it started mid January

"Cheering section?" C'mon man.

Are you going to picket when the union asks you to? Will you support a strike vote when you have the chance? Will you strike when directed? Will you volunteer your time to assist where your union needs it?

Are you going to make sure the folks you fly with underderstand the issues and the need to be engaged (outsdie of sterile cockpit)?

Or are you just going to stick to "regular input and dues?" 'cause if you want to maximize the value of your contract, that ain't enough. Imagine if every single pilot only offered regular input and dues. Management would love it.

Enlightened?

Supporting the UNION by picketing? A strike vote for the union? Making sure the folks I fly with understand the issues help the union? Or us. All of those actions, in my humble opinion, are supporting US. The 2100+ pilots. WE don't strike to obtain better union wages or perks or whatever the union members receive as compensation for their time.

Perhaps we are saying the same thing just w/ a different perspective - I just don't see picketing as union support as much as I see it MY OWN support. The strike vote helps the PILOT body get their point across to mgt. It's obvious that we are both agreeing that actions, which the union suggests we do in order to get what we want, should be done. You don't have to worry about me striking - I've been saying we should've last contract and I'm almost certain we will need to this go around.


But my original point (which you neglected to quote) that the UNION is the conduit with which we speak remains. They are the microphone. The representative we ask to conduct business on our behalf (keep in mind, there ARE PILOTS at airlines that don't have unions). We have ALPA and I support them as much as needed for them to do so in the most effficient and effective manner. If they don't speak clearly or effectively enough, then we recall the necessary members and elect new microphones (just like United did). For whatever reason, people seem to put the union (mgt) into some sort of celebracy status or something ABOVE the non-union mgt pilot which I disagree with. There are good union volunteers and bad ones. At other airlines and ours. I support ACTIONS, not people.