Alpa President John Prater's Video Response To Age 60

[Purpled]

Capt Prater will be in ANC on Thursday, it would be nice to have a big turnout and let yourself be heard. This goes double for the newhires who will likely be stuck up there for the next 5 years if the age gets changed.

 

[Stan]

Anybody ever stop to consider that Prater just might have had a private talk with Marion Blakley and maybe he already knows that this rule is going to change.

Tejas

I fully believe Pratter had a private talk with Blakley and that is why you see this change coming up now.

"Don't worry about ALPA opposition to the rule, I am in charge now and I will take care of it because I retire soon."

 

[airfogey]

Anybody ever stop to consider that Prater just might have had a private talk with Marion Blakley and maybe he already knows that this rule is going to change.

What he is possibly doing is trying to mitigte the damage the change might have and try to have a say in it's implementation.

Now, he can't have a say in the implementation if he comes in like a bull in a china closet...snorting and snarling at everybody....then later, expect to be invited to the table to talk about implementation. He's got to walk a fine line, and no doubt he has already told Ms. Blakely how his membership feels.

But remember, ALPA was also opposed to De-Regulation. The only 2 airlines in favor of De-regulation were UAL...and that little airline in operating just few 737's in Texas...and God knows they weren't gonna bother anybody. Yet Deregulation happened anyway, despite ALPA's opposition.

The ICAO change made this happen. The real noise shoud've been made back when the ICAO proposal was just a proposal. Now you've got the foreign airline pilots over age 60 in U.S. airspace...thats when the barn door got left open.

If you are gonna argue to keep the mandatory retirement age at 60...then you likewise have to argue to no longer allow foreign airline pilots in U.S. airspace over the age of 60. If you have one....the other naturally goes hand in hand.

Good luck in this NAFTA/Global economy driven environment.

Tejas

Everybody on this forum views age 60 as a zero sum game--if it changes every FO will be an FO for 5 years longer period. ALL predictions are we're going to be short about 30,000 pilots in the industry over the next 10 years or so so there is going to be plenty of expansion and upgrades. The ALPA survey was taken before UAL lost their A plan, DAL lost theirs and most of the A plans were frozen. I'd venture to say there would be some different answers today. Age 60 has always been about economics and will always be about economics and it will always be "devisive" as long as the younger pilots outnumber the older ones.

Airfogey

 

[Flopgut]

Fogey: There's a certain amount of total compensation available for whatever the number of hours currently are, or whatever they might grow to. For as long as one group within our whole insists seizing more for themselves and less for others is their unique right, our profession will slide backward. I believe those growth predictions are no longer valid; they're provisional at best. The question is: will flying those customers be a good job or not? We pass this rule, you're going to immediately go to work on age 70. If 70 passes the pilot shortage numbers may double...but the reason will be: It's no longer a very good job!

I don't think enough of us are aware that the APAAD crowd isn't going to stop after 65. They will be coming for more, count on it.

 

[Purpled]

Everybody on this forum views age 60 as a zero sum game--if it changes every FO will be an FO for 5 years longer period. ALL predictions are we're going to be short about 30,000 pilots in the industry over the next 10 years or so so there is going to be plenty of expansion and upgrades. The ALPA survey was taken before UAL lost their A plan, DAL lost theirs and most of the A plans were frozen. I'd venture to say there would be some different answers today. Age 60 has always been about economics and will always be about economics and it will always be "devisive" as long as the younger pilots outnumber the older ones.

Airfogey

Just be sure to inlude everyone affected by this rule in you new pole...furloughees, that is.

 

[CapnVegetto]

rant deleted

 

[Andy]

Anybody ever stop to consider that Prater just might have had a private talk with Marion Blakley and maybe he already knows that this rule is going to change.

This is from a private board:

"Some guys I know at SWAPA who are trying to raise the Age 60 thing and who meet with Blakely monthly are telling me that Prater sold us out. I did not believe them until this...now we have a 'blue-ribbon" committee to help ...whatever the heck that is! I'll tell you what it is, its back-room wink, wink, nod, nod..crap. Pure boardroom politics where once again the senior guys benefit and the junior guys loose out. Tell me again why I have been defending ALPA for the past 6 months with these UPA guys? "



I think that it's time to send Prater a clear message - if you fail to follow the majority opinion and direction from the membership, you face recall. It's time to recall prater.

 

[Andy]

Everybody on this forum views age 60 as a zero sum game--if it changes every FO will be an FO for 5 years longer period. ALL predictions are we're going to be short about 30,000 pilots in the industry over the next 10 years or so so there is going to be plenty of expansion and upgrades. The ALPA survey was taken before UAL lost their A plan, DAL lost theirs and most of the A plans were frozen. I'd venture to say there would be some different answers today. Age 60 has always been about economics and will always be about economics and it will always be "devisive" as long as the younger pilots outnumber the older ones.

Airfogey

A) It's a NEGATIVE sum game. Not even close to a zero sum game.

B) The ALPA survey happened in 2006. UAL had already lost their pensions and the handwriting was on the wall for Delta.

C) The furloughees were not permitted to be included in the survey. You're right that the results would be different today. It would be even MORE in favor of no change to age 60.

 

[Purpled]

rant deleted

You should have kept it, it was good!

 

[Purpled]

A) It's a NEGATIVE sum game. Not even close to a zero sum game.

Bravo, Andy.

Everybody, pay attention. When this is all over, assuming a change, some will get to be Captains for 5 extra years, and some will get to be F/Os for 5 extra years...bottom line, that's a screw job!

I guess I should add that some will stay on furlough or not get hired for another 5 years...that's a screw job too!