and working conditions)
So to them, we are acting like a bunch of elitists. They sell the idea to the public everytime we want something. And the Walmart mommies and Wall Street daddies buy it.
The ONLY places we can turn for help are internally as ALPA has historically done; or externally as the IBT has done. ALPA puts up a picket line, has it's members fund it and pay strike benefits and hopes to bring management to it's knees in a deregulated environment where the strikers fellow union "brothers" shake their hand, write a check and then go to work...flying the passengers or cargo that their "brothers" are striking.
IBT, as recently seen with Amerijet, coalesced support from AFL-CIO unions, every other pilot union, the union that represent the Carribean refuelers where Amerijet flew, Congress (hearings), and everyoone else. They ALL supported those 60 pilots. The freight didn't move, the Amerijet offices and those of businesses in the building didn't get cleaned, the trash didn't get picked up, UPS and FedEx drivers didn't deliver, busses didn't pick up at the stop, other carriers found out if they hauled Amerijet cargo they would be struck...
And pilots walked the line supported both in person, unity AND financially by each person. A lot of money came out of wallets to support these guys.
See the picture?
When you cast a wide net, and don't turn your nose up or refer to other unions and incompetent or their members in derrogatory ways, amazing things happen.
It CAN be done. But just like safely operating the airplane...you gotta leave your ego at the door.
I think that might be what TDawg was talking about. Since he is a self proclaimed second generation airline brat (no slight there), I'd be interested in his first generations take.