Yep, that's why JetBlue and Frontier just signed on. It is amazing how clueless some folks are. Go survey some airline managers if they would like to see ALPA disappear.

 

Is there any possibility that a white knight, a real leader of men, could make a splash and cause huge change? What would it take for a man of the ages to do something like this?

 

Congress will not sponsor legislation unless it affects or enriches them until you can convince the majority that it helps them or a large part of their constituency in positive ways. Pilots shutting down airlines just makes people complain more.

 

1. The solution(s) from labor's point of view to the RLA's shortcomings may be worse then the law we currently have now. Labor has found ways around the act, they've learned to "run the act."

2. Due to both interstate commerce and movement of military forces (craf), the government wants a degree of predictability and stability. If the government can't have that, then the alternative is government control. I submit, we really don't want the government running our airline.

 

There are some excellent, well-informed posts in this thread along with the inane ALPA bashing.

How soon we forget how Senators McCain, Lott and others wanted to make RLA even worse from a labor perspective with Baseball-style arbitration legislation written for them by Fedex lobbyists until 9/11 made their efforts unnecessary.

 

^THIS^
Be careful what we wish for

As much as the RLA frustrates me, it's just a love/hate thing.

 

The RLA doesn't need to be thrown out...it just needs some changes.

1. Time limits on first contracts. 12 months negotiations then forced contract based on market conditions and financial health of the company.

2. Time limits for subsequent contracts. 12 months negotiations followed by 12 months mediation. Followed by a 30 day cooling off period once either party requests it (followed by a release and the ability to strike).

3. More protections for employees trying to organize. Penalties equal to 10 times lost wages for terminated employees and $25,000 fine for every infraction of employees right to unionize.

4. Protection for concerted activity (like the NLRA).

5. Ability for employees covered by the RLA to file an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB...and the ability for the NLRB judges to have jurisdiction over a ULP charge by employees covered by the RLA.

6. Signing of union cards online (like the NLRB just approved)

7. Extension of the validity of union cards to 24 months.

8. Excelsior list provided to labor organizations if a union election is authorized.

9. A formal decertification process...this would be a management gain but fair is fair.

10. Automatic union security clause once 75% of the entire work group becomes members in the union. Union will be responsible for reasonable costs associated with dues checkoff.

That should be a good start...

 

Good Luck - lol

 

These changes won't come without a Democrat in the White House, a Democratic majority in the House, and 60+ Democrats in the Senate. The GOP wants nothing to do with unions...at all and they will stop at nothing to obliterate unions.

 

1st term of Obama we had democrat control of all three branches. Didn't do any good.

The Globalists control both parties and the only thing they care about are themselves and their friends/donors.

Unless we as pilots start massively contributing $$$$ to them and kiss their buttocks; we won't get anything.

The politician/globalists get richer and we get screwed!