Looking at your profile you are not an airline pilot so you would not understand the full benefits of a Union. The likes of you always claim that the union protects people who deserve to be fired anyway. What you fail to mention is we are all human and one step away from committing a FUBAR. You might even be the perfect pilot but you are not immune to the wills of management. Also, an AME can not do the same job for you as the ALPA aero medical office. The ALPA team is a neutral 3rd party. Do you ask the IRS to represent you when they audit you? The costs non the less are in the thousands of dollars as insurance does not cover this.
The other false claim the uninformed make is that the pilot group (aka the Union) is powerless and management does what they please. If this is true why is Skywest management spending so much money fighting a Union? If this was really true then they should not care as they could do what ever they want to do anyway.
Pilots however have free will and by that I mean you have the choice of joining a non-union airline or forming a Union at a non-Union shop. The majority of pilots are Union members and like their Union. The crap that the likes of you spread anonymously with your multiple accounts on the internet are not the how the majority feels. But you knew that already.
Skywest becoming unionized is not the end all. The majority of pilots there will be union pilots sooner or later as they move on to the majors anyway.
I am more than happy to pay the 1.95% which is chump change in my opinion. It’s been worth every penny so far.
If you think that I am not an airline pilot because my profile says I fly a Piper then you are an idiot. I am sure I'm not the first person on flightinfo to not post all my credentials.
Next, I have no idea whether Skywest needs a union or not. And as for the management of Skywest spending all that money. Put yourself in their shoes, would you want a union at your company or not? My guess is not. It is always better for reasonable people to sit down and talk without having to bring in the NMB.
The labor movement is faultering because it tries to make people think that all labor must be union labor. There are many companies out there in and out of the airline world that do not need to be union. And to say that a union is necessary is foolish.
To say that a labor group has any real control is wrong also. Labor is the tail and management is the dog. Until the court system starts to make rulings that favor labor, that is how it is going to be. So vote Democrat. They aren't great, but they will do more to help change this than the Republican party.
Look, the union gives protection to pilots that are unjustly terminated or disciplined. I don't deny that. I am just saying, and please read this carefully, that the majority of those disciplined desereved some sort of discipline. If you make a mistake, you must accept responsibility for your actions. When and if you do end up in court, the ALPA Contract Administrators are good hard working people, but they are terribly overworked. You might be doing just as well to put your dues money in a bank account and use it if you need to.
Next question, what can the ALPA Aeromedical office do that an AME cannot? Both will answer your questions about drug legality and medical questions. The Aeromedical office does a great job getting pilots back in the air after a medical issue. The will work with your doctors and put together a package that the FAA will review. My experience with that office has been nothing but positive. But, a well qualified AME can do the same thing. They can answer your questions and provide assistance in returning to the cockpit after a medical issue. I love the Aeromedical office! I honestly mean that. If everything within ALPA were as great as that office then there would be no problems. But the Aeromedical office is not the only reason to join ALPA.
Finally, I really doubt that most regional pilots care about their union until they have a problem, then the union is suddenly becomes a huge issue. The line I've heard over and over is "I just want to get my time and leave." Or, "I don't want the chief pilot to know who I am." At the majors it is a bit different, they usually don't care until it affects them. I know you will disagree with me on this point, and that is okay. I'm not out to change your mind, just presenting my viewpoint.
I know you probably won't believe this, but I consider myself very pro-labor. I think you should get paid an honest wage for honest work. The trouble is both sides are looking for that loophole.
