Outsourcing??
 

Looks like a United -Aer Lingus deal could spell disaster for pilot unions-

Shortcut to: Clipping union's wings -- chicagotribune.com

In the book "Hard Landings", there is an ALPA quote that was in vogue in the 1980's that went something like this:

"No pilot ever lands with the gear up twice."

Point being, we're supposed to learn from the big mistakes and never, ever repeat them.

My god! If this scope-dodging scheme takes hold anywhere, it's going to spread like a cancer through the American airline industry. Competitive pressure will force other carriers to eventually do similar things.

Very disturbing, if I'm reading this right. I hope all the money ALPA's spent buying congressmen and Presidents recently will pay off now.

A bad egg hatched
 

Right. And the Tribune article shows clearly where the big mistake was:

Under pressure to save jobs, wages, and pensions, the union may have thought this concession was no big deal. :(

Tom,

Strangely, we see ALPA very attached to its bankruptcy bargaining. I don't know if it is that the leadership is "wedded" to the deals it made and now feels it must defend them, or if they truly believe the management crap about "bargaining credits" they got for scope concessions. It is something I'm trying to understand.

We are told at Delta we have protection from this form of outsourcing and will make those protections stronger.

I'll go you even one better. Imagine if Jetblue joined the "Star Alliance". Crazy? Maybe not.

JetBlue seeks more international airline partners - USATODAY.com

To clarify: I'm not familiar with the details of the United bankruptcy concessions. However, I suspect they had little or no choice.

The question is "what will we (pilots) do now"? There's little doubt that the next UAL contract will have some sweet carrots to ignore this outsourcing, and the question will be can those carrots be resisted? It's going to be a tough sell, because UAL pilots took it in the shorts during bankrupcy, and they'll be looking to get some of it back. What matter, then, a few jets scoped out to a couple of international flights?

It's not just UAL either .. . all US carrier pilots will need to continually fight to stop this potential to further degrade our bargaining power.

Once one carrier goes for it, the handwriting will be on the wall for the rest of us.

It has already been tried and is successful.. Open Skies airline has bypassed BALPA. They fly 757s across the Atlantic without British Airways pilots.

This is now a shot directly across OUR bow. The implications are far reaching. This is not just about UAL, everyone from AA to SWA better watch this, it will impact all of us.

AA

Last I heard BA pilots voted to strike over this, did they? At least they don't have a NMB to stop them.

How could they have thought THAT? Didn't anyone learn anything from the swarms of RJ's infesting US airspace?

I wonder what the mins will be?!