Not so: being non-union does not make you a scab- taking a seat away from a union member during a strike or other conflict makes you a scab, and an untouchable in the fraternity of pilots. This is an act that you carry for the rest of your career. Working at a non-union carrier is merely unfortunate (usually).

 

EXACTLY. For example, after I type this message I am calling my chief pilot because I just got skipped on the rotation for the third time in less than 45 days. Kinda irritating when we are so slow in the summer. That's another thing. We don't get any reserve or line times so if we dont fly so... well, sorry!!!!! And that's about as far as you get! I would give my left *** to be union even if it were just us 10 guys because we are growing quickly and it doesn't seem like management cares much about who gets screwed as long as this "next big deal" comes through.

I'm no scab!! I'm the guy who freakin grounded an airplane and now they are skipping me to avoid getting the airplane grounded again.

 

At least you have a rep with many like myself as a true aviation pro and am sure you will outlive those with you who fly unsafe equipment. You have the better.

 

No need, good reminder for me to be brief!

 

I couldn't agree more...just like in our democratic society. If you don't vote you have no right to b1tch about what happens when our elected officials make bonehead decisions.

If you don't participate, don't get involved , don't vote or think 'oh the union will handle this without my .02' or don't fly the contract, you have no right to b1tch about what you union does or does not do at your particular airline. (ALPA or otherwise)

Like a lot of other guys I think that a union is a necessary evil as well. For instance, can you imagine having to go into the chief pilot's office with your hat in your hand and ask him for a raise and better conditions (read contract), while the other 1000 or so pilots of your airline wait outside in the hall to do the same thing individually? What a nightmare that would be.

Granted, the CBA at your airline may not be what you would have done, but (here's the catch) you have to have faith that the union did what was best for the pilot group as a whole. Understandably the shoe won't fit every one and that is probably where the rub is. However, if you didn't participate, you can't b1tch.

FR8

 

I just thought of one more thing.

It means having the most expensive magazine subscription in the world.

 

It would be nice if the Unions would hire high power lawyers to lead the contract negotiations. I feel we are out-gunned in the negotiations when Joe-Bag-a-dougnuts pilot mec team sits across from the $500 an hour lawyers representing management. At Alaska we got screwed by these guys. I think if we had a competent and aggressive law firm working on our behalf, a lot of the wording in the contract would not have been left as was to screw us down the road and we also could have been represented to Kasher a lot better. Just look around...about every airline has Ford and Harrison on retainer to put the screws to us. Why not repay the favor?

 

The company cuts your paycheck...The union decides the size of that paycheck...That’s good enough to me...

 

Here's my take and I am no expert.
-If we don't have a union we will make less. Power in numbers.
-I think people in general want instant gratification. That being said, pilots see airlines doing better and they immediately want the pay to be the same or better than it was before. Due to the fact it takes so long to get the pay back up, people get mad.

Pay will eventually go up.......

 

Unions have their own issues. I have worked at non union, in house union and my present carrier who's IBT. I'll take the union (in house or not) anyday.

Case in point. At a small DC-8 operation that's out of business, the pilots were called into a meeting. We were told that we were no longer home based and that we had 2 weeks to move to Miami or commute, we no longer had a guarentee (60 hours) and if we didn't like it, we could quit.

I've seen upgrades done by the "we like you better than the other guy" method.

I've seen folks marginalized because they dared speak their voices over maintainance and scheduling issues.

I seen training used to punish pilots.

When times were tough, I was asked to not disclose to my fellow crewmembers that I was getting paid while they may or may not. I refused to fly with anyone that wasn't getting the same deal as me.

Your union may have issues, but your company does have issues.

Look at it in another light. The best labor/ management airline seems to be WN. But they still have a union. Why?