The correct answer is "All of the Above", but since you didn't list that, I am not voting.


Government (RLA, NMB, etc)...Yes it is responsible. The RLA and the NMB have taken away the biggest tool any union has to negotiate with. They have taken away the option to strike. I know, eventually some get the chance (Comair, Spirit), but the vast majority of negotiations go years because of the game we are forced to play.

Management...Hell yes they are responsible. But can anyone really blame them??? They run an airline, well kind of, that has been profitable during a horrible time in our economy. They have never had a lack of applicants. They have managed to acquire 2 new airlines. And best of all, they have used options 1 (Government) to drag out our negotiations for 5.5 years without having a strike on their hands. From a business stand point, management is doing an outstanding job.

ALPA National...Yes. There is no way that ALPA National can represent both the interests of the Regional Pilots and the Major Pilots. NONE. I do not feel as if we have gotten the support that we need from them, but then again, I doubt my dues go very far for that organization. Not the point I know, but I understand how business works.

ALPA Pinnacle...Probably more responsible than most on the list. They handed us a TA that never should have made it to the pilot group, but I understand the reason they did so. Gotta look good to the NMB. The problem with blaming our current MEC is that most of the people responsible for that piece of ******* TA are no longer in our MEC. Some are not even still at Pinnacle. I believe that our current negotiators and most of our reps are doing a great job (with the exception of communication, but I have a hotmail account so I'll let this one slide )

The Pilot Group...Of course we are responsible for this mess. We have plenty of people who still go out of their way to pop the brake on time. We have lots of people who won't write up MX items at outstations. We have lots of people who taxi like its a Nascar race because they have a commute to make. We also had about 500 people vote yes to the above mentioned TA. We are our own worst enemy.



Point of my post is to point out that it is very easy to point fingers and try to blame one particular person or organization for this. The problem is that it is a combination of things that has led to 5.5 years with no new contract (well 1 TA, but we voted we that down). Not one of these has caused this mess on its own. Combine a few though, and you get where we are now.