Normally I agree with what you have to say, but I believe you are way off on this one. Yeah it’s going to be hard work with a new union, but it needs to be done to protect our industry. I agree you should spend your time getting out of a regional, but you need to spend some time making it better when you are there. Sub par lifestyle standards at the regionals put increased pressure on majors to conform. Must be some reason I’m flying a 76 seat jet for 35 dollars an hour. With non union regionals allowing this, more major flying will be outsourced creating huge pressures to relax your scope.

 

What does 121 experience have to do with knowing who's getting screwed and who's getting screwed harder? Unless you were ignorant jumping in.

Let me know when I meet your time requirements so I can have enough experience to know that Mesa sucks while being ALPA and has no plans of getting any better.

 

We have enough willing to step on my back here at skyw then to trip over themselves to get a job at skybuss for 60k salary to captain a 150 seat aircraft. They all say f the unions.

 

You guys shoulda gone Teamsters...at least they could have made threatening phone calls back or "adjusted" a few knee caps....unless they were completely ignorant and unequipped to deal with even the tiniest of infractions at your 121 carrier...but that never happens with the Teamsters...

 

Some want ALPA, many dont. Some want Teamsters, and others just wont. It seems to me that ALPA is bad for most carriers. Somebody please explain why ALPA is so great. Do you support their handling of situations. Examples come to mind......United, American, TSA and the list goes on. Seems the happiest and best paid pilots are at NON ALPA carriers....Southwest, SkyWest and so forth. I for one am not suprised by this letter. ALPA needs to stop forcing their lanyards on everybody else. They just suck.

 

Try telling that to FedEx, Express Jet, Air Wisconsin etc, etc, etc. People are looking for a scape goat, and ALPA happens to be it. Sure ALPA is not perfect, but you are very ignorant if you think you are better off without a union! ALPA is the pilots get it! When you pay your dues you are a member of the organization. I just don’t get why people think that if they pay a couple thousand dollars a year and contribute nothing as far as time they are entitled to a huge contract. I would pay the money alone just for protection.

The union is as strong as the pilots period. Its a tool, you can buy one and never use it, or you can buy one and never learn how to use it, or you can buy one and make effective use of it. Comparing unions is like comparing hammers from your local home depot, some are better than others but all will get the job done when used properly. Or used at all for that matter.

Look up Air Wisconsin’s new contract negotiated threw ALPA.

 

Wooh whoo! somebody normally agrees with me. LOL Thanks man. Actually I think we are closer than you think on this one. I spent an extraordinary amount of time at my regional working as an ALPA volunteer. I bet it delayed my landing a major job by 3 years. Sure somebody has to take charge and bang their head against the wall. Let it be the 15-20 year guys at that regional. I still think the best way to improve working conditions and pay at the regional level is a high turnover. Canceled flights is the only message that gets to the CEO's desk.

 

You were supporting someone else's views on ALPA. You're not even through training at a non-ALPA airline, and somehow you think you know what you're talking about...give me break, grow up, and get informed.

 

So you're saying the only way to get informed on ALPA is to wait till you're screwed by ALPA? lol lighten up Francis. ALPA doesn't exactly require a decoder ring and being on the DL to see what goes on. Believe it or not we now posses the technology to do things like read online where you can cover various sources rather quickly. Get informed meaning what? I spoke incorrectly? Because in my opinion it's the companies on the bottom that keep the industry where it is. And before you start climbing back up on the cross I guess I need to point out it isn't 121 specific. It's economics and no amount of time in the 121 world is going to teach you about that.

Unions are necessary for us yes. Doesn't mean they do a good job on the regional level. Call me a liar on that one and then we can take a look at payscales for each and every one. Then you can show me which ones pay what pilots are worth. Ahhh but wait. I guess I need 5-10yrs in there to know 20k sucks.

 

Look "Francis", it's quite simple, your local representation is what determines what you get, not the organization itself...speaking of, your Teamsters local leadership didn't exactly do a great job with those 70 seater rates now did they??? You think reading forums makes you an expert on anything? Two months on the job have gone to your head rather quickly... When I said get informed, I also meant get involved, that's the only way you're going to learn the dynamics of the union in 121 environment first hand. You haven't been there during contract negotiations, you haven't been at your job long enough to understand the economies of scale at the so call "regional" level, and yet you have no reservations about bashing ALPA.

Well, pal, I got news for you, your next contract will be based on ours (XJT) which was negotiated by ALPA, furthermore, Teamsters are actually using ALPA as consultants for the negotiations. I wonder why that is?