Sadly, this doesn’t surprise me. The pin obsession gets taken way too far.

No pin ……. No grin …… seriously 😂

Bet you don’t “forget” the tie with the pin again 😂……… you can get extra pins sent to your home via the ALPA app.

It's a little more than simply a cultural thing. It's a sign of unity. It's also a message to the hard working committee folks that we support the work they do behind the scenes to make this a job worth having. Not wearing it is a big F U to all of them who do the ALPA volunteer work. Yes, it became a cultural thing after the strike, but it's bigger than that today. Those who choose not to wear it know full well what they're doing. It typically comes down to one of a few things. 1) I'm not doing it because it was a United thing, not a Continental thing(immaturity). 2) I'm not a big "union" guy-This one I love, because they gladly take the pay and work rules that our contract affords them, but they somehow think they get it because they deserve it, not because ALPA negotiates it. They're also the first ones to complain if they think there's an issue that needs addressing by ALPA. 3) The one's who think ALPA "forgave" the scabs and since a scab may be wearing a pin, that the pin doesn't mean anything. Anybody who's been paying attention knows that ALPA never "forgave" anything. Yes it sucks that scabs got pins, but to not wear one because of that is simply letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Oh yes i have 5 now 🤣🤣 . Actually this all ended well. He tried to act like I should know without him telling me. I was on the property only one year. Fortunately he listened to reason when I told him as a senior Capt he should be teaching newbies as to the meaning of the pin rather than jump to conclusions. Alls well that ends well, he bought coffee so guess thats a good sign 🤔

Yeah, but did you see what he put in it ???

Backup tie? Impressive.

couldn’t agree more.

I keep a spare pin in my flight bag (with my guppy rubber bands, tide pen, etc). There is no excuse not to wear one. We have the good fortune of operating in one of the safest environments, some of the best work rules and highest pay in the world, much of which is the result of ALPA and their good relationships with the FAA, manufacturers and others.

obviously individual MEC’s have made some pretty terrible choices, but I sure wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. We are far stronger together

That is a pretty good summation of the United culture when it comes to a union pin. United’s history involves a strike and the pilots have been quite militant about the pin for decades. Other pilot groups have different histories, they also have very strong union support and loyalty, however they don’t dwell on a piece of jewelry or virtue signaling. If one were to go walk around a hub for American, Delta, Southwest..... they would most likely find as many fighter jet pins or slick ties as they would union pins. It doesn’t mean that they are any less dedicated, it just means that their culture doesn’t place very much weight on the significance of a pin. This is why I say that the insistence on the pin is a United cultural thing. Also, being that a large percentage of United pilots wear the pin just to avoid being hassled, it really doesn’t have the significance that many think that it does.

The pin in & of itself is no replacement for actual unity, but I think it’s effective as a symbol. Back when I was a half-winger, most captains I flew with verbally thanked me for wearing the pin, so I learned pretty quickly that wearing it was not just a way to avoid taking crap, but to show respect & dedication.

I actually like that it raises eyebrows when someone is walking around without one. It helps keep the importance of union support & unity at the forefront of our minds- even (especially) when times are good. Hopefully, when the doo-doo does hit the fan, we’re just that much further ahead in terms of standing together & holding the line.

+1 for keeping a spare in the bag- we should all feel half-dressed if something happens to our pin.

If you attended the Half Winger 8 ball party you better wear the ALPA pin.