If you think that his signature is anything more than a photo op and a occurrence that gets a paragraph in the weekly fast read, you're crazy. I doubt he knows anything beyond the cliffs notes version of what he's signing, if that.

Remember, Lee is fostering good relationships between pilots and airline management. If you think he'll rock the boat and shoot down a TA, you're also crazy.

 

My sense is that I am a lot older than you. More than I would like to admit.

I am no longer a member of ALPA. When I was, it was not exceptional for National to force an MEC into a different path than it would have taken on its own. To suggest that an MEC can negotiate the contract independent of National's approval is...naïve.

 

I worked at CCAIR for 3 years. I loved they stood up to Ornstein and told him where to put those concessions.
Unfortunately, everyone else ran scared.
For the record
He had no intention of keeping CCAir running.

 

ALPA allows its senior members to shed the jobs of junior members for more money. Almost all unions these days are doing that.

 

I don't have a "term". I'm an at-will volunteer. I chair a fairly popular committee at my company. If you want a revolution your expectations are out of line. I'm one of many volunteers trying to improve quality of life for the pilots at my company. My company has a pretty involved pilot group given our size. We have been able to weather the storm for a variety of reasons. A big reason is ALPA.

 

You wanna know how fuggin awesome ALPA is?

ALPA worked it into the TA that 9E signed that the pilots cannot strike. A TRADE UNION PREVENTED ITS MEMBERS FROM STRIKING.
We strike, we lose our flying. We get rid of ALPA, we lose our flying. What a joke.

 

Again, YOUR MEC worked it into the TA, NOT ALPA NATIONAL. How come you guys can't get this simple concept through your thick skulls? The place I used to work had a No-strike clause for years. ALPA National didn't negotiate it...we did. We traded it for pay rate stability.

In fact, National insisted the no-strike letter remain as an unpublished side letter so they wouldn't have to sign a contract with a no-strike letter in it.

Get a grip. If you have heartburn with your contract look no further than the guys you elected as your LEC officers. They elected the MEC officers and approved the Negotiating Committee members.

Your anger is misdirected.

 

Watch who you're calling thick there pal. I'm not an idiot, I realize there is a difference between National and Local. But the tail follows where the head leads, and the simple fact that national allows the separate MEC's to basically represent both sides of the equation with a regional and mainline partner shows how effective the organization is.

If you are a parent and your kid goes out and breaks the neighbors window, are not you responsible for the window as a parent?

So you can throw around all of the insulting remarks that you want, but the simple fact is that ALPA national is a joke of an organization, staffed by people who make entirely too much money and are at best marginally effective in creating any kind of change.

 

I think you need to volunteer and see the view from the other side of the fence. If you did, you'd soon realize that the B.S. tossed around by line pilots to each other is just that...B.S.

 

All of you guys are extremely thick.

It isn't national's job to babysit each airlines' MEC, although it seems it should be given what's happened in the last year. Each MEC is given a lot of freedom to operate as it needs to. When a representation hearing comes up, they handle it. No phone calls to Mommy. When they are negotiating, no handholding. Each MEC is free to set whatever goals they want, or agree to whatever concessions they feel they need to. Case in point Pinnacle and PSA.

Your dreams of a robust chain of command from ALPA national down to the committee members is a pipe dream. Each MEC operates like a city. The federal government isn't breathing down their neck each day wondering how the new park is coming along. ALPA gives them their money (via an approved budget) and sets them free, bound only by the by-laws and policy manual that ALPA and each MEC has created.

It's nothing like you assume, and that's why everyone has so much trouble accepting the fact that the real bad guys in these situations are the elected reps that sit on your same seniority list. Anger towards others (regarding terrible, concessionary contracts) is 100% misguided.

Don't misunderstand, National is a organization laden with problems and overpaid people, led by a guy who cares little for his constituents. Be that as it may, those idiots in Herndon didn't negotiate or send out the PSA or Pinnacle TA for a vote. The MECs did, and the guys THEY appointed negotiated the contracts.