Paying dues (money from paycheck) into ALPA that non-members have not.

 

That gets a big SO WHAT from me.

 

Sorry, Captain Pedantic.

"Not everyone will make it in the first few classes, but MOST of you will make it, EVENTUALLY."

Better?

 

Now THAT'S rich. Sorry I didn't start my ALPA-represented job at a lower echelon. Maybe they can put your seniority number ahead of me when you come on property.

 

Well, gosh its a good thing that about 10 years ago I was still paying ALPA dues......so I'm in huh? Awesome!!! You know it would make the application process so much easier for the airlines, gee, check yes or no, are you currently or have you ever paid union dues? Yes you get the job, no, you don't. Think of all the money they could save with interviews, sims, etc.........

 

lol If only it was that easy but you left out one, those that can find the best ways to slam others like me that ask stupid questions on message boards gets in too. I guess I should have said keep everything like it is with an adage to give preference to those already paying dues.

 

I'm sure I'm going to get some form of correction due to not being one of those "lucky" enough to have been paying dues, but from what I read in here and other places, and correct me if wrong, ALPA and others, are paid by taking a percentage of their members' paychecks. If I follow other information, many at those "lower echelons" don't get the best representation and get shafted with concessionary contracts, probably because they don't contribute "enough" to the cause and won't due to the nature of the market. So, why exactly, since they don't seem to care much about the "lower echelon" would they bend over backwards to elevate said echelon when they haven't paid much attention to them in the first place? You go where the money is and the money is at the upper echelons of seniority and that's the name of the game...but I could be wrong...

 

To be fair and balanced, in the DAL contract, there is a stipulation that says DAL will try to hire 35% ALPA members. I don't like the language, but in reality it is probably a low percentage of the ALPA members that would get hired anyway.

 

I could care f-all about whether someone paid ALPA dues before they showed up on our seniority list. ALPA is a business entity that I pay to represent my interests before another business entity, my employer. That's it. Fellow union members aren't my "brothers." They're fellow subcontractors who band with me to achieve common goals.

 

Actually, you are wrong. Everyone pays 1.95% of their paycheck to the union. Granted, the legacies generate more just because of size and payroll, but all the money gets pooled and then spread around. Smaller carriers can get more back than they contribute during section 6, etc.

The reason the regionals are taking concessionarry contracts is the fact that management has figured out how to whipsaw them against each other and a certain percentage of the pilots are willing to play along and throw anyone under the bus to get that shiney new RJ.