Well I am certainly not saying to go that way, all I was saying is that too many at ual have a short memory or it does not bother them. You won't ever see me killing them with kindness. I sometimes think many here just don't remember or don't care.

 

Sorry, but I do not believe that a Scab has a soul...

 

Everything we have gets put in jeopardy when a scab crosses a picket line. Many of these pilots had no business getting this job to begin with. They are self-serving leaches that will step on anyone to put themselves ahead. Remember that. There is no changing them. I look at scabbing like cheating on your spouse. Once you do it once, you can never go back.

 

These are usually the ones found at the local *****houses wearing their wedding rings, once a scumbag-always a scumbag.

 

Even Charlie Manson has a soul.

 

Excellent summary. I would argue that ALPA would not have beaten Ferris if not for the lessons learned from the CAL strike. We can all agree the 83-85 guys are all POS.

I do not take that attitude with some of the crawlback CAL scabs esp those who were on the picket line for over 18 months. They were promised the moon and then completely hosed by ALPA's incompetence in the court room. Some even went back when the picket lines were suspended yet they are on the list.

Don't forget by the time of the EAL strike everyone should have known a strike against Frankie meant holy war due to what happened at CAL. Lets see 18 months of gut wrenching defeat vs 1 month before victory? One guy is villified as a scum sucking scab, the other saluted for his dedication and principals. Sorry don't necessarily see it exactly that way.

 

"Flying the line Vol II" should be required reading for every person who wears the uniform. It will give you insight on how all that went down. It wasn't exactly the ménage of steps we go through these days to get to a cooling off period. Not excusing or accepting the actions, but you really should have some idea of what actually happened.

 

Well said. For those too lazy to read Flying the Line, Vol II, I'll summarize. The first few months of the strike were critical. However, too many pilots crossed (CAL, then furloughed CAL, then others, including pilots from Braniff [ALPA] and other carriers). Operationally, the strike was lost, but there was hope in court. At about the six month point, the Supreme Court anti-labor ruling in the Bildisco (sp?) case doomed the legal side and the next year and a half were spent figuring out how to get the strikers back on the property. In that time many scabs crossed the picket line along with some of the former strikers and Frank's version of CAL was off and running. If someone wants to call a guy who walked the line for a year and a half a scab, have at it, but don't expect me to do the same.

A few other observations from FTL II and listening to the "old heads" at LCAL. The scabs weren't limited to a bunch of guys who couldn't get hired by anyone else. Yes, many fell into that category, but many came from other failed carriers (Braniff figures prominently). Some of the loudest, most militant, pro-strike pilots were among the first to cross the line. After the strike, some of the leaders didn't make it through "training" or were told they shouldn't even bother trying upon their return. For their own sanity and eventually for the long term health of the pilot group, the strikers who did return came to peace with the fact they would have to work with scabs for the rest of their careers. At the end of the strike, there were approximately 1,400 of the various degrees of "scabs" and about 1,000 strikers. PE, NYA and the Frontier pilots were folded in about a year later. Beyond the expected breaking up of friendships, marriages and financial hardships, people committed suicide, went to jail, and attempted murder. I doubt there are 200 of the "Old CAL" pilots from either side of the line left. It wasn't a lark.

 

Yep, the two strikes were completely different. The guys who crossed in the first few months are POS. Those that did it years later, after losing their house, car, family etc... after the strike was lost are in a different catagory for me.

 

I argued this before but what is it that alpa won from ferris?