Am. Airlines Scope forces Eagle Furlough

[surplus1]

TWA:

ALPA just got the single carrier petition filed by the AFA at the US Air wholly owneds killed. The NMB's Chief-of-Staff Stephen Crable recently accepted a job at ALPA.

AFA single carrier petiotion? Is that a typo? Why would ALPA be involved or how could ALPA kill a petition filed by the Association of Flight Attendants? I'm lost.

On a side note there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what a single carrier petition actually does. Short version: It simply asssures that all members of the same craft (in this case pilots) are represented by the same union.

In he case of AA/TWA there would be a purpose in this as TWA Dude has stated. Same would apply in the case of AA/AE. With regard to the WO at USAirways, there is no purpose to a single carrier petition in that ALL 4 airlines are already represented by the ALPA.

 

[surplus1]

~~~^~~~ :

You misunderstand me. I am being dispassionate here because if I don't an AA guy who feels differently about the integration will jump down my throat. There is no doubt that National ALPA has quit representing our interests and an independant organization of TWA pilots called thw Aviation Workers Rights Foundation (www.myawrf.org) has petitioned the NMB and has retained the law firm of David Boies (remember the Gore campaign?). We are fighting ALPA, but since ALPA still represents us it remains a purely internal fight. After Single-Carrier we can go public against ALPA. It's really ironic how ALPA woos the APA but in the process creates 2300 ALPA haters.

I enjoy your posts and serious perspective. Congrats on not letting your emotions rule the day.

Good to see that TWA pilots are going to at least attempt a defense of their rights re ALPA. I wish you luck.

Although I haven't seen much about it in forums, there is yet another group of the little people in ALPA that are also in distress, i.e., the pilots of Evergreen. From what I read, ALPA appears to be ignoring their rights too and seems unwilling to defend their interests. Politically, ALPA has disbanded their MEC and appointed a "custodian" of their affairs, an idividual that Evergreen pilots don't want and who was defeated in the election process by a 9-1 margin.

Hopefully the Evergreen pilots will remember that while ALPA has the power to legally remove their MEC and thereby their elected representatives, ALPA does NOT have the right or the power to remove the rights of individual members by any political means (TG). I hope the EWA pilots will see that and afford themselves of legal counsel that works on their behalf. Just because they carry boxes does not mean they should be ignored and not represented.

Regional pilots aren't the only one's that ALPA fails to represent. ALL the small carriers are essentially ignored in favor of the agenda of the Big Four (UAL, DAL, NWA, AAA) and now maybe the new CAL, the latter at the expense of COEX.

Good luck to you at TWA, particularly the senior 1/2.

 

[publisher]

Ifly4

Ifly4 is certainly in a complementary mood these days. After all, a contract is a contract.

I would like to know what the alternatives at United were. Frankly, I think that the day of the WO may be over... Comair probably killed that as much as Bin laden.

What I want to point out is what if there had not been a bailout of the carriers at all after the 11th. What would have been the senario. I think we need a new thread on that.

You think that I am pro management, I think that I am pro business. I think that if we judged the airline business the way we judge any other business, they are not very attractive.

Obviously we could lay this at the feet of a militant labor force, but that is only part of the story. It is an industry highly suseptible to fuel cost changes and regulatory imposition. Add terrorism to that list and it becomes fairly unattractive to investors, bankers, and insurance companies.

We can live in the past, a contract is a contract, or we can forge a new future. Frankly, the merits of a full serivce airline with worldwide influence and service may not be a big deal anymore.

 

[Tim47SIP]

Surplus wrote: "Hopefully the Evergreen pilots will remember that while ALPA has the power to legally remove their MEC and thereby their elected representatives, ALPA does NOT have the right or the power to remove the rights of individual members by any political means (TG). I hope the EWA pilots will see that and afford themselves of legal counsel that works on their behalf. Just because they carry boxes does not mean they should be ignored and not represented."

I guess the reall question here is how many lawsuits can ALPA take on at any given time. I know of of at least four major ones RJDC, Evergreen, TWA, and the WO's of US as well as a few others. I sure hope that not one penny of ALPA PAC is going into any of these to defent ALPA. For you TWA guys, I hope for your sake old David isn't going to open his mouth, because as soon as he does, your hosed. He would make a good ALPA lawyer though with his dishonest tacticts. All kidding aside, I wish you guys luck as it is time ALPA is exposed for what it's true intent really is.