Originally Posted by Aviatrx (Post 2079168)

It has been explained to me that ALPA fears opening the RLA can of worms because we could end up with something worse for our group imposed by big business. Another case of their lawyers are better and more expensive than ours

Originally Posted by Mistek89 (Post 2079304)

I'm still a bit confused as to why so many people complain , when they know exactly what they are getting themselves into as far as industry , pay , qol. If you want a crappy job go work in a warehouse making 10 bucks an hour and then ***** .Nobody forced you to work at the airlines . If you don't like it then leave and go work a job that requires manual labor and we'll see how fast you come back .

Originally Posted by FirstClass (Post 2079206)

Why is everyone so concerned with RLA? Don't involve your union and just ignore it. Do what you want. Write up the airplanes in the outstation. No over time. Trade down to minimum hours.

I mean you have all the tools you could ever need.

Originally Posted by 272922 (Post 2079172)

Gee, this evil, mean, nasty piece of legislation called the RLA was also the structure under which ALL existing mainline pilot contracts were negotiated. You know, the ones where all the FOs are well into 6 figures, sometimes above $200 an hour, and CA rates are that much higher. Go back and look at some of the inflation adjusted rates of the contracts signed just prior to 9/11.

But yeah, TOTALLY anti labor. I mean, no one could EVER expect to get a good contract under the RLA.

Or maybe, just maybe, **** poor regional contracts have nothing to do with the RLA.

Originally Posted by Aviatrx (Post 2079168)

It has been explained to me that ALPA fears opening the RLA can of worms because we could end up with something worse for our group imposed by big business. Another case of their lawyers are better and more expensive than ours

Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 2079285)

I've had this conversation with senior mainline ALPA folks, and this is what they say. Both sides are afraid to open the can of worms. Look at 117, management has to hire more pilots; pilots lost trip efficiency and time at home but now can be forced to block more than before. It is nice to not have 8-hour overnights anymore, but the longer overnights come out of your days off.

Originally Posted by deltajuliet (Post 2079340)

Pilots complain because there's no alternative to going the regional route. Maybe a few guys make it to a major/legacy going corporate first, but by and large we all have to go through the regional $h17 show.

Fair points, but you'd really need organization and union pressure to get a significant portion of guys at a given airline to do this, whether from their ignorance, apathy, or lone-wolf mentality.

Regionals are where we need to get rid of the RLA most, but since you bring up historical contracts, before 9/11 senior United guys could make nearly half a million, adjusted for inflation. Today, even after their shiny new Extension, they still lag nearly $200,000 behind that. Maybe with threat of a strike those pilots could've retained their pensions and gotten the Holy Grail of Restoration years ago.


I see where they're coming from but just don't buy it. Not much could be worse than indefinite negotiations where management acts in bad faith and you're unable to prove it. And even when you can, you're told you can't do anything about it. Honestly, what realistic outcome of updated RLA legislation could be worse than what we have? Non-rhetorical question.

Originally Posted by Day4mx (Post 2078810)

When teachers, firemen, police, public transportation, garbagemen, EMTs, etc etc can all strike as self help, it's foolish to think a pilot group striking would ruin this country.

Originally Posted by Smutter (Post 207897)

Take Jesse James and other black leaders, they pretend to fight for the black man but in the end they do what us white men say. Same with a union they pretend to fight for us but in reality they do whatever the top guys can gain from benefit.