only 15% of ALPA members give to the PAC... nothing majority about it...
And what was the percentage in the straw poll for support of age 65? What was the percentage vote of the 15% who contribute (or was that even broken out separately)?
That's an evasive answer you just gave, and most pilots don't like that... it erodes trust, which erodes confidence, which kills participation. Leadership 101.
I don't agree...but HOW do you set National Minimums... and what are you willing to give up to get them? National Maximums? So the Senior guys take a hit so the junior guys can have a minimum?
Waveflyer has it right:
The Senior guys, instead of pushing to regain 50% raises, agree to COLA the first round while the major push to restrict Scope, bring up the regional pilots onto mainline seniority lists, and set minimum hiring standards for regionals, as well as minimum wage levels for regionals and majors is conducted.
Next round, wage and pension increases on an advanced scale to return wages to some semblance of pre-9/11 levels, adjusted for inflation.
Instead of a "you'll get yours when you're senior" approach, ALPA switches to a "bottom-up" approach where no one suffers quality of life for the furtherance of another.
Yes, the senior will oppose this. It then falls to ALPA National to do the right thing or suffer the further splintering of groups as contracts erode further and further. The RJDC and USAPA are just symptoms of a deeper-routed problem INSIDE ALPA. Fix the disesase, not the symptoms.
ughhhh ok.. but I doubt it... and what forces the company to comply? The Bush Admin?
Where the hell did the Bush admin come into this? He's gone in 9 months anyway.
That theory doesn't come from me on staffing, that comes from the airline's HR department at 2 different airlines now. The only thing they can never agree with the union on is how many sick calls, days off, etc are needed, and constantly work towards that perfectly-balanced staffing mix of reserves for minimum days off, then are angry when they have to cover with extensions, junior assignments, downline drafts, or outright cancellations because they understaffed.
All that matters is how much money CorpAmerica can save until an unacceptable number of hull losses occur....
To Corporate America and the General Public? Agreed.
To you and me as Professionals? Absolutely not. I believe it's our obligation to do our best to stop the problem before it kills anyone. In a Leadership position in ALPA, that should be your priority... that's what Leadership is: taking the initiative to do the right thing for your pilots, your profession, and the flying public.
What I think is irrelevent... what matters is what can be done... and HOW we can do it... that is it....
I beg to differ. What YOU think shapes your actions and whether or not you choose to fight for something. If you believe it's a lost cause, you won't fight for it. If you believe it's worth fighting, you will. Basic human nature.
This is why it's of the UTMOST IMPORTANCE to elect union officials who are motivated, goal-oriented, and self-starters.
you may hate MPL... I hate MPL... but no one cares what we think... all that matters what we as a collective group can do....
True. So what are you going to do in your elected Leadership role? I know fighting for daily enforcement of your contract and working on negotiations that never seem to end is important, but someone has to pay attention to the "bigger picture".
No one at National seems up to the task.