Quote:
Originally Posted by globalexpress
"ALPA sucks because (insert excuse here, they furloughed me, they let the regional airlines exist, they screwed me on my seniority integration, they let my regional go out of business, etc., etc.) so why should I care about them?"
This particular point has historical resonance.
One of the things that "saved" Frank Lorenzo in the 1983 TXI/CAL strike was the surplus of pilots on the marketplace at the time.
In particular, the former Braniff pilots, who were the first group to have had a major airline sink out from under them after deregulation (through absolutely no fault of their own).
Although some had been lucky enough to catch on with other majors (like original Piedmont), or at least find other gainful employment, many others had been out of work 16 months by the time the opportunity to go to Continental -- for many, as off-the-street 727 captains -- presented itself.
So, by that time, the "What's ALPA done for me lately?" sentiment was fairly prevalent.
Even then-ALPA president Hank Duffy conceded years later that, "The Braniff pilots were pushing each other out of the way to get in". (Source: "Flying The Line II", Chapter 14.)
Although most of us certainly don't condone their actions, it doesn't take too much introspection to at least see their point of view, at the time.
When it comes to the piloting profession, never underestimate the power of "Me".