Because everything that Colgan ALPA would do would have to be approved by ALPA National. How is being directed by a large organization that is not part of the pilot group or the company not a third party?
And by the way, I love this justification. ALPA tells you that it would be your pilot group. Your pilots would elect your committee members. Your pilot group negotiates what it wants. ALPA supplies all of the help you need (attorneys, negotiators, organizers, etc). What happens when your pilot group negotiates an agreement that the pilot group ratifies, the company agrees to, but it doesn't meet ALPA standards? It doesn't get signed, thats what. So basically you can negotiate what you want as long as it is what ALPA national wants. Also, who gets the blame when things don't go right? Not ALPA. Not the always the MEC. It is the usually the pilot group themselves. Everyone blames them for electing the wrong people to the MEC (what happened to that training and education ALPA gives you by the way? Aren't they supposed to help the pilot group do the right thing?).
Ok, if the Colgans aren't running the show then wouldn't it be two groups? Colgan pilots and Pinnacle Corp? The truth is, the Colgans do still run the show. But, they do have someone to answer to now. Is it that everyone is afraid of Pinnacle Corp.? Pinnacle Corp has done nothing except what they said they were going to do from the start. True, I don't know them very well, but I'm not going to believe a small but vocal group of complainers amongst the Pinnacle Inc. pilot group before I label them untrustworthy. I will cautiously give them a chance.