Perks of having ALPA?

[doh]

The best perk is you get to make HelloNewman cry.

He is such a Freegin´Doosch that I am actually tempted.

 

[doh]

The role that ALPA has played in the improvements to aviation safety alone are enough for my money to be considered well spent.

Amen... amen.

 

[Dave's kid]

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.

 

[Dave's kid]

double post

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

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.

You making a very large assumption that the company in handing out such discipline will be fair and reasonable.

Please read this very very carefully.... management is not interested in fair, equal and reasonable treatment. They are not interested in truth, justice and the American way. What they are interested doing is ensuring the unrestricted flow of revenue.

Thus they will terminate or discipline a worker expeditiously, unfairly with intimidation and control.

This is why you need representation. Not becuase you must accept (or try and get out of) responsibility but because you must ensure that it is fair and just.

When and if you do end up in court, the ALPA Contract Administrators are good hard working people, but they are terribly overworked.

What do you suggest? 3.0% dues...??

 

[fried chickens]

Not sure how you can say better pay doesn't count. I hate to think just how bad the pay would be without ALPA. For all you non union guys who are paid just a little better than the ALPA guys - do you really think that your management pay you what they do because they want to?

If it wasn't for unions like ALPA you can guarantee that your pay would be less and your contract would be a copy of the FAR's. (and the FARS would be a lot worse because no Unions would be talking to the FEDs about how dangerous things can get)

I agree that ALPA in the past has done great work as far as rigs and pay for the big guys but not much recently. ALPA doesn't have a general guideline on what pay on certain aircrafts should be.

Just look at second year pay for CRJs. Pinnacle pilots ($24)get payed less than first year Horizon guys ($29) flying the dash and SkyWest 2nd year brazilia ($27).


Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Herndon have to sign off on the contracts? So if the TA gets passed and It's a crappy one, then ALPA should come back and say no, it doesn't meet our standards for pay or work rules because we know that just because it's FAA legal doesn't mean it's safe.

Again I still don't think pay is a benefit of being ALPA. It could be and should be but it isn't.

 

[Sawmill]

Can anyone tell me what are the perks of being ALPA that doesn't involve something negative happening first? So none of the "they'll help you out if you lose your medical, the FAA tries to violate you, the company wants to fire you..."

Most other membership orgs. have some kind of perk by just being a member
AAA-I get free maps and DMV service
AOPA-Decent mag for $40 a year and maybe car rental discounts

Can I get an ALPA discount for my next medical or stuff I buy from Sporty's.
There's always a golf course by airports so can I get free range balls or free green fees.

All jokes aside, what are the automatic benefits. Better contracts, pay, work rules don't count since there seems to be more bad than good examples of ALPA.

Are you kidding me?!? One word: Pizza!
Where else can you get FREE pizza for lunch (not just cheese either...we had THREE different kinds of pizzas!) just for listening to Guido and Rocky explain, during indoc, how we ARE going to contribute "for our own good" . Now if thats not a bene, I dont know what is!

 

[Dave's kid]

You making a very large assumption that the company in handing out such discipline will be fair and reasonable.

Please read this very very carefully.... management is not interested in fair, equal and reasonable treatment. They are not interested in truth, justice and the American way. What they are interested doing is ensuring the unrestricted flow of revenue.

I can't really disagree with you there. Most of the time a company will go well beyond what a fair and reasonable punishment should be. Often it is a negotiating tactic like anything else. They throw up a huge punishment knowing it will eventually be dealt down to something smaller. I am just saying that it isn't always the innocent that are being punished. Most of them are guilty. I know, I know, innocent until proven guilty. But, we all know that is not how the grievance process works.

The choice to bring in a union and which union is different for every pilot group. The Skywest pilots will know what is best for them. I just don't want to see ALPA portrayed as some sort of white knight. I also don't like seeing pilots bully other pilots because they have a different opinion. The best decision will be made when everyone knows the facts, not the propoganda that both sides will throw out.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I can't really disagree with you there. Most of the time a company will go well beyond what a fair and reasonable punishment should be. Often it is a negotiating tactic like anything else. They throw up a huge punishment knowing it will eventually be dealt down to something smaller. I am just saying that it isn't always the innocent that are being punished. Most of them are guilty. I know, I know, innocent until proven guilty. But, we all know that is not how the grievance process works.

Agreed too.. at the risk of debating semantics... at times when there is a problem and the company has accountability too it is easier for the company to fire the pilot and say.. "We fixed that problem, and that problem no longer works here"

A classic case is the Letterman UAL FA. UAL fired her but still had a culture problem.

The choice to bring in a union and which union is different for every pilot group. The Skywest pilots will know what is best for them. I just don't want to see ALPA portrayed as some sort of white knight. I also don't like seeing pilots bully other pilots because they have a different opinion. The best decision will be made when everyone knows the facts, not the propoganda that both sides will throw out.

Pervert priest don't speak for the entire catholic church...

And KKK members don't speak for the US of A.

ALPA is far from being a white knight... like any organization comprised of people (which includes families, gov't, church etc..) it is only as good as its leadership and followership....

 

[trainer8]

Its not 6%. Its 1.95% and it is tax deductible so 25-40% will come back depending on your tax bracket. So if you make a 100K ( eventhough I doubt it) you will pay $1950 of which $500 to $800 will come back to you in form of tax savings. So for a pilot that makes a 100K ( not the majority) that about $1200 a year for many benefits that come along with the membership.
Also, you failed to mention that the majority of the 1.95% (I think 1.25% )goes directly to your MEC and spend for your pilot group. The rest goes to national for lobbying, etc..

No dues go to lobbying efforts. Lobbying comes from ALPA PAC funds, totally separatefrom dues.