I feel that we are on the same side on this issue. And I also feel that doing what is best for you is not necessarily not the same thing as doing whats best for the profession. I just think we disagree on how to do what is best for the profession and hence, for you.
I am a career "lifer" at ASA...You and I don't exactly have the same goals. Therefor, I have to be scepticle. I will give you credit in that you are more understanding and capable of adult like conversations than Rez, PCL128, and waveflyer. I notice that most of the ALPA cheerleaders come from XJT and PCL....very few from ASA and CMR...
Nevets said:
I also feel that we should learn from our mistakes as you said. But blaming people in of itself will not help. And as humans, we will always make mistakes, so I agree that we havent learned from history yet because history and mistakes are continuously being made.
I only bring up the past because it is obvious we haven't learned from it. There is still, to this day, a double standard between "regional" pilots and "mainline" pilots. It is all around us. It is this mistake that got us here....We haven't learned from it. It isn't "blame" as it is telling you that we don't trust ALPA or "mainline" pilots on this issue.
Nevets said:
You are also right in that I shouldnt have to sell ALPA insofar as that no one should have to sell voting in presidential elections. The fact is that there is some apathy among pilots. Im only trying to give facts and my opinions.
As am I. I am not selling anything. I was an ALPA cheerleader. I have the stickers and ALPA training binders to prove it. I saw from the inside. You will never convince me that it is a good thing. "Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me" I won't be fooled again. ALPA can only work if we are all on the same page....Simple fact is we aren't. No amount of Kumbaya can change that. Even the ALPA cheerleaders at ASA admit that RJDC was a positive thing for ASA...Why is that?
Nevets said:
Also, any deal would probably include fences. Of course there will be drawbacks on both sides. But the regioanl pilot gains more qol in the end because there will no longer be the threat of your flying going to the lowest bidder.
My QOL can't get any better unless you pay me to sit home...Other "lifers" are in the same position. Why is that so difficult to understand that we just want to keep what we have. I don't want to bump a 757 pilot out of his seat....Is it too much to ask that nobody bumps me out of my seat? You can disagree, but without those protections....there will be no deal.
Nevets said:
Regianl MECs are NOT told what to do by ALPA other than whats in the administrative manual. And to change or amend the administrative manual, it requiers votes from regional regional pilots. Regional MECs can also solicity advice, council, facts, fromt he many departments within ALPA national. But there is no requirement to act on any of it. I know this because I have seen it first hand.
I have seen it first hand also. In 1998, as a member of the ASA CNC, we spent more time bargaining with ALPA, then we did with ASA. ALPA told us flat out that we were asking for too much. ALPA told us flat out that we were just "regional" pilots and we couldn't do what we were doing. ALPA told us we had to have a representational attorney from national in the room during the end game. I sat in Randy Babbitt's office and told him that wasn't going to be acceptable. In the end we were right and national was wrong. We had a very stubborn and mostly senior group of "lifers" who didn't mind telling ALPA to pound sand.....that isn't always the case.
Nevets said:
Whats in it for them is better qol because of job security. I thought you were all for brand scope?
I'm all for brand scope, but I don't see it happening at this point. It will cost a lot of negotiating capital, and the mainline pilots have too many other things they are trying to capture. Their pay and benefits have been cut in half.....They aren't going to spend capital on brand scope regardless of how much you and I want it...World peace would be nice too, but it isn't going to happen either.