Pilot Unions exist for the safety of pilots and passengers.

[GroundHog]

Pilotyp,
I apologize for the positioning of my post. I didn't need to include your quote. I made the mistake of looking at your profile after I pushed the submit button, and it was then that I realized I was probably preaching to the choir. Thank you for your reasoned response.

...However all that aside, ALPA did not adjust to a changing industry and kept raising the costs to airlines that allowed upstarts to come in a take away market share

I agree. To a point. ALPA did not adjust quickly enough to the changing industry, without a doubt. As for raising costs, it may be one of the reasons for our current situation, but it is only one in a myriad of others.
It certainly didn't help our public image, which was originally what this thread was concerned with before I sidetracked it.
Tailwinds,
Hog

 

[Publishers]

You would have to be carefull in taking this tact. ALPA became a force as much from being in a regulated industry standpoint as any safety group. The minute that the industry was deregulated, much of thier umph went with it.

The arrogance of management everyone so quickly gets in a huff about was the same arrogance ALPA and legacy crews exhibited at deregulation.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

The arrogance of management everyone so quickly gets in a huff about was the same arrogance ALPA and legacy crews exhibited at deregulation.

And arrogance is often a result of a lack of security. In ones self or environement...

 

[maru657]

You'ed be amazed at how many pilots voted for de-regulation or voted for politicians who were for de-regulation and then were surprised by the results. A bunch of these old boys invested their life savings in a start up called Pride Air in Texas. If you've never heard of this company it's understandable, it lasted about as long as a 5 dollar throw in Hong Kong. Unfortunetely, many of the pilots who supported that abortion worked for UAL, AA and Delta and basically got away with destroying the industry as far as a stable job platform. Funny but now those chickens are coming home to roost and the recipients are uasually younger people who had nothing to do with the descision. Today I see all of these young enterprisers running companies into bankruptcy and swearing that re-regulation would be a bad thing or that regulation would be socialist. Of course you'll notice none of them wind up on the street without a golden parachute. A friend while serving as MEC once suggested that the company replace most of management with baboons, He suggested that at least the results wouldn't be any worse than the status quo.

 

[pilotyip]

Reregulation would be good for a few of the pilots, it would raise air fares, which decrease the number people buying tickets, which result in fewer airplanes needed and fewer pilots needed. There are probably 5-10 times the numbers of airline pilot jobs today compared to 1975. You cannot have it both ways.

 

[Cardinal]

The single most important thing my contract does for me is allow me to say NO. NO, I'm not flying that unsafe airplane. NO, I'm not flying in that weather. Ask a Part 135 guy how it feels to know that if you don't take the flight, you won't eat next week.

 

[pilotyip]

Cardinal, the contract will not protect you from being discharged for refusing to fly what you determine is an unsafe airplane. I worked for union carrier where a Captain refused to fly an airplane with an item he considered unsafe, the company said it was properly deferred via the MEL, take it or you do not work here. Another union pilot flew the airplane that night. The union could not restore his job. Now if there is a company that wants you to fly illegally then you owe it the company and yourself to quit.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

Yeah you can quit, but what about the passengers you left behind. Their safety is our job, not theirs. There will always be that guy who will fly that airplane with those passengers. Not standing up for ourselves and saying NO to management, is neglecting our #1 job.