Flyboy8784

So because I have such bad luck, i get in last night after being away for almost a week....do i get a stomach virus in the middle of my trip???? Noooo...lets wait till Alex gets home so he doesnt get any more days off without them being an "Occurance"

After re-hydrating with about 64 ounces of gatorade....im feeling slightly better....so i jump on the computer and look at the USAPA website after having a mainline Capt. ask me to.

The question i have is....how many of you guys on here are happy with your Union/MEC Leadership. I know alof of the AWAC guys are generally unhappy with our MEC after our BS Arbitration Settlement.

Discuss....

The Duke

Well, for me so far, ALPA has served as the most expensive magazine subscription I've ever subscribed to. I still can't get over the fact that they dedicated so much time/resources to the Age 65 rule, found out that a large majority of pilots polled opposed any sort of Age 65 legislation, then watched in disbelief as Age 65 very silently became reality over night...to add insult to injury, the head of ALPA says he encouraged the President to sign it. Age 65 was probably going to happen regardless, but it would have been nice to see ALPA fight it. Instead, they just sort of went along w/ it and ignored everything they had learned from their polling. At least this is my take on the whole thing, perhaps I'm off base though.

With regards to my personal experience here @ Mesa, my view of ALPA is not a positive one. During our last round of contract talks, in 2003 I believe, Mesa tried to divide the pilot group by creating an alter-ego airline known as Freedom Airlines staffed my non-union pilots. ALPA strongly discouraged its members from flying for Freedom; some pilots did jump ship to fly for Freedom (This is the old Freedom, not the Freedom out east). The vast majority of pilots held out and obeyed ALPA's commands in hopes of getting a good contract. The airline threatened to spin Freedom off and make it its own airline, the negotiators got nervous and agreed to a sub par contract to prevent the spin-off. The rest is history. The ironic thing is that a number of the pilots who went to fly for Freedom, A listers they were called and were the scourge of the industry for a while, are now getting hired on @ ALPA represented mainline carriers. What a joke.

Before I chuck my ALPA magazine in the trash, I always look @ the pictures of the guys in the back of the magazine, hoping to see some young blood. Anyhow, the faces rarely change and they are usually old, so those are the folks who are really served by the union: the older, senior guys. This is why, after further reflection, the Age 65 thing really should not come as a surprise. ALPA is all about themselves, not the average line pilot. With that in mind, it becomes easier and easier to chuck that magazine into the trash. I've said it before, I never trusted management, now I don't trust ALPA.

elcid79

I think that your views of ALPA might be slightly off base. There are several things that we have to consider when giving ALPA a legitmate evaluation. Primarily we must remember that the MECs dictate what ALPA national does, not the otherway around. And thus naturally the larger ALPA carriers with the larger pilot group are going to have a greater pull on ALPA national. I work for a company that the pilot group was hurt in a maner very similar to yours. With respect to USAPA, some of the major concerns that I have heard are with respect to some of the items that we all benefit from ALPA national. Such as the insurance, ALPA medical ETc. Nearly every alpa carrier who has attempted to form a self union has returned to ALPA. Furthermore, the leadership at USAPA consists of a large number of the former ALPA leaders. How can they honestly expect to have any positive change with the same leadership, operating under a non established union, with little to no political pull. Although recent years have been tough, one of ALPAs strongest assets has been there political backing. If you havn't done so yet I strongly recommend that you read Flying The Line. Do not look at it as a piece of ALPA propoganda however, look at it as the history of our profession..

Enjoy.