ALPA's track record over the last 7 years has been deplorable!!! Every single ALPA pilot has paid thousands and thousands of DUES dollars for NO-RETURN. WE have all taken MASSIVE pay cuts, loss of pension, loss of work rules, the LOST LIST goes on and on.

HOWEVER, OUR FRIENDLY ALPA NATIONAL HAS NOT TAKEN ONE "MOLECULE" OF A CUT ANYWHERE!!!

For all NWA and DAL pilots; would you be willing to dump ALPA and start a new 12,000+ strong in house union?

When did Romans, who once conquered the entire known world, become Italians, an army known as the best dressed in Europe but which can't conquer anyone? What day did that happen?
Rhetorical question only, of course. No one can say which day exactly, but all know it happened.
Same for alpa. The best contracts today are negotiated by APA, SWAPA, UPA, even Teamsters, not alpa. Alpa's running on its reputation, not its results.
Why?
For the same reason the last emperor of China fired all the eunichs. He looked around one day and saw a huge eunich bureaucracy serving itself, not him. So he fired all but a half dozen and got along fine without them.
When alpa staff people in Herndon are making more than B757 captains who pay their salary, clearly something is out of wack. Who is serving whom?

If NWA and Delta left ALPA it would perhaps mean the end of ALPA as a national union. The damage that would do long term to this profession would be huge. Most pilots are clueless at what ALPA does accomplish at a national level and via lobbying in DC. Its kind of like the CIA. You only here about their failures, you never hear about their successes. If we give up a national union it would be a grave mistake. ALPA certainly has problems and issues. They need improvement however its our union and we need to step up and make those improvements. ALPA carriers have taken big hits however it has not been because of ALPA. It had been because of failed management and business plans.

The problem with that philosophy is that ALPA national does not want your opinion unless it is in agreement with their's. You don't like the fact that Duane Woerth made $640,000 per year - too bad. You don't make that decision. Go ahead and write a letter, but nobody will respond.

Like any massive bureauacracy, they control the communications, the debate, the bylaws, and the vote. The only communication they MIGHT understand, would be the new Delta thinking about forming their own union.

I've heard from a number of good sources that Lee Moak is set to replace Prater. If that happened, then ALPA national might get reformed. If that doesn't happen, the language of leaving is all they'll understand.

Carl

At the Northside Atlanta road show for LOA 19, Moak stated unequivocally that he was done and would not be seeking any ALPA office after his current term.

Too bad, because he's the first real visionary we've had. I think all ALPA pilots would be well served with a leader like him.

Or we can just keep "taking it back."

I guess your political agenda precludes your telling the truth. There have been deep staff cuts and early retirements from Herndon.

Hitler used to love the "big Lie" to mold public opinion.

You're in good company.

Agreed. It seems like the current and former leadership haven't realized that we're not in the '70s anymore. Lee is a visionary and the MEC he has created have done some amazing things and changed the way ALPA is viewed at on Wall St. and in the boardroom. He is very astute and understands business. He doesn't just pound his fist and shout when he gets displeased with something. He knows how to play the financial and political game. IMO, he would revolutionize this union and all who support it.

I agree with that. Leading with brains is a strange concept to many.

FYI, it's taking it "in the back."

It would be an interesting concept to have ALPA National as an umbrella organization, with local, non-ALPA unions around them, but not responsible to ALPA. I know this is the current organization with National, MEC, LEC, etc. But imagine if ALPA was solely a safety and research commision while the actual arbitration and execution of employment contracts was upheld by entitites like Teamsters, APA, etc. ALPA would be smaller, but their contributions to the industry as a whole would continue and pilot unions would have significantly more room to manuever.