Hey, see I was right, when you merge two large equals you should rebrand.

You can argue to the employees that you will take an a le cart approach to the best of both companies instead of making it feel as if someone was bought out and must now acquiesce. Make it a bunch of mumbo jumbo that's hard to decipher but easy to take ownership of.

We needed something that rhymed with Skyteam though.

 

You keep missing the point. Many of the pilot brotherhood have tried what you suggest. The infrastructure we call ALPA has been given opportunities to right the ship many times and yet they continue down a path the top leadership chooses contrary to what Delta Airline pilots are asking for. Truly, that ship has sailed.

Hell, right now ALPA could come out with a mission statement on scope and pay, with the aim of returning them to their proper place. They choose not to. Instead they fill their magazine with shameless self promotion referencing victories of laser light reductions and crew pass year 7 "we are getting closer" announcements. Yes, these are important causes but what is most troubling is that which is not discussed. To those pilots at mainline carriers this should register as a multiple alarm fire.

 

I disagree. DPA, with each incremental increase in resources (cash and people) is putting together a thoughtful and well managed campaign considering the hostilities and gaming received by DALPA and Management (who sometimes seem one and the same). I have written several suggestions to the DPA leadership, received replies within 24 hours (usually more like one or two hours) who are open to what the future constituents of DPA would like in representation. I can tell you the same type of interaction with ALPA/DALPA has never occurred in my experience. If you are lucky enough to get a response about your idea/concern you are subsequently put on the "mushroom list". Urban Dictionary: kept in the dark

 

How can they "prove" anything? They are not in a position to prove anything because they are not in a position right now to make any changes that affect us. All any of us can do is assess whether we think ALPA or DPA is best suited to accomplish restoration and put our careers back on track. It's not by any means a perfect science or sure thing either way.

I see big problems with ALPA... notably these:

1) Lack of objective. This MEC (and the one before it) absolutely refuses to state restoration as an objective. Why? And how are they going to achieve restoration if it's not even their objective? This is so out of touch with the vast majority of all the pilots I've ever known, worked with, and run across that it's just amazing. "Bottom up" my @ss! This MEC is about as "top down" as anything I've ever seen.

2) Conflict of interest at National. Yes, our MEC gets to make the final call as to whether or not to put a TA out there for a vote. And we as a pilot group get to vote it up or down. But you know as well as I do that there will be a full court press sales pitch to get us to vote in favor of any TA brought to us. And where do you think our MEC is getting most of its research and advice from? ALPA National. And ALPA National has responsibility to protect the jobs of ALL its members, which includes a whole bunch of regional pilots who are currently doing a whole bunch of flying that was previously done by Delta pilots. This is a no brainer... despite all the rationalization we get on it from DALPA.

So, no, I can't prove to you that DPA can do any better. I don't know for a fact that they will either. I like what I see with their proposed structure and their philosophy. But that's all I have to go on. For me, it really comes down to this: If I'm riding a horse that I know for sure is going to take me off a cliff, and I have an opportunity to change horses (even if I don't really know exactly where the other horse is going), well I'm going to change horses rather than die a certain death. Not a perfect analogy, but that's pretty much the way I see it.

 

http://www.flyasa.com/media/brand/

Best Sure Jet jokes from their own thread:

Radio Call ... Sewer Jet
Theme song ... YouTube - ‪Sure Deodorant commercial‬‏

That 23 year old Asian chick skipper is HOT!

What do you think of the line "as fuel prices rise, businesses have cut back" as a Delta MD88 glides across the screen

 

I would love to see fact based evidence of this, for all pilots to see.

I know that in 2000-01, UALALPA and DALPA produced the richest contracts in us airline history.

I know that SWAPA has NEVER produced contractual gains that propelled them to "lead the industry", and that APA has done pretty well but never really "led" the pack (well except maybe with the B-scale).

I know that NPA (Airtran), and FPA (FedEx) were independent and decided to JOIN ALPA instead of stay independent because it was a better way to make gains in their careers.

I know that USAPA has produced NOTHING tangible for their pilots in more than two years of "independent operation", and they have a multi-million budget deficit that threatens the existence of the organization.


This is what I know. I do not know of any accomplishments of DPA.

 

Which is exactly why personal agendas need to be set aside & the current NC remain intact!

 

Attend the next round of LEC meetings as a bloc and pass resolutions that promote some of the "smaller goals". It could be a coordinated resolution that is the same at every LEC meeting.
When/if it passes (provided DPA supports actually get up and DO something), it will end up at the MEC meeting from every direction in the same manner.
When/if it fails, well then it probably wasn't a good idea or there really isn't enough action behind the "talk" of the DPA faction.

How about that resolution idea above that that directs the MEC (or at least each LEC officer level) to issue a "negotiations mission statement?"


Prove they are effective at fixing things at the local and MEC level first. Show us the proposed plan and the wording....If they are superior to the current set up it will be implemented, if not, well maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

Again, you can't convince me that your ideas and future "Policy Manual" to run the union for Delta Pilots will be effective if you don't try to implement some of those ideas NOW!!

(and it will make your supposed transition that much easier.)

(and if the ideas have merit I have no doubt that the other group A carriers would get behind policy changes.)

I'm not going off a cliff on this horse yet. ALPA still has the championship when it comes to highest record contracts and gains in Section 6. Independent unions may lead now, but its only due to concessions, not due to their innate superiority to negotiate.

 

THIS IS GREAT! (dealing with the new 450+ airplane regional we pay) A MUST SEE!

YouTube - SureJet commercial

 

YouTube - ‪Uncle Rico‬‏

The current ALPA has evolved into a bloated mess who may well be bankrupted soon. http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ma...-dfr-suit.html

I have read both Flying the Line 1 and 2. Contrasting the ALPA of today to the organization Dave Behncke lead, they are not in the same category. One pushed for its constituents, raising the bar, the other owns a history of missed opportunities and top down leadership far removed from the wants and desires of its constituents. A self serving organization.

Even the ALPA of "contract 2000" had a different approach/philosophy from the ALPA we have a decade later. Apples and oranges my friend.