Originally Posted by
XJT Pilot
You miss the point but got one right, your not entitled to you job either at my expense, I agree the contracts can go away and they might; however, its not gona happen during this merger between CAL/UAL...With our merger with Skywest/ASA/XJT that makes 7000 pilots the fourth larget group within ALPA (less skywest not union) now i'm not a finger pointer but ALPA is not gona give that money up to protect anyones job...its about money and you and I can only go along for the ride...lawsuit, not from me it would be from the RJ operators, there not giving up without a fight, more then likely with the new regs. coming down the legacys will have to purchase the RJ operators just to fill the cockpit seats, but thats just me rambling....lookout things are a changing and it aint gona be easy on anyone...
No, I've been watching the slide for the last 10 years, so I fully have the point. UAL was 10,500 pilots big, and now we are 6,300. We were the highest dues paying pilot group in ALPA, and ALPA national did what to stop the carnage? Nothing, and this is how most of the 7000 guys/gals at Skywest Group got their jobs.
Lawsuits can be filed all day long by the RJ operators, but at the end of the day, they operate within their contract at the whim of their mainline parent's management. When the contract expires, if UAL doesn't renew the deal due to scope issues negotiated with the UAL/CAL pilots, there isn't anything to sue about! It's totally legal.
Look, I know how it feels to have your job threatened. I've lived this way every day for a over a decade since the wheels came off in 2000, watching friends get furloughed (twice), wondering if we are going to cease to exist, all the while watching more and more RJ's in our colors come in and take over flying that we used to do. I'm a former commuter guy, so I know the drill. During this time its been mega expansion, quick upgrades, and bigger and better equipment for regional pilots....good news for the percentage that want to have a career there. Pretending that ALPA is going to somehow step in and make a change one way or another is something I wouldn't hold my breath on. For individual airlines, ALPA is that pilot group, and they will look out for their own self interests. ALPA National won't factor into this decision.
Now, what will happen? Who knows. I've got my own guess, but at our MEC's request, I don't talk about it in public. I do know that the first section that I'll be turning to in the eventual TA is going to be Scope.
Of course I'm not entitled to my job! But for the first time in a VERY long time, I see an opportunity to take back some of the painful, horrific, life-changing losses we've endured. I'm pretty confident the 11000 pilots of CAL/UAL all pretty much feel the same way. Good luck to us all.