Originally Posted by
satchip
Your right, the playing field is tilted. It's called the RLA and it is tilted on purpose. The NMB is doing exactly what they were created to do. The advantage was created by Congress, not the NMB. The proof is is who is running the show.
That is totally incorrect. The NMB was not created to be a judge and arbitrator of what is fair and unfair in a labor contract. That is exactly what they are doing now, and it has NEVER happened before in history. This is plowing new ground.
Originally Posted by
satchip
During the election many on this board touted a "labor friendly" government. Well we have the most labor friendly leftist government in the history of the US and has the NMB changed one whit? No, the only change is to make it more easy to force a union on a company. That is about the money generated. You haven't seen any movement in negotiations.
Untrue. The NMB has totally changed, but it happened under the Bush administration. The Obama administration is continuing this tolerance of the new NMB acting as a judge and arbitrator.
Originally Posted by
satchip
The economic realities are that no major airline labor group will be allowed to strike, ever again. That is until you change the RLA. That will take huge amounts of political clout. Something fragmented self interested groups like the DPA will not be able to wield.
I wouldn't mind seeing the RLA changed as well, but that's not totally necessary to change the current dynamic. The only change required is by Congress to put the NMB back in their role as a MEDIATOR. ALPA has the political clout to force this change in the Congress, but ALPA is not even mentioning this as an action item at all.
Originally Posted by
satchip
How do we fight that trend? Unity. Right now we have almost zero power. Only through unity can we gain the political clout to affect the debate in the halls of government where all these decisions are made.
We're not even using the political clout we have now. What makes you think we would use any additional clout gained from "unity" if don't use the clout we have now?
Originally Posted by
satchip
Here is where I disagree with ALPA. By divesting the Compass pilots we sold them out.
I'm not an expert on exactly what happened with that, but I tend to think you're right.
Originally Posted by
satchip
I don't think the scope issue is an ALPA problem per se. I think it is an attitude held by a certain generation of major airline pilots. You see it in statements here. "They are not qualified, they couldn't get hired here". "We are not paid what we have been historically worth, what we got in decades past." Is it arrogance? Lack of vision? I don't know, but it will be our undoing.
Saying that a 200 hour pilot with a temporary commercial pilot's license is unqualified is NOT arrogance or lack of vision, it is the truth. Saying that someone with multiple DUI's and/or an accident on their record couldn't get hired here is not arrogance or lack of vision, it is the truth. A wholesale installation of these pilots onto the seniority lists of the majors is wrong on so many levels. Forget about the obvious problems of arbitrating the merged seniority list, it would be a huge slap in the face to our military pilots. They are serving the nation and risking their lives, and many hope to join the majors some day when they get out. To have many of those slots taken away by people with no college degree and minimum qualifications is just wrong. RJ pilots should go through the exact same hiring process as all other pilots have to go through. No special treatment.
Carl