If you consider rape "giving it away"! We got the Scope when we had leverage. We accumulated it over time, in addition to other goodies and enhancements to our contract.
Concur. We had a window of opportunity in 2000, but the spokesweasels for Clan RJ walked away.
Occam:
We stand on the shoulders of Giants; on the shoulders of those who formed the World's greatest pilot union by standing together, each lifting their corner with no weak sides.
Scope was "created" when pilots formed a union and stopped all outsourcing. Alter ego was ALPA's number one enemy. Scope was all airline flying performed by pilots on
the airline's seniority list.
This is the profession you inherited.
Those who supported unionism in 1999 tried every available internal remedy to resolve the undermining of ALPA's own merger and fragmentation policy found in the union's Constitution, Bylaws and Policy Manuals.
These pilots warned of alter ego whipsaw, the outsourcing of mainline jobs and the replacement of union workers.
(all these predictions came true) These pilots were pilot volunteers, MEC Chairmen, ALPA Historians, and new hires like me.
When every attempt failed, these pilots using their own money, retained Counsel with the goal of reforming ALPA's behavior. Specifically, these pilots wanted ALPA to recognize its fiduciary relationship with all of its members.
While ALPA delayed, the lack of unity was exploited by management teams who saw the perfect opportunity to undermine ALPA's power in the aftermath of September 11th. Delta Connection went from 3 carriers to 7 or more, Delta pilots were furloughed and non union carriers hired more than 5,000 pilots to perform flying once performed by ALPA brothers.
In the mean time, the union patriots continued to fight the battle until it was obvious the war was lost. Comair and ASA's leadership in the DCI portfolio was reduced to the margins while Sky West transfered aircraft and jobs.
ASA and Comair pilots spent tens of thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting for the principles outlined by ALPA's founding fathers.
They did not "walk away" as you say they did. They fought, hard.
~~~^~~~
P.S. admittedly, they lost. The obligation passes to us....