ALPA stiffs Veterans

[UC35Pilot]

Happy Veterans Day!
ALPA will not allow UCAL pilots on military leave to vote on the current TA. The irony - we are off defending this great nation that allows such organizations to exist. We are fighting against tyranny, defending and promoting the values of justice, fairness, and liberty for all and we, the defenders of democracy, are not authorized to enjoy the fruits of our labor? ALPA's justification - military members that are away for greater than 90days do not have access to critical information to make an informed decision. Are f...king kidding me? This is the age of the world wide web, satellite communication, instant messaging, etc. We are informed enough to vote for the President of the United States but don't have adequate information to vote on a union TA? Got to call BS on this one! It's is just another failure of ALPA. It's a ploy to eventually rid us of the opportunity to receive a signing bonus or potentially dilute the SLI via our absence. Please, assist those of us who are out of the airline net and contact your local representatives to voice your concerns. ALPA needs to adapt with time to survive.

 

[Continental]

I agree with you 100%. My family appreciates the sacrifices you and your family makes every day.

I'll cast my no vote with you in mind until we get this changed

 

[DUBLINFLYER]

Are they still taking your union dues?

 

[list2002]

Look at the age demo of the average pilot on MLA, mostly those young enough to have quite a few years at United and a LARGE effect on their quality of life. Anything that helps there be more short sighted pilots who wont have to live with the consequences for the next 10 years voting the better.
Yes I said 10 years...

 

[GCD]

I agree. Got to call BS on this. I'm about to go back to my job after nearly five years AD. I have been fully participating the whole time. But, of course, we aren't ALPO any more.

 

[BoilerUP]

Does the IPA, APA, or IBT allow pilots out on military leave to vote?

 

[Turtle21]

Happy Veterans Day!
ALPA will not allow UCAL pilots on military leave to vote on the current TA. The irony - we are off defending this great nation that allows such organizations to exist. We are fighting against tyranny, defending and promoting the values of justice, fairness, and liberty for all and we, the defenders of democracy, are not authorized to enjoy the fruits of our labor? ALPA's justification - military members that are away for greater than 90days do not have access to critical information to make an informed decision. Are f...king kidding me? This is the age of the world wide web, satellite communication, instant messaging, etc. We are informed enough to vote for the President of the United States but don't have adequate information to vote on a union TA? Got to call BS on this one! It's is just another failure of ALPA. It's a ploy to eventually rid us of the opportunity to receive a signing bonus or potentially dilute the SLI via our absence. Please, assist those of us who are out of the airline net and contact your local representatives to voice your concerns. ALPA needs to adapt with time to survive.

The National Mediation Board allows all pilots vote. ALL PILOTS (active, military leave, medical leave, and furlough etc. etc. etc.)

The NMB.. that's the board that lets you vote to kick ALPA to the curb.

 

[BoilerUP]

Does USAPA allow pilots on mil leave to vote?

 

[UC35Pilot]

APA and possibly other union organizations allow pilots on Military Leave of Absence (MLA) to fully participate in union activities. Unfortunately, ALPA will not allow a pilot on MLA greater than 90 days to vote on the TA. This is an ALPA National issue, not a local MEC mandate. My understanding, both UAL and CAL MECs raised this question after being pushed by our respective ALPA Military Liaison Representatives unfortunately to no avail.
Granted, those of us on MLA greater than 90 days do not pay ALPA dues. But, that shouldn’t matter. ALPA gladly accepted my monthly dues the entire duration leading up to my current MLA and will do the same when I return. Where’s the opportunity to exercise my right to vote as a member in good standing?
The real question, is this fair? The answer - NO.
ALPA doesn’t live by the “all for one and one for all” motto. ALPA is about taking care of those in charge and disproportionately wavering towards those of greater seniority. It is motivated by fiscal greed and self-service. Unlike the ethos embarrassed by those of us serving our country, intrinsically motivated by duty-honor-country, defending the freedoms and values that make this nation great, ALPA is self-centered slanting towards money as opposed to justice. One example to reinforce this statement is when the union decided not to divide the “lump sum” evenly amongst all pilots (to include those on furlough). My justification for this argument - we all lived under this slave like contract; those on furlough received the worst of the entire debacle by being artificially pushed to the street. Instead, the most senior guys are positioned to disproportionately receive a larger amount of the lump sum payment (to include our SCABS) and the junior guys will receive a small pittance. Personally, I’m middle of the road seniority and am relatively insulated on both ends of the spectrum. I, unlike ALPA leadership, believe we need to show unity and treat all of our members with dignity and respect granting each the ability to exercise their membership rights as long as they are in good standing. It disappoints me to see the more senior pilots selling the junior pilots down the river and the union stiff arm its veterans.
Lastly, to the FltInfo rep who stated he/she will vote “NO” on my behalf – thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It appears there is a feeble effort to get us to prematurely bite on an underwhelming agreement. The TA, as presented, is disappointing and a bit embarrassing. We need to stand firm, break the SCAB image, present a formidable defense, and re-establish a professional appearance of a unified organization in an effort set a higher standard for the profession.

 

[Turtle21]

APA and possibly other union organizations allow pilots on Military Leave of Absence (MLA) to fully participate in union activities. Unfortunately, ALPA will not allow a pilot on MLA greater than 90 days to vote on the TA. This is an ALPA National issue, not a local MEC mandate. My understanding, both UAL and CAL MECs raised this question after being pushed by our respective ALPA Military Liaison Representatives unfortunately to no avail.
Granted, those of us on MLA greater than 90 days do not pay ALPA dues. But, that shouldn’t matter. ALPA gladly accepted my monthly dues the entire duration leading up to my current MLA and will do the same when I return. Where’s the opportunity to exercise my right to vote as a member in good standing?
The real question, is this fair? The answer - NO.
ALPA doesn’t live by the “all for one and one for all” motto. ALPA is about taking care of those in charge and disproportionately wavering towards those of greater seniority. It is motivated by fiscal greed and self-service. Unlike the ethos embarrassed by those of us serving our country, intrinsically motivated by duty-honor-country, defending the freedoms and values that make this nation great, ALPA is self-centered slanting towards money as opposed to justice. One example to reinforce this statement is when the union decided not to divide the “lump sum” evenly amongst all pilots (to include those on furlough). My justification for this argument - we all lived under this slave like contract; those on furlough received the worst of the entire debacle by being artificially pushed to the street. Instead, the most senior guys are positioned to disproportionately receive a larger amount of the lump sum payment (to include our SCABS) and the junior guys will receive a small pittance. Personally, I’m middle of the road seniority and am relatively insulated on both ends of the spectrum. I, unlike ALPA leadership, believe we need to show unity and treat all of our members with dignity and respect granting each the ability to exercise their membership rights as long as they are in good standing. It disappoints me to see the more senior pilots selling the junior pilots down the river and the union stiff arm its veterans.
Lastly, to the FltInfo rep who stated he/she will vote “NO” on my behalf – thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It appears there is a feeble effort to get us to prematurely bite on an underwhelming agreement. The TA, as presented, is disappointing and a bit embarrassing. We need to stand firm, break the SCAB image, present a formidable defense, and re-establish a professional appearance of a unified organization in an effort set a higher standard for the profession.

A real union would allow all of its pilots to vote.. Retired, Active, Furloughed, Mill leave. With no vote it isn't much different than taxation without representation. Certainly there is no unity if large demographic portions of the pilot group are denied a vote.


The pension theft is just one example.. Its unconscionable that ALPA gave away tens of Billions of dollars in pension funds and didn't even give pilots a vote... much less the retired pilots. (Billions.... let that sink in.)

Paying dues is like taking a dump in a smelly porta john because nothing else is available. I guess we should just be happy we have a porta john.