Unpopular opinion. The ALPA lanyard is the pilots equivalent of firefighters wearing IAFF or “I fight what you fear” shirts on their off days. Management knows you belong to the organization that bargains collectively for your work rules,but they might not know that you’re a diehard fan of Jose Altuve and the rest of the cheating Astros if your peers frown upon your wearing your Astros lanyard.


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Absolutely!

 

popular with me

 

What do either of those things have to do with being a ‘grown up’? Your original assertion was that wearing a backpack in any situation was ‘childish’ but now you’re adding extra qualifiers in an attempt to strengthen your argument.

’Appropriate’ is pretty subjective. The point is that you are entitled to your opinion on wearing backpacks, but if it’s allowed by the FOM and/or uniform policy then your feelings on the matter are no more or less valid than anyone else’s.

For the record I think it ‘looks’ kinda dumb for a pilot to be wearing a backpack walking through the terminal, but it’s their perogative.

 

Correct, and it's not all that long ago either.

At one employer I was with the company issued their own lanyards. Shortly thereafter the company lanyards became mandatory. Soon thereafter the email went out that anybody wearing unapproved lanyards after a certain date would be terminated. On the date, after the base Chief Pilot "terminated" a pilot for the lanyard, about 200 of us lined up at the administrative offices to take our turn going in and being fired for wearing the ALPA lanyard. The CP did fire the first 3 or 4 until the secretary pointed out that the line went all the way back to the terminal building. The same was happening at every base system wide.
Shortly thereafter, every Chief Pilots office system wide, closed and locked their doors for the rest of the day. Everybody was unfired by late that evening. Policy then was company lanyard OR union lanyard.

A lot of people who've walked those same halls and jet bridges before you went through a lot to get the system to where it is today. Don't take it for granted.

 

NICE!

but that is quite impressive you got 200 pilots to show up on their day off!

I have a feeling Tumi bags and other cool swag was being given out by union at a tent they had sent up in the terminal.

 

I saw some fo wearing a massively overstuffed backpack ( looked like a turtle walking around ) with black restaurant workers style sneakers walking between the f-ggates at FLL, looked pathetic.

 

I saw an fo with a RED 4 wheel roller, black backpack and some off brand black ski jacket on- embarrassing.

I get it, first year pay sucks. Most of us made the effort to look the part though and made it work.

 

I saw an FO roller skating in short shorts and a headband in RNO, went by the name of Terry. We weren't anywhere close to the airport.

 

Were you by chance having lunch at Tacos Tacos Tacos Tacos?