Pilots have spoke up and when I was there so did I about a few Capts past their prime. The union didn't do anything about it. NJASAP is like the AARP because thats where the most dues are coming from.
Actually, that's not accurate. The vast majority of our pilots are NOT all that old. Nice try at putting rhetoric in front of facts though.
Addressing the union not doing anything about it. What would you suggest they do? The union has no power in firing anyone, that's a power reserved for management. Unions can do a lot of good for a workforce. But they aren't a panacea for everything. In fact, the good they do does come with a few downsides too. Duty of Fair Representation is one of them. I highly doubt our union could go to bat to get a dues paying member fired without some very serious legal ramifications. Unions have a LEGAL OBLIGATION to protect even the weakest members. It is definitely a downside to a union. But sometimes you have to accept a little bad to obtain a lot of good.
Anyway, the union can't do much about a weak pilot, regardless of age. If you really feel someone is a safety risk, it is the company's responsibility to do something about it. If they won't take action, not seeing how that's a failure of the union. Pro standards has proven to be very effective in many cases. But with a weak pilot, what would you have them do? Tell the guy to retire? And if he doesn't? Should they report him to the company with second-hand info? Well, there's that whole tiny legal problem again of PROTECTING dues payers, not helping end their careers.
As I said, it's really the company's problem. Not everything can be, or should be, nailed down as a union problem. If it's truly a safety issue, use the ASAP program. Now it's the company AND FAA's problem. If the pilot really sucks, the problem may also be with the training facility that keep passing him(FSI). Or the instructor pilots who keep pushing him through the checks and/or IOE. And as others have said, maybe it's other pilot's fault for not reporting a weak pilot. A couple reports won't do much. It usually takes a bunch of reports to get action. And I've personally seen the company take action when they get enough complaints. Not sure why so many people want to lay all the problems at the feet of the union.
And to stay on the thread topic, this should apply across the spectrum to pilots of all ages, not just pilots of a certain advanced age.