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McCain to lose pilot vote block.

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igneousy2

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Posts
1,262
From the Ft Worth Star-telegram...



John McCain and the pilots

Sen. John McCain may have the Republican party nomination wrapped up, but he still has some convincing to do with one group of traditionally Republican voters. No, I'm not talking about evangelical Christians - I'm talking about commercial airline pilots.
McCain co-sponsored legislation in 2003 that would have changed the Railway Labor Act to include mandatory "baseball-style" arbitration in airline contract negotiations. That's a method whereby a mediator makes the final decision on disputed issues, and there is no appeal. Unions have long opposed any attempts to force that type of arbitration, because it removes their greatest form of leverage - the ability to strike.
McCain's 2003 effort failed, but lots of pilots still remember it. One told me recently that he will never vote for the Arizona senator, and he believes many of his colleagues feel the same way.
"Look, most pilots are ex-military, they're professionals, most of them vote Republican and have all their lives," the pilot said. "But when it comes to McCain, most of us all remember how he backed airline management and tried to screw the pilots. That's going to cost him some votes."
- Trebor
 
From the Ft Worth Star-telegram...



John McCain and the pilots

Sen. John McCain may have the Republican party nomination wrapped up, but he still has some convincing to do with one group of traditionally Republican voters. No, I'm not talking about evangelical Christians - I'm talking about commercial airline pilots.
McCain co-sponsored legislation in 2003 that would have changed the Railway Labor Act to include mandatory "baseball-style" arbitration in airline contract negotiations. That's a method whereby a mediator makes the final decision on disputed issues, and there is no appeal. Unions have long opposed any attempts to force that type of arbitration, because it removes their greatest form of leverage - the ability to strike.
McCain's 2003 effort failed, but lots of pilots still remember it. One told me recently that he will never vote for the Arizona senator, and he believes many of his colleagues feel the same way.
"Look, most pilots are ex-military, they're professionals, most of them vote Republican and have all their lives," the pilot said. "But when it comes to McCain, most of us all remember how he backed airline management and tried to screw the pilots. That's going to cost him some votes."
- Trebor

Well, I guess you'd all prefer to pay higher taxes then... Good for you. The legislation failed and he could bring it up again if he loses in November. Let's instead focus on the bigger picture - higer vs. lower taxes unless you don't care because you are loaded...
 
How about we try to make the higher income tax brackets before we start to b1tch about them.
 
taxes

the only pilots who will have their taxes raised are the upper management types making over 250,000 a year. with all the pay cuts pilots have taking the last few years I don't believe to many will be affected by Che Obama's fiscal policy. Not saying I agree, just pointing this out.
 
...Let's instead focus on the bigger picture - higer vs. lower taxes unless you don't care because you are loaded...

The more you're loaded the more you DO care. It's all about utilizing the loop holes to pay as little tax as possible....

Of course we have to sign a form stating as much, but that's ok.
 
Well, I guess you'd all prefer to pay higher taxes then... Good for you. The legislation failed and he could bring it up again if he loses in November. Let's instead focus on the bigger picture - higer vs. lower taxes unless you don't care because you are loaded...

Well, I guess you'd prefer to elect a candidate who HATES those in your profession. My taxes aren't going up if a dem is elected. If McCain is elected my pay stands a better chance of going down rather than up.
 
the bush tax cuts expire in 2010...emphasis on EXPIRE. the dems do not need to do anything that could be construed as "raising taxes" they will simply let them expire. Everyone that has a job, and has payroll taxes deducted from their pay check will feel the effect.

RV
 
From the Ft Worth Star-telegram...



John McCain and the pilots

Sen. John McCain may have the Republican party nomination wrapped up, but he still has some convincing to do with one group of traditionally Republican voters. No, I'm not talking about evangelical Christians - I'm talking about commercial airline pilots.
McCain co-sponsored legislation in 2003 that would have changed the Railway Labor Act to include mandatory "baseball-style" arbitration in airline contract negotiations. That's a method whereby a mediator makes the final decision on disputed issues, and there is no appeal. Unions have long opposed any attempts to force that type of arbitration, because it removes their greatest form of leverage - the ability to strike.
McCain's 2003 effort failed, but lots of pilots still remember it. One told me recently that he will never vote for the Arizona senator, and he believes many of his colleagues feel the same way.
"Look, most pilots are ex-military, they're professionals, most of them vote Republican and have all their lives," the pilot said. "But when it comes to McCain, most of us all remember how he backed airline management and tried to screw the pilots. That's going to cost him some votes."
- Trebor

Well, they sure as hell ain't gonna vote for Billary or Obama. McCain has his skeletons and has been a thorn in the side of commercial pilots but he's head and shoulders above those loser democrats.
 
the only pilots who will have their taxes raised are the upper management types making over 250,000 a year. with all the pay cuts pilots have taking the last few years I don't believe to many will be affected by Che Obama's fiscal policy. Not saying I agree, just pointing this out.

You should talk to the average FedEx and UPS line captain if you think that. Additionally, most of the legacy pilots are looking to get their money back in the next round.
 
the only pilots who will have their taxes raised are the upper management types making over 250,000 a year. with all the pay cuts pilots have taking the last few years I don't believe to many will be affected by Che Obama's fiscal policy. Not saying I agree, just pointing this out.

i beg to differ!
 
Well, they sure as hell ain't gonna vote for Billary or Obama. McCain has his skeletons and has been a thorn in the side of commercial pilots but he's head and shoulders above those loser democrats.

Oh really?

This pilot will be voting for Obama!

It's so pathetic to hear Republican pilots cry about taxes. Where do you think the money comes from to send your kids to school? The parks and beaches? The infrastructure? The police and fire departments?...and all the other social services that you think are unimportant?

Take a look around. Our country is falling apart and all Republicans have done for the last 8 years is preach fear, hate, and venom about anyone who is less fortunate than themselves. Be clear on one thing: Republicans HATE unions. They HATE the fact that labor can actually stand up to their political lapdogs in Big Business and shut them down with a legal strike.

Those "loser democrats" as you called them, are the ones who support unions, support pilots, and support your right to organize. They support the working people. Your Republican friends only support Big Business, the HMO's, exporting of our jobs, immunity for those who help them break the law (read: telecoms), a so-called "Iraq war on terror" which is nothing more than a police action, and oh...let's not forget...Cabotage.

And you call yourself a union member?
 
SHOCKING!! ALPA won't be endorsing a republican?!

This "stimulus" plan showed exactly where congress defines "rich" $75K single, $125K couple....... anyone here make that?! I do I do!!+

9/11 did more to hurt this industry than any republican ( Tom Daschel's airline lobbyist wife and Carter's deregulation didn't help either!)

I'm voting for McCain.
 
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It's time to turn the page. Anyone who wants the same old Washington players playing the same old Washington game, go for McCain.

I for one am sick of having absolutely no recourse in negotiations from the NMB. For those who sit around and watch the country implode upon itself, meanwhile "you got yours" so screw the rest of us. Thank you sirs, you and thousands like you have mortgaged the future of our country for whatever short term scraps you received these last few years.

It's time for unity. It's time for change we can believe in.
 
A vote for McCain is a vote for prolonged mediations, harsh PEB’s, and baseball style arbitration. Amtrak just spent 8 years in mediations. McCain is openly hostile towards airline labor. Is this what you want??

This next round of negotiations will be the most important since deregulation. It’s time to make your career a priority.

Vote wisely.

AA767AV8TOR
 
It's time to turn the page. Anyone who wants the same old Washington players playing the same old Washington game, go for McCain.

I for one am sick of having absolutely no recourse in negotiations from the NMB. For those who sit around and watch the country implode upon itself, meanwhile "you got yours" so screw the rest of us. Thank you sirs, you and thousands like you have mortgaged the future of our country for whatever short term scraps you received these last few years.

It's time for unity. It's time for change we can believe in.

You are good at this! Post a whole paragraph without saying anything! Change , change, change.......... blah, blah, blah,,,,,,,,,,, Obama = Jimmy Carter = deregulation = all the LCC's.

You get what you vote for and you have no idea what you are voting for with Obama.
 
You get what you vote for and you have no idea what you are voting for with Obama.

Well, if my choices are a known turd sandwich (McCain) and the mystery box (Obama), I'm going to have to go with the mystery box.

McCain is not friendly to labor, especially pilot labor.

Guess what you are?
 
No matter who takes office next year, taxes will increase. We have to pay for the reckless spending that has gone on for the last 8 years!
 
No matter who takes office next year, taxes will increase. We have to pay for the reckless spending that has gone on for the last 8 years!

Have you any concept of what "reckless spending" means? Our national debt is at historically neutral levels in relation to GDP (half the debt is owned by federal and state governments), which is how it's measured. Just as the more I make the more debt I can sustain and still be healthy.

It's future social spending programs that threaten our federal budget.

While the democratic congress is printing money to give away, I don't see them trying to spend less of OUR money. And yes it's "rich" pilots who are in the income brackets they'll attack.
 
This "stimulus" plan showed exactly where congress defines "rich" $75K single, $125K couple....... anyone here make that?! I do I do!!+
that would be the stimulus plan that McCain voted YES for.
9/11 did more to hurt this industry than any republican
maybe, but it's not like only a republican can "save us from another 9/11". Besides, it can easily be argued than 9/11 hurt us worse BECAUSE a republican was in office who didn't stop the rampant ch11 abuse in raping our contracts.
 
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Have you any concept of what "reckless spending" means? Our national debt is at historically neutral levels in relation to GDP (half the debt is owned by federal and state governments), which is how it's measured.

While the democratic congress is printing money to give away, I don't see them trying to spend less of OUR money. And yes it's "rich" pilots who are in the income brackets they'll attack.

Guess who owns the other half? China! While all you lassiz-faire economic policy Republicans were figuring out new ways to spin the news and look the other way while the mortgage crisis erupted since you didn't want "government oversight" to regulate the lending industry, guess what happened? China with help from the Bush administration and WalMart now holds a huge part of our debt. Just because you make more money does not mean you need to spend more money.

You want to talk about reckless spending? How about Iraq, where Cheney's Halliburton orders pallets of Dell computers and then dumps them in pits and burys them just so they can go place another order and get another commission. Ever see the documentary, "Iraq for sale". This is one of those expose's the Bush administration tried to ban...but failed.

Do you honestly think those hokey $600 checks are going to do anything? People will just go out and buy something they don't need which in all likelihood is made in China. So there goes your stimulus...overseas. It was John Edwards who said we would be much better off by taking that stimulus money (which WILL add to the national debt if you haven't figured that out yet) and spend it on domestic infrastructure which will in turn create domestic jobs. Obama backs this same idea.

You want to talk tax cuts? The rich don't need them. Anyone who makes over $200k (and I doubt many of us fall into that category unless you're being a pay credit whore) doesn't need them either. Big Business doesn't need them because all they do is pocket the money in the form of a fat bonus while they send our jobs overseas. The only tax breaks I want to see is for businesses that create verifiable jobs here in our country that produce alternative clean energy. We can talk tax cuts for the rest of us after we get done paying down Bush's obscene debt that is choking the life out of our country.

See you on election day pal.

Obama '08!!
 
The NMB just turned down APA's request. Get ready for more of the same with another Republican Administration. Just in time for the rest of us approaching contract negotiations.
 
Guess who owns the other half? China! While all you lassiz-faire economic policy Republicans were figuring out new ways to spin the news and look the other way while the mortgage crisis erupted since you didn't want "government oversight" to regulate the lending industry, guess what happened? China with help from the Bush administration and WalMart now holds a huge part of our debt. Just because you make more money does not mean you need to spend more money.

You want to talk about reckless spending? How about Iraq, where Cheney's Halliburton orders pallets of Dell computers and then dumps them in pits and burys them just so they can go place another order and get another commission. Ever see the documentary, "Iraq for sale". This is one of those expose's the Bush administration tried to ban...but failed.

Do you honestly think those hokey $600 checks are going to do anything? People will just go out and buy something they don't need which in all likelihood is made in China. So there goes your stimulus...overseas. It was John Edwards who said we would be much better off by taking that stimulus money (which WILL add to the national debt if you haven't figured that out yet) and spend it on domestic infrastructure which will in turn create domestic jobs. Obama backs this same idea.

You want to talk tax cuts? The rich don't need them. Anyone who makes over $200k (and I doubt many of us fall into that category unless you're being a pay credit whore) doesn't need them either. Big Business doesn't need them because all they do is pocket the money in the form of a fat bonus while they send our jobs overseas. The only tax breaks I want to see is for businesses that create verifiable jobs here in our country that produce alternative clean energy. We can talk tax cuts for the rest of us after we get done paying down Bush's obscene debt that is choking the life out of our country.

See you on election day pal.

Obama '08!!

WRONG! Total foreign ownership is 22% Japan is the largest owner. China owning about 5% of that 22%. Get your facts straight. Oh, but you're not showing any original thought since you're parroting DNC talking points.

Your lack of education on the issues makes you the perfect poster child (there's Che Guevara too) for an Obama supporter.
 
The NMB just turned down APA's request. Get ready for more of the same with another Republican Administration. Just in time for the rest of us approaching contract negotiations.

Clinton turned down APA's request in the '90's what's the difference?
 
Check your facts on that. Ask an AA pilot what their Mec Chair requested from that Administration at 0 hour of the strike.
 
Check your facts on that. Ask an AA pilot what their Mec Chair requested from that Administration at 0 hour of the strike.

They may have requested his action/inaction.

I just can tell no difference between administrations in regard to airline pilots. That's why I'm not a single issue voter.
 
http://crewroom.alpa.org/alpa/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=1038

Recently, U.S. airline managements dramatically increased their efforts to garner political support for the McCain-Lott "baseball-style" arbitration bill...How would final-offer arbitration apply to airline pilots? Under provisions of a bill currently before Congress—the Airline Labor Dispute Act, S.1327—the Secretary of Transportation can declare an "air transportation emergency" and force arbitration upon finding that a labor dispute involving an airline serving a hub airport threatens to injure the local economy, foreign commerce, the balance of payments, or U.S. national security or foreign policy. Translated into English, that means every airline labor dispute.
Under this model, Comair pilots would not have been allowed to strike in 2001 even though that carrier was less than 1 percent of the total marketplace, because a strike would affect a hub airport (Cincinnati). Under current law, a Presidential Emergency Board can be established only in a national transportation emergency. Even the Bush Administration couldn’t find a way to call the Comair strike a national emergency. Under the McCain-Lott bill, a national emergency is not required—any minor inconvenience at a hub airport is enough to stop a strike.
But even this egregious provision is not the worst part of the McCain-Lott bill. If you read through the fine print, you discover that the bill is really not a true arbitration process. The bill contains language that prohibits the arbitrator from selecting the union’s proposal for a multitude of reasons if the union’s proposal increases costs, and no stipulations prohibit the arbitrator from selecting a management proposal for any reason. The McCain-Lott bill should be called what it is, the Management Cramdown bill.
Here's a taste of McCain's record in dealing with airline pilots. Note how he tried to ELIMINATE our right to strike and tried to PREVENT by law an arbitrator choosing a union's contract proposal if it meets certain criteria, such as INCREASING costs. I guess that means in McCain's world, we would all get current book or concessions in negotiations.

I don't like single issue political decisions either, but a monkey would be better in the oval office for our profession
 

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