Dirty Rat

You are right. We need to fight until there is no fight left. Just as the Midwest Pilots were getting hammered and replaced by low cost less experienced labor, not one Major pilot group spoke up on our behalf. Delta and NWA turned their back on us. We have to stick together as one if we don't want a bunch of last year's sim grads flying our routes for a quarter of what we were making.

SpeedyVagabond

Another dirty rat accepting only what he wants to accept. Capitalism still got you down rat? You might try moving to a socialist country.

FlyASA

It will not be an easy fight but nothing worth fighting for ever is. The worst thing we can do is throw our hands up and give up.

Ziggy

What happened to Midwest was not Capitalism. It was an inbalance in the justice system. RLA is oudated and should be recinded. If the Airlines cannot stand without it, they should not stand at all.

acl65pilot

Hey Capitalism is also trying to get as much as you possible can for your services. It also allows you to try and protect your turf to the max extent possible. There is nothing wrong with fighting for what is yours.

If you want to lay over and play dead that is fine, but I prefer to work with the market forces to maximize my return on my career investment. The corporations and leaders do it every day, it is called self preservation.

acl65pilot

I think that we may be getting to that. It is a way to minimize the effects of professional groups trying to better themselves. I do not have a problem with some sort of protection, but the ability to "lock out" labor from self help makes the treat of it laughable, and everyone knows it.

I am not a fan of using self help, but at the same time I am not afraid of using it. I is like Mutually Assure Destruction, to keep your enemies at bay you have to be willing to use the deadliest force possible. That is what keeps the peace.

When one side of the equation has in effect been neutralized it allows the other side a supreme advantage. We are seeing this now. The games rules need to be changed or we are going to see more and more cuts to this profession.

Ziggy

I agree, but it only works if there's a balanced playing field. To many times have judges over-rided labor contracts in favor of the company. I'm not saying we need to give up the fight, just change the stradegy.

acl65pilot

I agree, the corporations and labor relation law firms have had over half a century to perfect their craft.

There are some of these being used today at DAL, and many managers do not know how to deal with a rational work force. It may or may not equate to better returns but they are scratching their heads non-the-less.

Dirty Rat

No thanks. I'll just go to the unemployment line while you and yours do my job for less than half of what I did it for.

DAWGS

Like a previous poster stated I don't understand why there is no outrage from ALPA over this MIDEX situation. This whole situation reminds me of every major pilot group after 9/11, waiting for the other group to go under. Everyone was so sure that would happen. The only thing that happened was the lowering of the bar and it has continued with regard to scope, pay, work rules, QOL etc... Here we find ourselves again, looking on as the landscape changes for another group, which directly affects us, and we turn our heads.

This is the time for ALPA national to show some leadership, which I think has been lacking all these years. Why have all this unity if we are not willing to use it. We have an amazing amount of power, regardless of what people think. We need leaders willing to call all of us to action. Let this administration and congress know the RLA needs a fixin' ASAP. And show the Walmart shoppers of this country, we are not subsidizing their trip to Disney anymore. We all do have the power to change this industry, however we just need leaders willing to exercise this power. Too much apathy in our ranks. We have to be wiiling to fight. I am thankful for the previous generations who built this profession. I don't want to be the generation looked at by future generations as responsible for its dismantling.