Originally Posted by
NuGuy
TSquare is right on the mark. Unless you are wearing the right class ring, or were in the right squadron, you ain't getting on any committee other than as the toilet scrubber, and probably not even that.
Notice that the only people that are trying to change anything are elected LEC reps...NOT by anyone in the appointed committees, which is to say almost all of them.
I VASTLY preferred the fNWALPA committee structure. The very nature of the MEC/LEC/Committee membership ensured that there was at least one different viewpoint on the committee.
Nu
Your characterization of how people are chosen is completely off the mark. There are two big hurdles that I see with people that are new volunteers to ALPA. First, at Delta you should expect that when you step into that office your workload will be double what you had as a line pilot. Some are not used to those kinds of demands and walk away. It can be stressful on your family too. The joke is that AIDS stands for ALPA Induced Divorce Syndrome, and like most jokes there is some basis in reality. You need to work this out with your family ahead of time.
Second, when you walk into the office, you should not expect to run the show. Some pilots walk in and start making demands about how things should work. Often these demands are based on the same webboard bravado that has no basis in reality. Those pilots often walk away in a huff because they expected to be the boss on day one.
If you want to really do ALPA work, you should get ready to roll up your sleeves and get down to work. You should also spend a few months listening, learning and asking questions. After you have spent some time learning the complexity of issues, then you will be ready to make suggestions about how to best accomplish the tasks you have been assigned by the MEC. If you are successful in adding to the debates, you will find more responsibility and have a chance to shape the direction of the union to a greater degree. We have a hierarchical organization and you are not going to be boss on day one.
People that are unable to overcome those two obstacles will not spend a lot of time working there. Many people that have done or are doing union work, like I used to, started off full of p!ss and vinegar and thought, "if they only listened to me, everything would be fixed tomorrow". Eventually, I saw that I didn't have all the answers, the issues were complicated and I wasn't the only one with ideas. That is how you make a difference. I didn't have a class ring, I wasn't in anyone's squadron, just did the work and became part of the team.
It's open to anyone and I encourage you young folks to step up. I having too much fun flying right now to do it again full time. Your turn.