Part 2 of 2
ALPA has given support to this struggle every step of the way, and to ignore their contributions in favor of petty and unfair accusations garners "imperceptibly low levels of empathy."
Support to whom? To the regional pilots that it represents or the mainline pilots that it represents? If you can refute any of what I said above, please do so. I would really like to see your arguments. If you can provide evidence of ALPA's support for the struggle of its regional members please do so. My definition of "support" is not satisfied by the mere provision of basic services for which all members pay dues.
"Petty and unfair accusations"? Tell me which one you think is petty and which one you think is unfair. I would truly like to know.
Maybe my statements do garner "imperceptibly low levels of empathy" (as you were accused of doing) among mainline pilots, but I risk believing that the picture is quite different among regional pilots. The only real problem I see is that many regional pilots appear to be afraid to speak out in their own behalf. I wonder why that is? Could it be because they are afraid of threats and recriminations similar to the ones that you have been making and fostering against Comair pilots?
By now you've probably figured out that I am one regional pilot who is NOT afraid to say what he thinks or tell it like it is. Luckily for me, there are many more regional pilots like me who also are not afraid. They are called Comair pilots. I would also recognize the many pilots at ASA that are not afraid to speak out and tell it as it is. One day we will all speak out and I for one, hope that day comes far sooner than later.
No one is out to get you, despite Surplus' rantings. He and his group, however, are out to get us.
I don't think that you are out to "get us", FDJ. I think you've already "got us" and it is our fault for not standing up to prevent it sooner. We are not out to get you, we are merely out to reverse what you have done and are trying to do to us, and to prevent it in the future.
While your math is typical of your general misunderstanding of the real world we both live in, we have indeed sued "our" union. Perhaps the current litigation will succumb to your predictions and fail in court. In that event, we won't have to wait long for the ALPA to provide another opportunity, at which point there will be another suit and then another, until such time as ALPA's failure to represent our interests is estopped and its DFR to regional pilot members enforced. We are not going to give up the struggle and vanish into the night so don't hold your breath on that account.
We have not sued to eliminate your scope clause so that Comair can take your airplanes. Bluntly, that is a fabrication of yours that you're trying to sell. We have sued to prevent your scope clause from taking
our airplanes and with them our career expectations and our future earning potential. Our own Scope excludes you from nothing. Your Scope attempts to exclude us from our livelihoods.
If you think that this attack on our profession will not be met with an emotional response, you will be disappointed.
There's no attack on the profession, FDJ.
The "profession" is ours as much as it is yours. You belong to a group of airline pilots; so do we. To attack ourselves would infer that we are stupid. Call us whatever you choose, but be assured we are not stupid. In reality,
our action is not an attack at all, it is a defense. We are just trying to repel boarders. If you number yourself among the boarders, then you are subject to being repelled; not withstanding the extent of the emotional response. It is not your emotions that we are concerned about, it is your actions and those of our union.
These are very difficult issues and I readily confess that I am no less emotional in defense of my views than you are in defense of yours. Conflicts of this nature, more often than not, cause humans to emote.
Apparently, it is ok for those from the regional side of the fence to make "adolescent-flavored rants" and value judgements about mainline pilots, but when one of us vows to protect his own flying, he is being less than "politic."
For the record, Surplus1 does not accuse you of an adolescent-flavored rant. I take your remarks and opinions very seriously for I am well aware that they reflect clearly the general thought process of the group to which you belong. They are not ranting at all. They are a serious threat to our well being.
The Camel's nose is under our tent and the fox is in the hen house. Your associate csmith depicted your thought process quite accurately when he referred to us as remora. It is not at all flattering to be regarded as "suckerfish". Your collective opinions, reflect clearly your collective intent.
I don't expect that we can change that intent but we can do our very best to frustrate it. We're trying.
I would urge you to remain in the Association and join us in correcting the errors of its current policies. ALPA was a fine institution. It both can and should be restored to its intended purpose and you should help to do that rather than constantly threatening to leave, if you are unable to impose your will on others. Since you express the desire to "protect the profession", that might be a great way for you to start trying.
If ALPA is to become "the pilots union", then ALPA must begin by ensuring that it represents fairly the diverse interests of its diverse membership. It must be changed from an oligarchy to a real democracy. The cancer of political patronage by and to the wealthy must be cut out and destroyed. We could start the process by selecting statesmen to govern us, as opposed to politicians whose number one effort is not the preservation of our profession, but the preservation of their power.
Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to debate these issues with you and others.
