HSLD

A SCAB is someone who crosses a picket line during a strike with intention of perfoming struck work. You can be a non-member, although you still pay union dues as every pilot union I can think of is "closed shop".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_shop

RedeyeAV8r

Actually there are two Points here....................

Closed Shop.........means everyone in the class and craft must be a member of the trade UNION.

Agency Shop.......means everyone in the class and craft Must pay Dues (or a
contract Administration Fee (usually equal to dues). The difference is under Agency shop, you do not have to be a Member of the trade Union, just pay your fair share.

Both are negotiated in most contracts.
Most trade Unions........like the Teamsters demand (or won't sign a contract without it)

Most Airline's with union contracts (not all) are Agency Shop...not Closed Shops.

FedEx unfortunately has neither.
We have 124 Pilots out of 4700 who choose to be Free Loaders. We have approx 40 pilots (out of 4700) who for whatever reason choose not to be a member, but voluntarily pay dues............at least they aren't freeloaders.

The Good news is at FedEx we have over 96% voluntarily paying pilots!

The bad news is how many of the NON-Members cashed their SCOPE payout checks? Cheap worthless Bast**ds........but that is just my humble opinion.

Nightflyer

I am by no means an expert, but if only this could be true...

I believe the RLA prohibits a nationwide strike by all pilots, which, IMHO, is what we need right about now.

I'd like to see EVERY pilot in the US stop flying for say, 3 days or so, in protest over the way the pension plans are being dissolved. Tell Congress and the courts to "fix this mess", or we will walk out until you do. I lay the blame on Congress and the courts for letting management get away with stealing the retirement of tens of thousands of pilots who have EARNED it by deferred compensation. You never see the management boys take a hit on their retirements...they are always protected.

I am not affected, yet, but I have great sympathy for those that are, and soon will be. I think someone said the taxpayers will foot a larger bill than the savings and loan debacle, so they should be mad, too.

surreal1221

Congress, much less the courts, are not going to fix LABOR issues. This is a republican controlled Congress, with an extremely conservative President (who doesn't act like a conservative). Do not expect any significant labor issue improvements while those two are in control of this country.

Labor costs to them is just part of the overhead.

cue controller contract (non-tract)

PCL_128

Yes. Crossing a picket line and working during a strike makes you a scab. You don't have to be a member first.

RedeyeAV8r

YES...........a SCAB is anyone (member or not) who crosses a Picket line (intentionally or not) to perform Struck Work.

A SCAB is a SCAB..............no matter what!!

HSLD

Thank you sir, I yield to RedEye's post.

tomgoodman

No, if the disputed issues involve only one airline. Striking pilots may actually prefer that the competitors keep flying, as that puts more pressure on management to settle.

Generally speaking, nationwide strikes would only be appropriate over serious problems which cut across company lines and could only be solved by governmental action. Bankruptcy and pension issues would qualify, and apply to many other industries as well. Unfortunately, the AFL-CIO is even more fragmented than ALPA.

RedeyeAV8r

A good question Beeker but not quite as simple as you you might think. So excuse the Long Rant. But for you fledglings read on, you just might learn something.

Disclaimer. I am using Airline names below as an example only and no intent or accusation is implied..............

Each ALPA carrier is covered (or works) under their own individual contract.............i.e. USair works under a different set of rules (i.e. contract) than Continental does or NWA or FDX, Gemini or ASTAR.

While all these groups, (Pilots) are members of ALPA, they all have different contracts. Some are current contracts, some are Amendable (Amendable means that particular group is in Negotiations.). Many are being twisted and destroyed in Bankruptcy courts as you have witnessed (USAir, NWA and UAL and DAL). Airline Contracts are under the auspice of the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Contracts under the RLA never expire.........they only become amendable at the end of the specified date.

Any "legal" strike at an airline can only come after the National Mediation Board (NMB) has declared an impasse in further negotiations between the Specific airline Managment and it's Specific ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). Thus any sympathy strike by another ALPA carrier, especially during a CURRENT contract would be considered a Wildcat Strike and thus would be illegal.

Also ALPA (or any Union for that matter) defines what will be considered Struck Work should it be necessary to "Strike". Struck work for an Airline Pilot would be Acting any flight capacity for any Flight under the Banner or Brand name.....for example during the NWA strike of 1997........any pilot operating a Northwest Aircraft or any Pilot operating an Aircraft with the Call sign Northwest or Utilizing a Northwest SLOT carrying passengers or Frieght for Northwest would be performing struck work........and thus would be labeled a SCAB...............Of course this would be no different if a NON ALPA airplane did the same thing.......American or UPS.

Consequently..........United or Delta Pilots (example only) who carried stranded Northwest passengers or freight did not perform struck work. They were operating under their own individual contracts and thus were not crossing any Picket lines.......
....Now if a Delta or United or USAir or FDX aircraft pulled up to a Northwest gate and emplaned Northwest passengers with Northwest tickets......or pulled into the Northwest Freight ramp and loaded NW freight pallets, that would be performing struck work and would be crossing a Picket line.

Unlike that of labor contracts under the RLA other Labor organizations...UAW, United Steel Workers for example are covered under a diffeent set of Laws. These Unions work Under the auspice of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Contracts under the NLRB can expire..at the end of the negotiated term.........This is why you see the UAW or Steel Workers say they will strike at Mid-Night at the end of their contract.......because it has expired.(unlike Airline contracts)

This is why( in my opinion) it will be necessary for all Airline Unions to try to get all their individual affiliates one one Seniority list( easier said than done)...........and eventually try to attempt the beginnings of a national list...again much easier said than done).

I am not attempting to start, condone or advocate anything but If all of the US Pilots' Unions were able to organize and pull off (getting all pilots to honor it) a nation wide Wildcat strike, my guess is things would change for the better. I believe the Pension thing would have been resolved as well as other issues.......................but again all this talk is easier said than done.

fecav8r

By reading this I assume that you are saying that if you are already employed at a job and the rest of your colleagues go on strike and you decide not to, you aren't a scab? By saying you took a job you couldn't have gotten by normal means, that is what you are insinuating. I hope you don't really mean that.