A vote in the middle of getting ready for the most important contract in the history of Delta pilots would have a real negative effect on the contract outcome. We need a 100 percent cohesive pilot group working toward a common goal of a industry leading contract.

This contract will be the most political contract ever negotiated perhaps by any union. The success or failure of our effort will mostly be fought behind the scenes in Washington DC. If you believe DPA can build the political base and support needed for this contract in a short time then send your card in. I don't see a single word about how they intend to do that in their website.

In fact their website recognizes that with the contract coming things are time critical and they state they need the cards to call for a election on file by 1 Jan to properly represent the pilots in the coming contract. Will they close down the effort if they don't meet their own time line or is the purpose of DPA not to get the pilots the best contract but to simply strike at ALPA. I guess we will have the answer next week.

 

Not necessarily. ALPA has a monopoly, and they act like it. A potential vote of no confidence might get them to stop and reevaluate the way they do business. The debate is a good thing.

 

You keep saying this. And while I agree with you to some extent, we will ALWAYS be negotiating the most important contract of our careers. From here on out every single negotiation we undertake will be in search of the mythical "restoration". So when is the opportune time to give alpa national the heave ho? With your thought process.. the answer is.. never. So why should alpa national change anything about the way they conduct themselves? DPA may not be the answer. I know that ALPA acts and conducts business like they have not care one about losing us as their source of revenue. I welcome the debate that DPA brings with great enthusiasm. ALPA gets my dues money... like a tax. I am FORCED to pay them. Why should they worry about anything? They don't.. and it shows.

 

Dalpa not Alpa is who will represent us in the coming contract at the local level. We have some truly outstanding people working for us at Dalpa. The people that I know personally pushing DPA are with one exception I can think of not of the caliber of the people we already have working for us. Alpa will however be critical on a national level.
We will at some point push for mediation. The timing of how soon we are allowed into mediation and who is the assigned mediator will be political.
We will at some point ask for release from mediation. The timing of the release and if we even get released will be political.
We will if released take a strike vote. Things will be 100 percent political from that point on. Do you think DPA is up to the task and has the connections, money and knowledge to handle it?

 

So, if all that is true, then what has "proactive engagement" done for us in terms of restoring our profession? How have these "high caliber people" we have working for us moved us along the path to that end?

 

ALPA's a democratic organization. The rank and file vote for their reps and they can recall them if they aren't doing a good job.

Attacking your union prior to section 6 seems like stupid idea to me when you already have the tools you need to make your union responsive.

Dividing the pilot group prior to section six seems like a stupid idea to me.

Constantly aiming your guns inside the circle and blasting away seems like a stupid idea to me.

Fracturing the the piloting profession by pulling up the representational ladder for the haves and throwing the have nots under the bus seems like a stupid idea to me.

JMHO

 

DAL88;
Five guys have e-mailed me telling me they in fact requested their cards be pulled, and I have talked to 13 pilots that are on the fence on whether to pull their or not.

Is that what you wanted to know?

 

Great post +1

 

Yes, thank you, that answered one of my two questions.

 

The second part of your post 88 and what PG states, is where the reality lies. Some of the gripes have merit. The ones that have not pulled their cards feel ALPA cannot make these points their points, and those that have either not submitted cards, and or asked them to be pulled feel that ALPA is hearing them. They are getting the impression that ALPA sees the need for change, and is going in that direction. Add to this point, it is the worst time for a union drive and desertification, and all of these guy that have had a change of heart feel that way. It is better to build strength under ALPA that to fracture going in to this section six cycle.