Mooneymite
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2005
- Posts
- 197
I understand your point and agree to a certain extent. However, if we do strike, based upon the recent 98% vote of no confidence, very few will scab, and there is not enough lift in the charter world to make a dent in our operations. Travel Management is no longer their savior, and our owners will file tons of lawsuits should we strand them more than we do now. It's not like another carrier will cover like the majors do. We have far more leverage than you think.
I have no idea how much labor strife you've seen "up close and personal", but when the strike comes, you will be shocked/amazed at who crosses the line.
I sincerely hope there is no strike/lockout because our union has done/is doing a very poor job of preparing the membership for the realities of a strike/lockout. From day one we should all have been building a personal war chest and making provisions for buying our own medical insurance. When a man's family is hungry he is much more prone to cross. Those pilots who have family members with pre-existing medical conditions will be in a tough situation.
Union loyalty, 90% no confidence votes and chest-beating are all fine and dandy before the strike, but solid personal finance is what will carry the day. Don't take my word for it, ask around and find out how many of your fellow pilots can go six months without a paycheck/insurance.....
I think you will be surprised that many (most?) are deeply in debt with house/car payments and haven't even thought about making provisions for medical coverage. This is not the way to go to war. We've had two years to prepare and time is getting short.
I sincerely hope you are correct in your assessment, but I fear you are wrong.