08-09-2015Quote:
Right back at ya bro! But we can respectfully disagree on this point. Treating ALPA as a business has led to too close an association to the methods of management that we all revile (well, most of us).
I'm not saying it can't be a well run, efficient operation, but I think we've lost sight of the customers...the line pilot. They're more than customers, they're stockholders and the people that write the friggin' checks. These are the guys the reps work for, and despite claims to the contrary, the MEC officers work for the reps, not the other way around.
Some of the discussions on scope from some have sounded like a used car salesman selling me the TruCoat on a new car. "See, the more flying we give away is better for the bottom line because you get a rebate on each flight they do and blah blah blah blah...."
I'm with you %100 on the scope issue. I think the JV and all the associated hoopla has done service to the argument because it's opened the eyes of the senior guys and has made them realize that NO flying is safe if it is a bargaining chip.
I suspect that if we manage to retain the 100 seat flying through some kind of replacement aircraft, this is how it will be couched, with further scope givebacks. The argument will be framed as a win because "we saved the 100 seat flying" despite the fact that it was ours to begin with.
Nu
After doing union work, I have seen many "saviors" appear, those that are going to "be tough", "say no", etc. etc. Usually they end up going two ways. Most end up discovering that it is easier to pound your chest on the webboards when you have no responsibility for your decisions than it is to actually have the careers of thousands of pilots resting on your decisions. When they discover the true responsibility they now have for their actions, they learn that it is not easy, that compromises have to happen, that wanting something and being able to get something are two different things. Reality bites.Originally Posted by NuGuy
Heyas Bar,Right back at ya bro! But we can respectfully disagree on this point. Treating ALPA as a business has led to too close an association to the methods of management that we all revile (well, most of us).
I'm not saying it can't be a well run, efficient operation, but I think we've lost sight of the customers...the line pilot. They're more than customers, they're stockholders and the people that write the friggin' checks. These are the guys the reps work for, and despite claims to the contrary, the MEC officers work for the reps, not the other way around.
Some of the discussions on scope from some have sounded like a used car salesman selling me the TruCoat on a new car. "See, the more flying we give away is better for the bottom line because you get a rebate on each flight they do and blah blah blah blah...."
I'm with you %100 on the scope issue. I think the JV and all the associated hoopla has done service to the argument because it's opened the eyes of the senior guys and has made them realize that NO flying is safe if it is a bargaining chip.
I suspect that if we manage to retain the 100 seat flying through some kind of replacement aircraft, this is how it will be couched, with further scope givebacks. The argument will be framed as a win because "we saved the 100 seat flying" despite the fact that it was ours to begin with.
Nu
Some never get it. They usually spin off on their own, voting no to everything and offering nothing of substance to the equation. Some of those then diminish the organization by writing self righteous pap and sending it out to their pilots. These people usually flash in and out of the organization and are quickly forgotten by everyone, including their webboard cheerleaders. They leave behind no actual work or any contributions to the organization. Many times they show up back on the webboards trying to revive those good old days when they were in the spotlight.
Everyone understands that the union revolves around the pilots. In case you didn't notice, the pilots in the union work under the same contract as you, so there is pretty much a built in motivation to get a better contract. With the exception of some guys who seem to hang in their forever, most pilots work in the union for a while and then head back to the line. By the way, line flying is a much better job.
Listening to the pilots and being able to accomplish 100% of their requests are two different things. If I told my rep I wanted to double my pay rate tomorrow what should he answer back? Is he not listening to me, or is he just dealing in the real world?
I highly recommend that anyone who wants to run the union start out working on a committee. I find it pretty funny that someone will say, "union work is not worth my time, unless I am the boss". I don't get that. If you are serious about changing things, then you need to roll up your sleeves and get to work on the nuts and bolts of the operation, before you try to run the show.
Its called "fishing... in the dark... at your neighbors restocked trout pond." 