I Say We Burn The Whole Industry Down

[veneratio]

If the pilots of this country had a decent union to represent everyone, maybe a national walkout could occur.

Who's next to leave ALPA? NWA?

I like the national walkout idea.

 

[Lear70]

That's what a national SOS is...

This idea has been kicking around for the last couple years or so on this board since things got really bad everywhere.

 

[JumpersAway]

Truthfully, I'd like to see the Delta MEC and NWA MEC work on a collaberative effort to instate a pre 2001 contract before buying off on a merger. Perhaps the pilots should be fairly compensated before the "truly global airline" concept pans out.

Haven't the American pilots taken the lead on this? From what I understand, they are pi$$ed and if not asking for a pre 2001 contract, they are asking for close to it.

I hate to say it, but when pilots don't want to leave a REGIONAL to fly for a major (Delta), because of the pay cut, something is wrong!

 

[Jim Smyth]

2. Wrong generation (in the 70's people didn't care if it was legal or not).

My father worked for American Airlines as a Mechanic for 8 years. He then transfered into and became a Professional Flight Engineer for the next 39 years with American.

In 1959 ALPA was trying to toss them out of the cockpit and put a Pilot in there seat instead. (I was in a baby buggy as they picked the ALPA offices right across the street from Midway Airport in Chicago) "ALL" the 2 striper's from every Airlines went on a Wild Cat strike and walked off the job and essentially shut the entire airline industry down.

My Dad got the same Western Union telegram delivered to his house for 15 days in a row stating if he didn't return to work today that he would never fly for American again! He stayed off as well as all his peers. They finally won and all the Flight Engineers were welcomed back into the cockpit. They signed a tri part agreement with American Airlines, Allied Pilots and the Professional Flight Engineers Union granting them jobs and benefits for life but once there generation was gone it would be a pilot sitting sideways.

The only FE's that got screwed in this Wild Cat strike were the ones that worked for Eastern Airlines. I don't remember the exact scenario for that one but my Dad always considered Eastern Pilots Scabs because of how the treated there FE's and locking them out of the cockpit after wards.

It does take balls and if/when you walk off the job you do so with knowing you are basically throwing your job away with the possibility of maybe not ever getting it back. This would work today but would take a very coordinated effort. But as history has taught us from allot of the other airlines striking over the Decades, your still going to have a percentage of scabs that cross the picket line. Will this current Generation be the one to have the balls needed? Time will tell.

 

[Jim Smyth]

The only way IMO to get unity with Pilots would be to create a "Single" National Seniority list for Pilots. I stated this a few years back here on FI. I mean what is there Pilot wise for 121 carriers here in the US? 50,000? 100,000? Not really that many if you put it in perspective.

What you do is say starting today, every Pilot thats gets a job with a 121 carrier gets a seniority number. That will essentially mean nothing for a while. Now you fast forward 30-40 years an everything would be correct in regards to seniority and you could implement it fairly and make this a great job again where we can speak with one unified voice.

You can even do this one more step if you don't want to wait the 30-40 years, you could go back for the current Pilots and place them by date when they were hired with a 121 carrier. For same dates of hire you could then sort by age, Social Security number or something else that would place an order/number.

All 121 Pilots will be offered to participate. The unions or Pilots that elect not to participate will be left out, there choice. I say this because you know there will be ones that wont participate but you have to move forward to make this work.

This would take an incredible amount of work. But the only time we as Pilots will have a voice that "WILL" be heard is if we are United in our effort across "all" the different airlines and the more on board the better. It seems ALPA has been ineffective for quite a few years now and the airlines would have to deal with us as a group.

We could then set a fair value for our services. They pay it (and price there product accordingly) or the plane doesn't move. This would also take care of bad management decisions and guys 30 years down the road that are enjoying the good life, good seniority, that then get a Frank Lorenzo, Carl Icon or other corporate raider ruin there airline, wont be penalized for bad management decisions of theft of property/assets by said management.

It has to start somewhere! The longer its put off the worse it will get. The airline managements use the divide and conquer method to pit us against each other. We are smarter than that and should support each other for the benefit of all.

 

[AnimalTale]

SOS was the ONLY answer (THX DW). Our industry has been "slaughtered" and is only going to get worst.

We need to reclaim the helm and show them who is BOSS.

OOOPPS, I forgot, we have too many K!$$ A$$ greedy backstabbing pilots out there. I mean look at our freekin union. One pilot group bargains with management to undermine,"screw" and get a leg up on the other pilot group. The funny thing is both Pilot groups belong to the same union. I do not understand!

Enjoy the remains of this once lucrative, sought-after and respectful career.

CYA

 

[Abernathy]

I think we can learn a thing or two from the longshoremen. Now there's a labor group with balls.

 

[CopilotDoug]

...we have too many K!$$ A$$ greedy backstabbing pilots out there...

CYA

The new guys need to be educated. How many morons coming fresh from Embry Riddle (Broad generalization here folks) would tell you that they'd "fly for free" if it came down to that?

 

[PA31Driver]

The new guys need to be educated. How many morons coming fresh from Embry Riddle (Broad generalization here folks) would tell you that they'd "fly for free" if it came down to that?

I just flew with a new hire last week and this guy had that kind of mentality. Sad but true.

 

[AnimalTale]

OUR UNIONS NEED A BIT OF EDUCATING ALSO>

I remember when furloughs were happening post 9/11, Alpa was securing and promoting $19/hr crj jobs to the furloughed pilots.

WE ALL HAVE A PART/BLAME for the demise of our industry. It is very easy to blame the young college grad or hungry cfi. We need to educate and fortify our industry by getting rid of GREED.

CYA

 

[CoolSidePillow]

What about an honest to goodness real revolution. I think we are way overdue. Let's kick it French Revolution style with the head chopping and everything. Oh yeah. I say we start in Hollywood and go transcon to D.C. or vice versa. Either way works. A country sans American Idol and the Bush regime. Now that is a step on the road to recovery.

 

[pilotyip]

at least another four years

National Suspension of Service.

But we had probably better wait until a Democrat takes office.

.

John is the man get used to it.

 

[Morning Wood]

How many of you were trying to jumpseat on 9/11 or the days after that when everything was shut down? Good luck getting home with a national walk-out. Good luck getting back to work (if you even have a job to go back to) with several airlines shut down for good. That'll show em!!!!!

 

[Lear70]

John is the man get used to it.

I'll bet you $20 bucks you're wrong...

 

[Flyprdu]

How short-sighted can you be?

How many of you were trying to jumpseat on 9/11 or the days after that when everything was shut down? Good luck getting home with a national walk-out. Good luck getting back to work (if you even have a job to go back to) with several airlines shut down for good. That'll show em!!!!!

Oh, I guess that pretty much covers it. "I don't want to strengthen our union, 'cause I won't get home in time for the new episode of Deadliest Catch."