No union on board
Skywest pilots benefit from union negotiated contracts and other benefits without contributing to the cause. You think they would have those pay and work rules if management wasn't just trying to keep them from getting a union on board? All of the things in their "employee handbook" are things that were copied from union negotiated contracts. If it weren't for unions, then Skywest pilots would be paid far less and treated much worse. Some of us are tired of them freeloading off of us. It's about time that they joined in the fight and contributed to the cause.
Considering that historically, unions have bid themselves out of the marketplace repeatedly. (Textiles, steel, auto, and now airlines) why WOULDN'T management want to keep an AFL-CIO union out?
I would question their management ability if they didn't.
The problem with unions is not the concept of unionism per se, its their refusal to confront the reality of free market supply and demand forces. This head in the sand mentality has cost more union jobs than anything management has screwed up. This in the form of bankruptcies due to the inability of their companies to compete regarding labor costs and, (when an opening in the free market allows a newcomer to come in and undercut the legacies,) the subsequent inevitable bankruptcies, contract gutting and furloughs. (If you think it won't happen with all current airlines unionized and a national seniority list you are delusional as long as the airlines remain deregulated).
And the evidence of a lack of critical thinking is everywhere. When management claims they can't afford the requested contract improvements, what do the ALPA radicals do? Implement a work slowdown, (never mind it violates the ALPA Code of Conduct) thus increasing costs, and reducing profits thus validating management's argument. How intelligent is that? You would think that ALPA would do everything they could to make the company more efficient and maximize profitability so there would be more money available for increasing compensation - but NO - ALPA can't possibly be seen as cooperating with management.
And when the airlines finally become profitable again what does the union do? They (as John Prater is so fond of saying) take it back, leaving their companies with no operating reserves, totally ignoring the inevitable loss cycle about 7 years in the future. The result? The whole cycle of non-competitiveness, bankruptcy, contract gutting, and mass furloughs happens all over again. ALPA never learns.
I have no problems with having a union on the property but after watching this type of schizophrenic reasoning for 13 years by ALPA, I have had it with ALPA. On the other hand I now have enough seniority that if my company goes bankrupt, the furloughs won't likely reach me or signficantly affect my quality of life so John Prater - Go for it!
