One thing you SkyWest pilots need to realize is that your management spends thousands of dollars every year on Labor relations. The term labor relations are just a facade for union busting. I've read many of the arguments against having a union posted on this site and they are all straight out of the union busting play book. I congratulate your organizing committee on choosing to go for an independent union. If they had gone the ALPA route management would have exploited that to the fullest extent and make them look like and outside entity. It happens everyday in this industry. Their job is to make the union look like an outsider, to take the U and the I out of UNION. I promise you as you get closer to your voting date management and their despot pilots who you all know who they are will spread the following rumors:
1) We want to improve things but we can’t do it now or its going to look like union busting.
2) We will lose our open door policy and lose our relationship with management.
3) Contacts are easily broken by a judge so why waste your time getting one.
4) They will make the union look like an outside entity.
5) Lets give management one more year and if SAPA does not work out the union drive will be back next year.
6) Why give 2% of your money to someone else.
7) We want expand and a union will hinder our efforts.
8) The UPA will merge with ALPA in the future, and they only care about the majors.
I can go one forever. They will promise you the world and break them the day the vote does not go through. What you need to remember is that if you have a good relationship with your management and they care about you, it will stay the same after you become unionized. Bad labor relations are bad for business. If they care about you so much and have your best interests in mind, they should not have any problems with putting your work rules in a legally binding contract. The reason they don’t want a contract is that they wan to reserve the right to change the rules if they choose to do so. It’s not the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last time. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid no matter how tempting it is. This just happened at Commuter a few months ago. They promised the pilots the world. Many people where on the fence and they drank the Kool-Aid and they all regret it now. I promise that management will not improve thing afterwards. If anything they will worsen since they know you are divided. Remember they look at it as business and so should you. When you go to the negotiating table you need all the support possible. Your independent union will have far more leverage than SAPA. At the least you will get what you already have in a legally binding contract. Good luck and I hope you guys and gals make the right decisions.
1) We want to improve things but we can’t do it now or its going to look like union busting.
2) We will lose our open door policy and lose our relationship with management.
3) Contacts are easily broken by a judge so why waste your time getting one.
4) They will make the union look like an outside entity.
5) Lets give management one more year and if SAPA does not work out the union drive will be back next year.
6) Why give 2% of your money to someone else.
7) We want expand and a union will hinder our efforts.
8) The UPA will merge with ALPA in the future, and they only care about the majors.
I can go one forever. They will promise you the world and break them the day the vote does not go through. What you need to remember is that if you have a good relationship with your management and they care about you, it will stay the same after you become unionized. Bad labor relations are bad for business. If they care about you so much and have your best interests in mind, they should not have any problems with putting your work rules in a legally binding contract. The reason they don’t want a contract is that they wan to reserve the right to change the rules if they choose to do so. It’s not the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last time. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid no matter how tempting it is. This just happened at Commuter a few months ago. They promised the pilots the world. Many people where on the fence and they drank the Kool-Aid and they all regret it now. I promise that management will not improve thing afterwards. If anything they will worsen since they know you are divided. Remember they look at it as business and so should you. When you go to the negotiating table you need all the support possible. Your independent union will have far more leverage than SAPA. At the least you will get what you already have in a legally binding contract. Good luck and I hope you guys and gals make the right decisions.
