ALPA won't touch us with a ten foot pole.
I do agree that the IBT may not have the best history as far as representation is concerned, but remember that the Airline Division kicked Local 747 in the ass during our original vote last May. Unfortunately for us, it was too little, too late. Most votes had already been cast when 747 was taken into trusteeship, and CAPA (Cape Air Pilot's Association) was voted in by a small margin. There were a number of reasons CAPA lost on this most recent round, but the largest reason in my opinion was the fact that they were asking a flat $20/month in dues from about 150 pilots. You simply can't fund a union on that.
We needed a nationally-backed organization, and we got one. Right now it's a lot of "wait and see," but I've had a chance to speak with Scott Hegland in person and I was impressed by the changes the IBT Airline Division has made internally. I just hope we can get our first contract inked as soon as possible. The pay rates the union has proposed are most impressive. Now we'll see if our soon-to-be NC can get them for us.