Exactly. Outsourcing is the issue.

If your priority is pay, how can you expect to raise and keep pay when half the flights and block hours are outsourced to the lowest bidder who has a fraction of the labor costs?

If your priority is retirement, how can you expect to win gains for retirement when half the flights/block hours are outsourced to the lowest bidder who has a fraction of the retirement costs?

Work rules? Ditto. Scope is about the level of outsourcing and the company's ability to outsource pilot jobs is the foundation that all pay, benefits, retirement and work rules are based on. Scope relief is the enemy of every seniority demographic, every seat, every base, every type of flying.

Its one thing to say that we have a huge battle on our hands and maybe it won't be fixed in one day. Ok. But to completely ignore it and pretend its not an issue (and just maybe give away more) is unacceptable. Heck even tolerating the status quo is unacceptable. Scope reclamation to some significant degree must occur otherwise any so called gain will be temporary anyway. Current outsourcing is at a critical level and that has to be addressed.

ALPA simply has to admit as much to have any claim to legitimacy in this profession as a bargaining agent going forward.