Originally Posted by
ToiletDuck
When working for a regional/airline is it possible for pilot A to belong to IBT and pilot B to be with the other or since they are bot AFL-CIO does the airline pick who they want to go with and the pilots then have a choice of taking that option or no? And your statement on SkyWest is kind of odd. Would working for them put you on the "no jumpseat" list?(only way I could word it lol. Basically the hate list)
Good thing to hear about XJT that's who I'll be sending one of my resumes to!
No, if an airline has a union, everyone is a member. Well, you can elect to not join, but then you still have to pay dues (or be fired) and have no voting or other benefits. So basically almost all pilots are members of the union at their company.
Historically, ALPA was a great thing in that it unified the national pilot workforce. There are so many things wrong with alpa today that I don't really know where to start, but the underlying problem is that there are a variety of "union" workforces that have their own in-house union.
It may or may not have been the fault of alpa leadership at some point that these groups were driven out of the fold. AA was the first to go, and SWA is another big example of a non-alpa union. They take care of their own, but often have no interest in working towards a unified national best interest. They vigorously assist their own companies in competetion with other companies (and pilot groups).
A true national union that included EVERYONE might well have the power to improve conditions across the board, and that was the intent of alpa in the first place (pre-WWII).
As an entry level regional pilot you need to be aware that alpa has failed miserably in protecting the regional pilots. The current regional death-spiral could have been prevented by any of several means (scope, one-list, etc), but alpa didn't even bother to try. Selecting a regional based on their union status is utter silliness...GoJets and Mesa are both union, teamsters and alpa respectively. Skywest is not union, but if that concerns you talk to all of the ex-alpa pilots who now work at skywest!
I am personally pro-union, but not suicidaly so. The battle cry of those who would mindlessly support alpa regardless of it's failings is "It's not alpa's responsibility! Blame your company or your own pilot group!"... F&CKING HORSESH&T! I don't pay my company 2% of my income to look after my interests...for that kind of money I expect a return on my investment!
Skywest treats me just fine in all respects, and the bonuses and work rules more than make up for the percieved hourly rate issues with 700's. My only use for a union is PUBLISHED NATIONAL STANDARDS and a VIGOROUSLY EXECUTED PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THEM. I have no interest in inviting alpa to come in and f&ck up SKW like they did at my last job. If the new national leadership demonstrates some vision and agressiveness, and makes efforts to team up with the big non-alpa unions, that might be worth my 2% in the long run.