SoCalGuy

OUCH!!

That's some serious 'pie in the face' for ALPA.....especially when they personified him in the fashion did.

Will be interested to hear what other B.S. that cat served up during his "15 minutes" of fame. What a shame.

EWRflyr

There always seems to be revisionist history regarding Age 65 when people don't fully tell the story of its evolution. But, people have their opinions and they seem set in stone. I myself was/still am against age 65, however ALPA hardly "caved" on this issue that was running through Congress at lightning speed while the FAA was trying to keep it at a snail's pace.

As far as ALPA staff salaries go, while I agree that their salaries appear exhorbitant to many of us, you do realize that ALPA staff are represented by their own union? Don't know the exact name but there are two different ALPA staff units within the union who negotiate and have even gone on strike within the past five years. They are like you (workers) and ALPA National is considered their employer (management). You get what you negotiate. We all hate it when a passenger says, "you guys are a bunch of over paid bus drivers anyway." I won't compare apples to oranges.

If you have a problem with the pay that some of the ALPA VPs and the president gets, attend a union meeting, introduce a resolution to change the C&BL to change the pay structure of the ALPA leaders. It appears the outrage is there based on everything I hear from people on here and flying the line so it should pass and move up the ladder right?

To me, ALPA Aeromedical and representation in termination alone is worth the dues. There are many pilots out there, including the junior/young guy, who will tell you how valuable these services are if they have ever had to be used.

I won't argue against what some have said regarding the latest magazine debacle. I read the story and understand some have brought up inaccuracies within it. Obviously some vetting and fact checking might have been overlooked and THAT is what should be addressed first.

goaround2000

As a proud ALPA pilot, I still agree with everyone here...the magazine needs to go. It's a waste of resources, and in recent time it's turned into a propaganda flier.

There's typically some useful safety information buried in the midst of all said propaganda. However, that information can easily be disseminated via email, just as the LEC and MEC information.

Away with the paper waste.

FDXLAG

The membership said no; Alpa said well we cant stop it so lets make sure it applies retroactively to all the over 60 S/O. What is your definition of not caving?

I myself thought the age change was inevitable. But ALPA could have worked to make it less career damaging. Simple solution, phase in the age change over 10 years. Everyone equally unhappy, everyone equally screwed. No 5 years of bonus pay (at the top of the payscale) for one demographic no 5 years of stagnation for the rest of the crewforce.

Lighteningspeed

+1! You beat me to it. My sentiments exactly. Yeah, I'd say ALPA not only caved in but endorsed it behind the scene.

Those who benefitted the most from the Age 60 rule now benefit the most from the Age 65 rule. The senior widebody CAs got to where they are because of the Age 60 rule which forced age 60 pilots to retire, giving them the room to move up. Now, with the Age 65 rule in place, we, the junior pilots have no place to move up. What's next, Age 70 rule? I read Europe is considering just that.

sparerib11

ALPA Magazine = Mostly pictures of guys and gals sitting around a hotel conference room.

The exception is something like the Martins debacle from the April 2010 issue.

I'd like to see more practical safety/technical content.... or as some have said, ALPA should go completely electronic.

captnmajic

Unfortunately this is not true. I know a guy who was threatened with termination at his airline several years ago and ALPA washed their hands of him. Despite this pilot's innocence his ALPA rep refused to provide any assistance and he was eventually forced to hire his own attorney to fight for his career. This guy ultimately prevailed against his company and was reinstated, but throughout the entire process ALPA did nothing whatsoever to assist him despite the fact he had been an ALPA member in good standing for nearly 20 years.

DashDriverYV

The magazine is just a way for the reps to pat themselves on the back. I don't think I've ever read it and went "Gee that was helpful". They need to take a chapter out of AOPA magazine.

HSLD

It's been about 10 year since ALPA closed down it's union print shop in Herndon with the promise of web distribution via alpa.org replacing the LEC/MEC printed newsletters.

If you need a progress report on the efficacy of that move, just take a look at your LEC or MEC web site. Ask your communications committee chair how easy they feel it is to deploy and maintain a local web site. Ask them how much support they receive from ALPA national.

Keep in mind that ALPA uses an open source software called Dot Net Nuke (ie. free to use, and without license fees) for the ALPA.org site. Dot Net Nuke (DNN) is referred to as somewhat of a bad joke in many developer communities due to it's limitations and kludge design.

If you don't like the magazine, you'll absolutely HATE the web site. Granted, the alpa site has recently received a face lift, but keep in mind that this was done by a team of alpa IT staff members (most paid 100K +) who didn't improve functionality as much as they simply put lipstick on a pig.

Just like executive pay, any change to alpa's online presence will have to come from local resolution(s) to outsource the IT department. After a decade, it's clear that they aren't going to step up on their own.

Ad Lib

I can't think of a single local resolution that has been acted on my our MEC.

I know why no one attends LEC meetings. It is a waste of time.