queue

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business...PqO/story.html

My other question went unanswered, so let me try again...

Why does it take 3 years to get where we are... still not at a position to strike... Yes, I know the Railway Labor Act...

Could ALPA meet with JB every day and if they refuse to come to the table, then involve the mediator? I know our negotiating team is all volunteer and doing this for us, but have we failed to put enough people into negotiations to have constant coverage in order to speed things up? If it's the Railway Act, does it say that we can only meet once a month?

Yes, I know the industry standard is years, but WHY is it years? Literally no one else on the planet takes this long. It seems like every other Union that deal with JB can strike in weeks but us in years. These are drag and drop contracts.

It seems like we need a fundamental re-engineering of the process and manpower.

rvr1800

Copy and paste this post to your email and ask them yourself. They will be happy to answer all your questions.

The701Express

The failure to achieve an agreement at the bargaining table isn't a result of not having enough opportunity to negotiate. It is a result of the company's unwillingness to present reasonable proposals on the remaining open sections.

Even when we were making progress during direct negotiations, there is a limit to how much time is spent effectively bargaining. A week of negotiating needs just as much preparation time. Our negotiating committee is made up of humans who, like us, deserve time off to be at home with their families.

There are many more people involved with negotiations besides just the negotiating committee members. But at the end of the day, you have to have a select group of people who are making financial decisions, much like there's only one PIC on an aircraft. Throwing more people into the mix doesn't lead to a corresponding increase in the rate of negotiations.

Now that we're in mediation, we are subject to the NMB and the mediator's schedule and funding. The only way to have an affect on that is to call or write your congressman and lobby for an increase in their budget and staffing.

As for the RLA, you can do the same, but I suggest you make your peace with the situation as is and refocus the effort into being informed and educated (which it seems you already are), flying SOP, and applying elsewhere if this is not longer your desired career destination.

Three years of negotiations is a long time, but there are pilot groups who have fought longer and harder than us for a contract. This long, frustrating process has been endured by many of those that came before us, yet their patience and persistence helped win some of the greatest benefits and protections our profession still enjoys today.

If you haven't already, I highly suggest reading "Flying The Line", both part one and two. Learning about our union's history helps put our fight in a context of the greater struggle between labor and airline management. It's helped me to better understand our place in the history of the profession and to focus on the long-term struggle rather than becoming hyper-focused on the short term.

I appreciate your contributions to this forum. While I may not always agree, I am grateful to see another poster adding to the grater discussion with well thought out positions, with evidence and reasoning to accompany it.

While we are all frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations, angered by the disparity in our pay and time spent at home compared to our peers, and disappointed in the company's failure to meet our standard of good faith, we have to recognize the marathon we're currently running. The hardest part about a marathon isn't the physical challenge, it's mental. Even though your mind tells you all the reasons it's easier to just quit and go home, you keep going.

The good news is that when a runner overcomes that voice and pushes through that wall of self doubt and resignation, especially towards the end of the race, he finds what runners call "the kick". His performance improves as a result and he ends the race strong.

On Wednesday, this pilot group found its kick.

queue

That's a great point.

Since ALPA hasn't made progress on this ground, there is nothing legally stopping each and one of us from writing our public servants on this matter. If 700 pilots showed up to JetBlue headquarters, I wonder what 700 snail mail letters would do to Congress to require that all contracts be settled within 6 months (or less). There is no excuse for this taking 3+ years and I don't support the historical norms. All the pinnacle achievements of mankind have taken far less time. This is a simple drag and drop contract -- in other words, there's nothing fundamentally different than what other airlines have done. Here's my proposal for the law:

1) employee union creates official petition for pay and/or work rules grievance to NMB.
2) Each party is required to deliver written responses via NMB to each other.
3) Each party gets 1 week to respond to one another.
4) This process re-iterates for 6 weeks.
5) If employee union declares non-satisfaction, they get to strike.
6) During strike, company is required to make written offers via NMB every 2 days. Labor union retains right to accept or reject proposal to continue strike.

Simple. Let's change the regulations.

coopervane

While I believe that it is NOT simple, I want to know why ALPA isn’t dedicating a 100% APOLLO moon landing level effort to reverse the RLA.

THIS should be the 100% max effort we demand from our National Union. It negatively affects literally ALL PILOTS in the US.

queue

Yet the moon landing took less time...

Yes, big ALPA needs to do this. I agree. The best part is that it is no more difficult than posting on APC. Let's get the law changed!!! Don't wait for ALPA... we can do it ourselves. I'm going to be writing them soon. It would be nice if some ALPA person with better writing skills and knowledge could draft us a copy/paste letter for us to individually sign, print, and mail to our elected public servants.

Southerner

The RLA provides protections too. If it goes away, agency shop goes away. All Airlines will reincorporate in right-to-work states. Unionizing (or maintaining a union) will become nearly impossible. Yeah, it has some frustrating parts, but overall it is better than nothing. If it didn't exist, ALPA wouldn't exist.

queue

Let's thought experiment this out...

Option 1: Without RLA, couldn't we just assemble and stage a sick-out?

Option 2: Modify the RLA to include the timeline I proposed above.

Option 3: Dump RLA, replace with another law that gives US the power instead of the current company-centric RLA.

sailingfun

They have tried in the past. You are fighting all the airlines and Boeing. They have huge pockets and purchase all the support they need in Congress. ALPA can legally only use PAC money for lobbying. We toss out pennies while they toss out hundred dollar bills. Most pilots can’t spare a dime for the PAC. In addition the entire purpose of the RLA is to prohibit interruptions of interstate commerce. WE can’t even get a congressman to draft legislation to amend the RLA let alone get into committee.
A few years ago we did manage to get a small amount of traction in removing Fedex from the RLA. Their aircraft purchase contracts with Boeing include a clause to cancel if FedEx is removed from the RLA. Boeing money killed this concept fast.
Our elected official respond to two things, money and votes to get re-elected. Helping super rich pilots out at the expense of higher ticket prices is not good for re-election and the amount of money the PAC has is laughable.

Southerner

Without legal protection, the company can just fire anyone who participates in a job action. Agency shop will be illegal.

I agree that there are lots of anti-labor provisions in the RLA, but there are also things in there that allow the unions to exist in the first place.


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