The next ALPA President - John Prater

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09-25-2006 | 06:10 AM

#11

duffrick

Line Holder

Joined: Aug 2005

Posts: 71

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From: A320

Quote:

Originally Posted by duvie

I don't have a lot of experience and knowledge about ALPA but is it always desirable to have somebody ready to strike? NWA and UAL had that reputation and now look at them. CAL has been regarded as the opposite and they're arguably the most successful post 9/11 major. The rules of the negotiating/striking game have changed. I don't know if that kind of leadership is what pilots need right now.

We definitely need somebody strong in our corner right now and he's a fighter no doubt, but the NWA/UAL approach to negotiation doesn't always work. My 2 cents.

What in the world are you talking about? With your line of reasoning, I have to assume you blame ALPA and the pilots at NWA and UAL for the sorry state of affairs there. The fact that NWA was considered the "Cobra Airline" due to its many strikes, has absolutely nothing to do with the NWA's bankruptcy filing.

If you had any idea of what you were talking about you'd know that NWA was a consistently profitable airline before the Checci-Wilson leveraged buyout. Your line of thinking is underscoring what many management types sincerely believes; If a company does well it's because of management's fine work, and if it does poorly it's because of labor (great ammo for union bashers.)

The truth is, most of the time the reverse is true.

09-25-2006 | 01:27 PM

#12

duvie

Gets Weekends Off

Joined: May 2006

Posts: 1,246

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From: WB Bunkie

Quote:

Originally Posted by duffrick

If you had any idea of what you were talking about you'd know that NWA was a consistently profitable airline before the Checci-Wilson leveraged buyout.

I don't blame the union for the way airlines are operating right now, I blame management almost entirely. It is the basic job of management to run a profitable operation. I agree that the "cobra" tenacity got them great pay in the pre 9/11 environment, but it seems that airline management/union battle is being played using different tactics now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by duffrick

The fact that NWA was considered the "Cobra Airline" due to its many strikes, has absolutely nothing to do with the NWA's bankruptcy filing.

Maybe that is true for NWA but I definitely see a correlation between UALs pilot tendencies/inflexibilities and their current state. When United pilots wanted a piece of the incredible profits that were being reported by UAL, the pilots began pulling back power and intentionally delaying flights causing huge amounts of missed connections that required re-accommodation and stress for the entire airline. Management gave in and the pilots got exactly what they wanted, INCREDIBLE PAY. Almost 350K for a senior 747-4 CA! Then when things started to go bad, UAL's insane labor costs contributed significantly, BUT NOT SOLELY, to the unprofitability of the airline. Quite ironic that the new contract that the pilots thought would bring them better pay and QOL ultimately put their company in bankruptcy. Now the senior guys make around 180K with per diem & other extras

Like Duane Said, I think a politically savvy, slippery sneak is better equipped for this war than a "cobra".