Dude
Primer oficial
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 396
Evening Ya'll,
Perhaps it's time that we all evaluate the purpose of representation. What is fair, equitable, appropriate, and most of all acceptable to all sides of our cancerous operations? It occurs to me that while allowing a company to kick you in the teeth is not a desirable relationship, I wonder how desirable our current relationship is. The relationship between the union and its members is built on sand and without a solid foudation it will crumble sooner rather than later. For many this is a repeat of yester-year and we will prevail in the end. I don't believe this to be a time when prevail is in our vocabulary. We all have written language that spells out the rules for both sides and regardless of the company or group, these rules are being changed and our union cannot stop the trend. What is the purpose of a labor agreement if it isn't followed and when grieved, a court favors the violating party? Where is my union and where are my dues going? This should be the primary focus of our ALPA, not polling, notebooks, fliers, e-mails, but the enforcement of what they negotiated.
My MEC, for the most part, is a group of hard working volunteers that have fallen into the trap of believing that they will be given every neccessary resource to combat mgmt during negotiations and grievance hearings. Sadly, this is not the case. My mgmt is encouraged by the mediators and the courts to operate any way they see fit to make a profit, regardless of the agreement it has with its labor force. Making a profit, after all, is why we are here but at who's expense. This profession is not being driven south by the youth of the business, but rather the experienced that refuse to adapt and overcome obstacles in an everchanging industry that has no room at the dinner table for the tardy. jetBlue, AirTran, Southwest and others have done it right by forcing themselves as an entire unit (pilot, FA, ramp, mgmt, etc..) to compete with one goal in mind................make the customer want to spend their money on you rather than the other guy and not just for the savings but for the differences in service. Folks, this is a service industry with no room for complacency or obsolete tactics. Our consumer is more educated, more fickle, and more willing to save a buck than he/she used to be. With that in mind I ask you why is our union still negotiating and representing its members as if the industry has not changed?
Easy answer............it's easy to stay the course whether flawed or not and if failure presents itself, you blame mgmt or the govmt. Wrong approach, my friends. I am a proud airline pilot with a level of frustration that is almost impossible to measure, but I will not accept that my union has my best interest in mind, when we have been at the table for two plus years with little to no progress. The current approach is not working anymore. If it's broken, fix it. This is something that my national represenatives are unwilling to do. March in circles, strike, pee on Skip's leg or whatever, but it's not going to get better for us until we force ALPA to represent us and not merely tell us what they want us to have. It is our responsibility to force accountability upon our leadership and ensure that our union actually represent us rather than lecture us or mislead us to accept measures that benefit another group.
I am not affiliated with the RJDC or ALPA, other than my dues. My dues are not doing the job and neither is MY UNION. Capt Woerth and company need to understand that the dynamics of this business are changing and you either change with them and try to influence the future or get left out of the game. The divide between mainline and its feed is slowly eroding. For feeders this is good but not for our counterparts. Mainline pilots can thank Mr. Woerth for this not the "bar-lowering" regional pilots. If you ask me who is lowering the bar I'll tell you it's ALPA by refusing to update its strategy and by default forfeiting the war. It isn't a matter of drinking the kool aid, it's a matter of wishful thinking and who can fault our local folks for that. The problem is they can't see the forest for the trees. National has a shovel full and ready to throw it our way when we ask for it, which is often and unfruitful. Acting on behalf of its members should be first on the local level then on the national level, but instead we take direction from national over the guidance of the local membership. We either reclaim our union and seek viable alternatives in working with our respective mgmts, seek new representation, or suffer needlessly and forever devalue our profession and the progress of our past.
These are times that will define our profession for tomorrow and without a proactive and effective union and calculating pilot group we will fail. Marching and sriking will not accomplish our goals, only changing the rules as they do will.
The views expressed on this post do not reflect anyone group, place or thing. They are the opinions of this poor, bi-polar, unfulfilled, and deflated shell of a man.
Perhaps it's time that we all evaluate the purpose of representation. What is fair, equitable, appropriate, and most of all acceptable to all sides of our cancerous operations? It occurs to me that while allowing a company to kick you in the teeth is not a desirable relationship, I wonder how desirable our current relationship is. The relationship between the union and its members is built on sand and without a solid foudation it will crumble sooner rather than later. For many this is a repeat of yester-year and we will prevail in the end. I don't believe this to be a time when prevail is in our vocabulary. We all have written language that spells out the rules for both sides and regardless of the company or group, these rules are being changed and our union cannot stop the trend. What is the purpose of a labor agreement if it isn't followed and when grieved, a court favors the violating party? Where is my union and where are my dues going? This should be the primary focus of our ALPA, not polling, notebooks, fliers, e-mails, but the enforcement of what they negotiated.
My MEC, for the most part, is a group of hard working volunteers that have fallen into the trap of believing that they will be given every neccessary resource to combat mgmt during negotiations and grievance hearings. Sadly, this is not the case. My mgmt is encouraged by the mediators and the courts to operate any way they see fit to make a profit, regardless of the agreement it has with its labor force. Making a profit, after all, is why we are here but at who's expense. This profession is not being driven south by the youth of the business, but rather the experienced that refuse to adapt and overcome obstacles in an everchanging industry that has no room at the dinner table for the tardy. jetBlue, AirTran, Southwest and others have done it right by forcing themselves as an entire unit (pilot, FA, ramp, mgmt, etc..) to compete with one goal in mind................make the customer want to spend their money on you rather than the other guy and not just for the savings but for the differences in service. Folks, this is a service industry with no room for complacency or obsolete tactics. Our consumer is more educated, more fickle, and more willing to save a buck than he/she used to be. With that in mind I ask you why is our union still negotiating and representing its members as if the industry has not changed?
Easy answer............it's easy to stay the course whether flawed or not and if failure presents itself, you blame mgmt or the govmt. Wrong approach, my friends. I am a proud airline pilot with a level of frustration that is almost impossible to measure, but I will not accept that my union has my best interest in mind, when we have been at the table for two plus years with little to no progress. The current approach is not working anymore. If it's broken, fix it. This is something that my national represenatives are unwilling to do. March in circles, strike, pee on Skip's leg or whatever, but it's not going to get better for us until we force ALPA to represent us and not merely tell us what they want us to have. It is our responsibility to force accountability upon our leadership and ensure that our union actually represent us rather than lecture us or mislead us to accept measures that benefit another group.
I am not affiliated with the RJDC or ALPA, other than my dues. My dues are not doing the job and neither is MY UNION. Capt Woerth and company need to understand that the dynamics of this business are changing and you either change with them and try to influence the future or get left out of the game. The divide between mainline and its feed is slowly eroding. For feeders this is good but not for our counterparts. Mainline pilots can thank Mr. Woerth for this not the "bar-lowering" regional pilots. If you ask me who is lowering the bar I'll tell you it's ALPA by refusing to update its strategy and by default forfeiting the war. It isn't a matter of drinking the kool aid, it's a matter of wishful thinking and who can fault our local folks for that. The problem is they can't see the forest for the trees. National has a shovel full and ready to throw it our way when we ask for it, which is often and unfruitful. Acting on behalf of its members should be first on the local level then on the national level, but instead we take direction from national over the guidance of the local membership. We either reclaim our union and seek viable alternatives in working with our respective mgmts, seek new representation, or suffer needlessly and forever devalue our profession and the progress of our past.
These are times that will define our profession for tomorrow and without a proactive and effective union and calculating pilot group we will fail. Marching and sriking will not accomplish our goals, only changing the rules as they do will.
The views expressed on this post do not reflect anyone group, place or thing. They are the opinions of this poor, bi-polar, unfulfilled, and deflated shell of a man.
