Shocking and Pathetic, Fellow Pilots,

And like Agent Smith said in the Matrix ReLoaded, "ME, ME, ME"...

One only needs to look at the IPA pilots support of their "unskilled labour" (also known as your fellow coworkers, fellow Americans, fellow human beings, or even... team members, yes T E A M) during the IBT Teamster Strike of '97, to see what sticking together in solidarity gets you... Yes, that's right.. A better contract because of the threat that the IBT would strike in reciprocity for IPA's guaranteed support. Not only that, IPA pilots and the union showed a great deal of respect and support for their mostly unrepresented feeder pilots (also, pilots that were obviously beneath them, according to you guys posts) during the strike and this resulted in the feeder pilots refusing to fly struck goods and helping to end the strike. The SDF ramp looked like Dunkirk (or Dunquerqe), full of planes from C208's, Piper Aerostars, Metros, Lears, Falcons, up to ATI DC 8's with no pilots willing to fly them. When the strike was over, the IPA congratulated the feeders for their help and offered interest-free loans and preferential hiring for those feeder pilots who LOST THEIR JOBS refusing to fly struck goods. I guess this idea of sticking together is a foreign one to you....

Chris, Adolph, and Capn, I have to wonder how that you think that this is not hypocritical on the highest power for you to be represented and the F/A's not? It also makes me wonder how you look at all your fellow employees, not just those BELOW you. Did you all fly ONLY single pilot aircraft your whole career before Delta, and are you still? Do you REALLY believe CRM is CREW resource management? Are those "unskilled laborers" just fodder to help you all earn YOUR paycheck? Are you not familiar with the terms COWORKER and TEAM? It doesn't sound like you are, and if we were in a lifeboat with your fellow pilots, mechs, F/A's, their children, etc., I'm pretty sure from you guys posts who would be grabbing the first and last water bottle. Me, Me, Me..

It's no wonder pilots are sometimes so disliked by other employees and the public, and how easy it is for management to turn the public against us at contract time, through smart media disinformation. They make us look like,.... No, we make OURSELVES look like selfish prima donnas, because many of us ARE selfish prima donnas.

We should EAGERLY encourage our fellow Americans, not just employees, right to organize and bargain for a better life. Amazingly enough, in the old days when everyone stuck together, everybody's lives improved. You guys are making the same mistakes ALPA and APA made years ago, overlooking your fellow coworkers (namely RJ pilots) and only concentrating on "Me, Me, Me". Then look what happened, the RJ's threaten your DC9's against you and the RJ's are being whipsawed against each other.

Now is the time to wake up from selfishness and realize that those UNION F/A's will be much more likely to support YOU when you need them, than unrepresented, at-will ones will. And hopefully, you will support them when they need it... even though they are "unskilled and beneath you.

In Unity,

B727DRVR

PS- Good luck, DALFA! The majority of pilots and your fellow Americans support your right to organize and things are about to get a whole lot easier for you in that regard!

 

WOW. This thread just shows everyone the TRUE colors of Delta pilots. And it's shameful. As a union member you should support the FA's. The reason it was turned down last time is because the management had free reign to threaten and abuse the system daily.

Wake up. Look at the UPS pilots. Ground workers go out, so did we. Mechanics go out, so did we. Now look at our contract. Because we now have the support of our fellow workers.

I just think your worried that the $ pie is just so big, and you dont want one red cent going anywhere but in your wallet.

Typical arrogant Delta pilots. And you have to know your talked down about industry wide for the last 20 years because of your superior attitudes.

Now go wear that AFA pin!!

 

Make sure and tell the next F/A crew that you fly with how you feel.

 

Commando,

You're painting with an awfully broad brush to assume that all delta pilots are against an FA union on the property with the few posts here. As far as the rest of your post goes, here's one "arrogant" delta pilot with a "superior attitude" that says you can KMA.

Denny

 

So you agree with the rest of the posters than?

 

Spot on Molon. No way to win that one.

Carl

 

I find that our pilot group is pretty chilled out and mostly supportive of all the other employees...... Maybe it's just a West Coast thing!

Commando, thanks for the insight you bring to this conversation. It's been a while since I've felt so inspired.

Tomcat

 

What sort of blue collar banter is this? How did you get from "unskilled labour" to people not being "team members" and "RJ pilots suck"? I also don't think I referred to the FAs as beneath us either? Just because I said their job was unskilled labour does not mean they are. I said their JOB was, their is a massive difference!!!!!!!

Isn't there a big IBT rally in Jersey you should be at or something?

 

LOL, thanks for the good laugh I needed that!

 

Adolphus, I just not following you. Are you saying that only those people that have a particular skill set should be allowed to organize? What is that skill set and who defines it? Do our flight attendants not have a skill set that would meet your criteria? In the last 4 weeks, my flight attendants have handled 5 medical emergencies, one of which required a divert with the near loss of a passenger and 2 other flights with drunks. One of which was close to getting physical, but our FA's talked him down and handled the situation in a text book style. I'm not sure that the crew down at Chili's could handle the many issues that the FA's deal with day to day. I won't even get started on the security issues they face.

I appreciate the job that our FA's do. If they decide it's in their best interest to organize, I'll support them.

Tomcat