You never know I might surprise you.

I think we need to be careful, though, about attacking each other because of differing opinions. Telling union brothers to turn in their pins if they have the audacity to express their opinion sounds an awful lot like the speech I heard at the last joint council meeting in Memphis from the Block 11 rep.

We don't need that kind of antagonistic rhetoric from our union reps. They should be willing to listen to every member's opinion, not just the ones who happen to agree with them.

Things can get heated on here and that is ok, but it chills my spine when an elected rep takes that tone in a meeting.

 

Don't take it as an attack, and it;s OK to disagree with me. I am the first to admit (along with my wife) that I am not always right (just most of the time

I merely said that if you all think of your UNION and it's Dues as nothing more than a tax than I suspect you should make a point.
Quit..........you can always re-join later like you said. Said in jest

Paying dues gives you the RIGHT to Complain. You can complain and still be a good UNION member!

I really agree with you. I wish the 150 SOB's don't get a free ride. It really torques me off when I see NM who don't pay getting their B fund money and their Bonus and their pay rates.

I also agree that I would prefer to see a 98% voluntary membership than
a 100% forced. In a perfect world that is what we might have. Of course in a perfect world, we wouldn't need a UNION.........The contract survey of 2003 said the membership wanted Agency Shop. We got it. We didn't get everything we wanted but this was one.

But no one is forced to join.........they just must now Pay for services which they receive. Yes 150 folks got a free ride. But that isn't open ended anymore. They will find out soon enough when they retire. When they need to speak with A company benefits person for a retirement pay issue or Medical premium and they have been cut off from company email and can't set foot on company property because they don't have an ID anymore......then they call the UNION and ask for help.
I hope that the UNION says "Who are YOU?" "What did you say your name was?" I can't seem to find your records of membership status anywhere? , sorry we can't help you.


But in the Big Picture......look to the next contract or the one after that, all those freeloader folks will be gone and will never be allowed to be replaced. Like it or not, it costs money to Run the UNION.
Agency shop is a good thing. It still doesn't change the fact that Leadership needs to garner UNity and if they fail to maintain that they need to be replaced. But having said that..........having a system where folks can quit at any time and pay nothing is not good.
We have too many 1 issue folks who let emotions get the best of them.

How many SFS folks would have quit over the LOA?
How many JR folks would have quit over AGE 60?
How many Senior folks would have quit over AGE 60 if it had gone the other way?
How many Flex instructors would havce quit over section 11 of the Contract?

Bottom line is UNITY is cyclical and for every issue when a deal is done, someone gets affected good and Bad. My guess is you will see a turnover in the MEC. A new LEC will soon be elected and another one after that. One thing is for certain. We must all be looking to the next contract right now. Negotations will be ramping up before you know it.

 

Deleted for duplication............

 

Redeye, two questions for you.

After the MEC endorsement of Kerry in 04 there were some rather boisterous objections. The MEC responded by passing an almost meaningless resolution requiring a poll of the membership before they ignore it and endorse the democrat’s next nominee.

Question 1: Do you think the MEC would have responded to the membership then if there was an agency shop?

Question 2: Do you think an agency shop will make an endorsement of hillary more or less likely? Even if it is something minor like changing the probability of 98% to 100%.

Now I realize this will result in major thread drift and will be glad to move to a new thread, but this is an example of why the leadership is less responsive to the membership because of agency shop.

I will be glad to discuss politics and the rangle/clinton tax increases elsewhere.

 

I think the Leadership (in most cases) does respond to the Membership.

Take the LOA for example.
Maybe I spend too much time on this forum (wife thinks so).
By reading this forum, the average guy thought the LOA was going to fail miserably. Even though I supported it, I too was under the impression it was going to fail.

When it passed by close to 70% I was surprised.

I am assuming the MEC conducted a poll maybe even using the Wilson center.
They probably had a more accurate sample of the membership as a whole.

Now to thread drift.. Politics. Unions generally back Democrats. Not always but most of the time. Pilots are a funny bunch. We want good contracts, we wear our Union Pins and lanyards, we want ALPA to fight for us on Captial hill. Many think of themselves as psuedo management and Not Blue Collar Labor. Sad fact we are laborers that wear ties and have College Degrees Skins on the walls.

A large percentage of pilots vote straight Republican and in many ways is understandable, but ironic.

The UNION on the other hand will endorse the Presidential Candidate that will be more likely to have a Labor friendly (or less Hostile than the current Administration).
I don't want into a "You should vote for XXX"
We all all big boys and girls. You all are free to choose and vote for who you wish. many are 1 Issue voters.
Pro Life/ Pro Choice
Creationism vs Evolution
School Prayer
Straight/Gay issues
Anti War/ Support
More taxes /Less taxes
Conservative/ Liberal
Outsourcing of Jobs vs Free Trade..etc

The Union is a one issue entity too.....Pro Labor.

So I would expect that come early next year, yes ALPA will probably endorse Hillary. Yes I know, many FedEx Pilots will be upset about this and probably some at other properties too. If you or others choose to vote for Rudy or Fred or the pilot hater McCain, does that make you a bad UNION member? No it doesn't. But it isn't bad if the Union endorses a candidate you don't agree with either. None of your dues money goes to any candidate.

So to answer you question, I think the Union will respond to the Majority on most any issue. But I still expect the Union to endorse another Democrat this time around.......Hillary or whoever.

All I know is that the UNION wants a candidate that will be a friend (or be less of an Adversary) to Labor issues.

 

You come across very clearly as conditional union member. I cannot understand why some guys would deliberately work in an environment where their terms and working agreement is collectively (collectivism = Communism ) agreed upon. Non union airlines and corporate flight departments would provide a non stifling environment where you can negotiate your own deal.
As far as the question asked, I think our elected leadership sincerely works on all our behalf's. Do they make mistakes? I would say so, do they do so to deliberately further their own gains, no, and I think its insulting then pilots on this forum imply their fellow pilots, most working on there own time, volunteering to help all FDX pilots are smeared with the accusations they are working against what is best for the group to better their themselves.

 

Careful Dckozk, you'll be accused of being on the MEC.

You said what I was trying to say much more briefly.

 

At least I stayed off the political front. Don't need to start a firefight on that issue, at least not yet.

 

You already did...on the FAA Administrator thread...

 

You bet you arse I am a conditional union member. As is everyone else here. For me trade unionism ranks about #4 on my list of priorities. Please understand ALPA did not get me my job. Nor do they sign my paycheck.

That does not mean that I am not glad to be part of the brotherhood and I do not think that we would be better off without a union. But union power like management needs to be checked. Voluntary membership made us a much more powerful organization.

If the democrats ever get the secret ballot removed from union authorization ballots all the new Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, and BMW auto plants will follow Ford and GM down to mexico.

And yes they work on all our behalf's, but the leadership is also answerable to ALPA national, the teamster, the teachers union, and any other national "workers" commitee. SOmetimes what is best for ALPA national is not best for the FEDEX MEC. See the LOA.