You asked what we can live without?
Sorry, but the rosources at ALPA are fantastic, they are just beholden to those who pay more in dues as a perentage of pay and probably rightfully so.

And BTW, not trying to start something, just may be offer differing view, and possibly make a couple people chuckle

The MEC at the old job worked a deal with another MEC to get our resumes to the top of the stack as the old company shut down. That was worth a couple months dues. Plus support for grievances. And a pretty good chuck of change out of the old companiy's liquidation. Note that all of these things came from work by the local MEC. As BoilerUp said, it's the local folks that get stuff done. If you just expect stuff to rain on you from Herdon, you don't understand the game. I stayed away from the politics and just did stuff on the safety side. But unfortunately we need the political folks too.

This particular 'participate' argument is really wearing on me. I have chosen folks who are supposed to be willing and able-minded persons who have the desire to engage in ALPA duties. Where do they go and why are they not representing me? What happens along the way? I see picture after picture of pilots huddled around laptop computers and powerpoint presentations within the pages of the ALPA Propaganda Monthly (i.e. Airline Pilot Magazine) attending meetings. What's becoming of that? If you were to take everything you read in that magazine at face value, you'd think we were all sticking to the government, management and burning all of our leftover cash in your backyard. 'Taking it back'. TAKING WHAT BACK!? And for WHOM?

I got legal representation, and a heap of a lot of help from different teams within ALPA when I had some unanticipated problems with my company. It made a very stressful situation that could have quickly evolved/manipulated into a career-killer into rightful exoneration. That was worth every dues payment I have made. The outcome would have been a lot different otherwise.

they bought five guys at IAD once... i promptly ordered enough food for about 5 people and left it on the counter. sinners

betchya prater flys around on netjets.

I would much rather address a mil Leave issue with my ALPA rep than file a federal complaint under the USERRA act. There are guys in unrepresented professions losing jobs over mil leave because Uncle Sam doesn't want to spend the money to pursue a case, or the case takes so long to settle that it doesn't help the employee get reemployed before he has no choice but to get a new job to pay the bills.

Wow. You sure showed them.

made myself feel better and thats all i really care about. you colgan smarties actually wanted to join the alpa party.

I apologize if this thread offended you or was in anyway inflamitory, I will tone it down.

Actually that's an incorrect statement and assumption. ALPA is an association, made up of not just national, but the Master Executive Councils and Local Executive Councils, along with the individual committees representing the different areas encompassed by the union (aeromedical, safety, contract enforcement, etc.). The point is, although ALPA national is a political entity that represents the organization as a whole, it is the individual MECs, LECs, and respective negotiating committees that negotiate on behalf of their particular pilot group at each airline, not national. If you were familiar with the ALPA bylaws you would also know that any agenda brought forward by national has to be voted on and approved at the MEC and LEC level at the very least. So again, I recommend doing some reading, Flying the Line I and II are a great start. I believe you're basing your assumption in that many airlines both major and regional are represented by ALPA, but again, you have to understand the infrastructure, to know that such statement is simply not true.