Thanks for the edit 80K!

You know when it comes to technology, I'm a comfortably numb caveman!

 

DOH October 1972. I dont know if he was a scab or not.

TEN

 

The CAL scabs were, for the most part, 83 hires. Hard to believe anyone is left with a 1972 DOH...wow.

 

I remember that strike very well, I had to cross through their picket line at the airport on my way to UPT in 1983. I had been flying checks at night for 4 years before joining the Air Guard, and I knew several freight dogs I flew with who did get hired as scabs. They were dicks even before they scabbed.

When I came home 18mo. later, I flew with 4 ex CAL pilots in my Guard Unit who didn't scab. Two went to People Express, and two Guard Bummed until they retired, but we had many informative discussions in the briefing room about CAL, Frank Lorenzo and Scabs. We had 4 Eastern Pilots too so you can imagine the Lorenzo discussions. They were all good guys, I was really ****ed that ALPA didn't do more to protect them and get them jobs at other ALPA carriers.

Sounds like the 1972 guy might have been a CAL guy who went back after the strike was over? But maybe he never left.

I know there were some guys who went out on strike but returned after the strike was declared over, but did not scab. I wondered where they got put on their seniority list though, at their old number, or behind the scabs?

 

This is not a defense of scabs:

My understanding of the CAL scab situation is that there were true picket line crossing scabs who crossed early. Then there were scabs that fought the good fight, lost everything and crossed much later (a year or more) to put food on the table. Then there was a third group who were told by ALPA - at some level- MEC, LEC or some other level to return to work and they were labeled scabs as well.

I don't know many CAL pilots except a hunting buddy. He says CAL pilots generally made peace with their scabs (in at least the 2 later groups).

When I was at UAL, there was no peace made with the scabs. It was wierd for a fresh off AD guy (me) to deal with it, mostly because the whole (union/airline) thing was so new to me.

Today, with codeshares and sub-contractors, some union and some non-union, it seems to me that flying struck work is a very cloudy picture - to be taken on a flight-by-flight basis. Even then it is unclear to me how to tell if someone is flying struck work.

 

I'm sure those guys would have a tough time remembering how to tag a youtoobz video on a bulletin board. I remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd, I was in the 7th grade. As soon as I could get my mom to take me to the music store, I bought a Pink Floyd CD. His tone.... just amazing.

 

41 years... and still on the 737. Why would someone subject themselves to that??

 

Easy, their hearing is gone!

GF

 

I think that's exactly how Management wants it, so it's 'unclear' to us who is flying struck work, which basically makes a Strike completely inefective. That, and they pay the A holes in DC a lot more than we do!

Frank Lorenzo was (is) big buddies with Bush 1. They're both from Houston. Lorenzo was one of his biggest "Campaign Contributors".

Now that "Corporations are People Too"...do you think any jack wad Senator in DC looking for Re Election Contributions is going to vote "Our Way"?

How much money does the A4A give them, vs. ALPA PAC? And how much is Emirates going to give them? I've been an ALPA PAC giver since I was off probation, but I can do simple math. A4A gives about 10X what ALPA PAC gives. Emirates can give 10X that.

I'm thinking Cabotage is coming, and sooner than any of us want to think about. Good thing Delta has about 14 Code Share Partners around the world.

I can see me finishing out my career on the 737 too...

What? Wuzat for us? Hu?

 

Sorry for nerding out ... but here's a friend and mentor explaining his stage acoustic set up. He's got the best tone of anyone I've ever heard play. Part of the trick is his use of alternative tunings which expand the range of the instrument. While his Olsons sound the best the carbon fiber guitar handles the tunings and travel better than anything.



BTW, James Taylor describes Dave as "my favorite guitar player." Taylor sets up his Olsons really well too.