Jack London's Ode to a Scab
04-19-2012, 08:57 AM
#1
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Joined APC: Mar 2012
Position: 767 F/O
Posts: 303
Jack London's Ode to a Scab
Poem by Jack London, 1913
Ode To A Scab
After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a scab. A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a waterlogged brain, and a combination backbone made of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles.
When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. No man has a right to scab as long as there is a pool of water deep enough to drown his body in, or a rope long enough to hang his carcass with. Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his Master, he had character enough to hang himself. A scab hasn't.
Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas Iscariot sold his savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commission in the British Army. The modern strikebreaker sells his birthright, his country, his wife, his children, and his fellow men for an unfulfilled promise from his employer, trust, or corporation.
Ode To A Scab
After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, He had some awful substance left with which He made a scab. A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a waterlogged brain, and a combination backbone made of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles.
When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. No man has a right to scab as long as there is a pool of water deep enough to drown his body in, or a rope long enough to hang his carcass with. Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his Master, he had character enough to hang himself. A scab hasn't.
Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas Iscariot sold his savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commission in the British Army. The modern strikebreaker sells his birthright, his country, his wife, his children, and his fellow men for an unfulfilled promise from his employer, trust, or corporation.
04-23-2012, 03:20 PM
#2
On Reserve
Joined APC: Mar 2009
Position: B-767 F/O
Posts: 19
SCAB
A SCAB is A Person Who is Doing What You’d be Doing if You Weren’t on Strike.
A SCAB takes your job, a Job he could not get under normal circumstances. He can only advance himself by taking advantage of labor disputes and walking over the backs of workers trying to maintain decent wages and working conditions. He helps management to destroy his and your profession, often ending up under conditions he/she wouldn't even have scabbed for. No matter. A SCAB doesn't think long term, nor does he think of anything other then himself. His smile shows fangs that drip with your blood, for he willingly destroys families, lives, careers, opportunities and professions at the drop of a hat. He takes from a striker what he knows he could never earn by his own merit: a decent Job. He steals that which others earned at the bargaining table through blood, sweat and tears, and throws it away in an instant - ruining lives, jobs and careers.
Below are brief notes about legal strikes by organized pilots.
1. Century Airlines 1932: Pilots struck to resist wage reduction by E.L Cord, the patron saint of Frank Lorenzo.
2. TWA 1946: Pilots struck over pay on faster 4 engine aircraft, limited by the provisions of Decision 83.
3. National Airlines 1948: Strike over aircraft safety and repeated violations of the labor contract.
4. Western Airlines 1958: Qualifications of the Flight Engineer.
5. Southern Airways 1960: Strike over wage rates at regional carrier vs. larger airline.
6. Rio Airways 1976: Pilots represented by the Union of Professional Airmen, an ALPA affiliate, struck over issues of seniority, pay, safety and system board neutrality after failing to negotiate first contract.
7. Wien Air Alaska 1977: Crew complement on B-737.
8. Continental Airlines 1983: Struck to resist Frank Lorenzo’s use of Bankruptcy Law to abrogate labor contracts.
9. Pan American 1985: Pilots MEC elected to honor TWU picket line. These people did not honor that strike.
10. United Airlines 1985: Forced by mgmt to strike over B-Scale pay rates and the company attempt to break UAL ALPA.
11. Eastern Airlines 1989: Pilots honored IAM picket lines against Frank Lorenzo’ s asset-stripping of EAL to favor Continental.
12. AFAP 1989: Australian Federation of Air Pilots at 4 domestic airlines quit to protect retirement after disputing government wage control program. Some Americans, among others, happily filled in.
13 Comair 2001: Pilots struck over poor pay and work rules. They fought to end the second class treatment of all Small Jet pilots.
IMPORTANT NOTES: The CAL and EAL MECs determined that simply agreeing to work (or going to training) at these companies during the strike, not just flying a revenue trip, was enough to be a scab. They alone can determin the definition of “struck work” and we cannot second guess or change that determination now. The struck work definition was made BEFORE the strike, and anyone who violated it has only themselves to blame. "Ident" column gives employee number, LAST FOUR of their SSN, date of birth (dob), ATP number, date of hire (doh), or other means of identification. "Seniority Suit" means those Scabs at UAL who sued the union and the company to prevent the 570 from regaining their proper seniority position. "Fleet Qualified" (FQ, Flt Qual, etc.) are those hired off the street under a special pay plan and with promises of super-seniority to replace union pilots at United. ALPA – Some scabs are ALPA members because the ’85 Back-to Work agreement forced the union not to “discriminate” against the back-stabbers who tried to steal their jobs and seniority. Some Scabs never resigned from the union and continue to pay dues. Some scabs did some penance and were forgiven by ALPA (but NOT forgotten) and re-admitted. Some simply fell through the cracks and got into the union after a merger, name change, etc (PAA). A date for an EAL Scab is his date of hire, no date means he’s old Eastern. "???" by an EAL Scab means that the name appeared on several Scab lists during the strike but was absent from the final list. Other remarks show past Employers or other claims to infamy. MOST Scabs at CAL have a LETTER at the END of their employee number (but not all have this). Most employee numbers are listed (ie 0220B or 51225). The Continental “Preferential Hire” List and UAL “You Be The Judge” lists are on the last page.
**For any corrections/additions/updates PLEASE email [email protected]!**
HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE NUMBER OF SCABS FROM EACH AIRLINE:
Air North Summary AirNorth Both Scabs Listed
Australian Summary AFAP 89 85 America West & Braniff Scabs
Century Summary Century 1 Scab Identified Thus Far
Continental Summary CAL 83 1,996 Scabs listed
Eastern Summary EAL 89 2,253 Scabs Listed
National Summary NAL 48 101 Scabs listed out of 167 total
Northwest Summary NWA 78 34 Scabs listed
Pan American Summary PAA 85 139 Scabs listed
Prinair Summary Prinair 2 Scabs listed
Rio Airways Summary RIO 76 43 Scabs listed
Southern Summary SOU 60 205 Scabs listed
TWA Summary TWA 46 2 Scabs listed
United Summary UAL 85 837 Scabs listed
Western Summary WAL 58 3 Scabs listed
Wien Air Alaska Summmary WAA 77 82 Scabs listed
Comair Summary CMR 01 3 Scabs listed
TOTAL LISTED SCABS 5,799 (Century & NAL incomplete)
Eric Hoffer
We should forgive our enemies, but only after they have been hanged first
Heinrich Heine
What a man is speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what he says
Emerson
It is better to die while standing on your feet than to be living on your knees
A SCAB takes your job, a Job he could not get under normal circumstances. He can only advance himself by taking advantage of labor disputes and walking over the backs of workers trying to maintain decent wages and working conditions. He helps management to destroy his and your profession, often ending up under conditions he/she wouldn't even have scabbed for. No matter. A SCAB doesn't think long term, nor does he think of anything other then himself. His smile shows fangs that drip with your blood, for he willingly destroys families, lives, careers, opportunities and professions at the drop of a hat. He takes from a striker what he knows he could never earn by his own merit: a decent Job. He steals that which others earned at the bargaining table through blood, sweat and tears, and throws it away in an instant - ruining lives, jobs and careers.
ONCE A SCAB, ALWAYS A SCAB - NEVER FORGET!
Below are brief notes about legal strikes by organized pilots.
1. Century Airlines 1932: Pilots struck to resist wage reduction by E.L Cord, the patron saint of Frank Lorenzo.
2. TWA 1946: Pilots struck over pay on faster 4 engine aircraft, limited by the provisions of Decision 83.
3. National Airlines 1948: Strike over aircraft safety and repeated violations of the labor contract.
4. Western Airlines 1958: Qualifications of the Flight Engineer.
5. Southern Airways 1960: Strike over wage rates at regional carrier vs. larger airline.
6. Rio Airways 1976: Pilots represented by the Union of Professional Airmen, an ALPA affiliate, struck over issues of seniority, pay, safety and system board neutrality after failing to negotiate first contract.
7. Wien Air Alaska 1977: Crew complement on B-737.
8. Continental Airlines 1983: Struck to resist Frank Lorenzo’s use of Bankruptcy Law to abrogate labor contracts.
9. Pan American 1985: Pilots MEC elected to honor TWU picket line. These people did not honor that strike.
10. United Airlines 1985: Forced by mgmt to strike over B-Scale pay rates and the company attempt to break UAL ALPA.
11. Eastern Airlines 1989: Pilots honored IAM picket lines against Frank Lorenzo’ s asset-stripping of EAL to favor Continental.
12. AFAP 1989: Australian Federation of Air Pilots at 4 domestic airlines quit to protect retirement after disputing government wage control program. Some Americans, among others, happily filled in.
13 Comair 2001: Pilots struck over poor pay and work rules. They fought to end the second class treatment of all Small Jet pilots.
IMPORTANT NOTES: The CAL and EAL MECs determined that simply agreeing to work (or going to training) at these companies during the strike, not just flying a revenue trip, was enough to be a scab. They alone can determin the definition of “struck work” and we cannot second guess or change that determination now. The struck work definition was made BEFORE the strike, and anyone who violated it has only themselves to blame. "Ident" column gives employee number, LAST FOUR of their SSN, date of birth (dob), ATP number, date of hire (doh), or other means of identification. "Seniority Suit" means those Scabs at UAL who sued the union and the company to prevent the 570 from regaining their proper seniority position. "Fleet Qualified" (FQ, Flt Qual, etc.) are those hired off the street under a special pay plan and with promises of super-seniority to replace union pilots at United. ALPA – Some scabs are ALPA members because the ’85 Back-to Work agreement forced the union not to “discriminate” against the back-stabbers who tried to steal their jobs and seniority. Some Scabs never resigned from the union and continue to pay dues. Some scabs did some penance and were forgiven by ALPA (but NOT forgotten) and re-admitted. Some simply fell through the cracks and got into the union after a merger, name change, etc (PAA). A date for an EAL Scab is his date of hire, no date means he’s old Eastern. "???" by an EAL Scab means that the name appeared on several Scab lists during the strike but was absent from the final list. Other remarks show past Employers or other claims to infamy. MOST Scabs at CAL have a LETTER at the END of their employee number (but not all have this). Most employee numbers are listed (ie 0220B or 51225). The Continental “Preferential Hire” List and UAL “You Be The Judge” lists are on the last page.
**For any corrections/additions/updates PLEASE email [email protected]!**
HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE NUMBER OF SCABS FROM EACH AIRLINE:
Air North Summary AirNorth Both Scabs Listed
Australian Summary AFAP 89 85 America West & Braniff Scabs
Century Summary Century 1 Scab Identified Thus Far
Continental Summary CAL 83 1,996 Scabs listed
Eastern Summary EAL 89 2,253 Scabs Listed
National Summary NAL 48 101 Scabs listed out of 167 total
Northwest Summary NWA 78 34 Scabs listed
Pan American Summary PAA 85 139 Scabs listed
Prinair Summary Prinair 2 Scabs listed
Rio Airways Summary RIO 76 43 Scabs listed
Southern Summary SOU 60 205 Scabs listed
TWA Summary TWA 46 2 Scabs listed
United Summary UAL 85 837 Scabs listed
Western Summary WAL 58 3 Scabs listed
Wien Air Alaska Summmary WAA 77 82 Scabs listed
Comair Summary CMR 01 3 Scabs listed
TOTAL LISTED SCABS 5,799 (Century & NAL incomplete)
Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them
Aristotle
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
Edmund Burke
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
Aristotle
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
Edmund Burke
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
We should forgive our enemies, but only after they have been hanged first
Heinrich Heine
What a man is speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what he says
Emerson
Emilio Zapata
04-25-2012, 06:51 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Cal reserve..the gift that keeps on giving
Posts: 532
Originally Posted by 757Driver
1900 Scabs at CAL at one time, how depressing is that? 
04-25-2012, 07:49 AM
#8
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2012
Position: 767 F/O
Posts: 303
Originally Posted by socalflyboy
Not nearly as depressing as how that is the norm here...my favorite is when they ask me if i'm getting my ass kicked on reserve..then they tell me they never really sat reserve here at cal...then the pics come out of the boat, bikes, cars, plane and huge house...
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