The Profession: What to do, Opportunity, and nowhere else to go but up(?).

[Rez O. Lewshun]

International travel is down signaling the overseas job probability as not so possible. Who wants to move overseas in this dwindling job market?

The Profession haters on this board (we all know who you are) are running out of utopic places to tell pilots where to run to and from our Profession.

All the while, back here in the good ol' USA, opportunity is presenting itself. Only starry eyed and suicidal (Jonestown-ish?) McCain supporters can justify how he would be good fro the profession. Fact is not only is Obama friendly towards labor, he enthusiastically supports it. With so many appointments to be made that will effect the Profession, DOL, DOJ, FAA, NMB, TSA, etc., it is quite a pleasant tailwind.

In addition, never before in airline history have so many CBA's been amenable at the same time. The ability with a Pro Labor Administration, to simultaneously strike or threaten to strike is powerful leverage.

The Perfect Storm hit us in Sept 2001 and kept on battering us till 2007. Management leveraged that storm against us, took advantage of us and decimated the profession.

Is the our Perfect Storm brewing?


We can't point to the global market place anymore and say 'look at those great jobs'. Seems like we are stuck in the good ol USA with our own profession.


What to do?


So do you shrug your shoulders and say whatever? Or do you become a part of this opportunity to restore and promote Our Profession?

Do you leave it up to the same ol' usual union volunteers, the good ones and the bad ones? Or do you man up yourself and work, just a little bit, using the leverage of our Perfect Storm?

As Americans, do we stay engaged in democracy or do we return to apathy and hope the White House figures out what we want and need?

As professionals, who controls our Profession?

The choice is ours.

 

[saabservant]

A place to start is by doing the questionairs being published by MEC's and Negotiating committees.
United has one out now, and there is no better way to tell the NC what is important to you...and to then volunteer a little time and effort.

Alpa also needs to change itself, however. The threats of outsourcing and disjointed seniority are as real as a hostile NMB, the RLA process, and barriers to organizing.

 

[cybourg10]

ALPA has been its own worse enemy in the past 10 years. They and we like to blame management as the problem but they are just doing their job, ALPA is not. We won't see a change in direction until ALPA decides to change their priortity of who they represent most, the top 5% our the guys at the bottom. ALPA has given up over 10,000 mainline jobs by giving up scope, I fear that regioanls will continue to fly larger aircraft while mainline shrinks.

 

[Andy Neill]

Yeah!.....Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 

[Linedriver]

The Germans?

 

[labatt]

Forget it....He's on a roll.......

 

[xrated]

And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the going gets tough . . . the tough get going. Who's with me? Let's Go! Come on! AAAAEEEEEGGGHHHH!!

 

[Andy Neill]

You guys are why I hang out here. Thanks.

 

[Dieterly]

Blaming ALPA?

ALPA has given up over 10,000 mainline jobs by giving up scope.

Are you talking about ALPA Herndon giving up scoope, or the ALPA members selling out, when the time came to vote for the those "giving up scope contracts"?

 

[cybourg10]

Are you talking about ALPA Herndon giving up scoope, or the ALPA members selling out, when the time came to vote for the those "giving up scope contracts"?

I am talking about every pilot that voted to give up scope on a TA, I am talking about ALPA in Herndon that agreed to the scope clause, and I am talking about every ALPA pilot that says "I would give up 90 seat scope for SWA pay." The leadership has a done a poor job of of keeping every ALPA pilot's best interest at heart IMHO. There is plenty of blame to go around and I am not excluded from that blame.

 

[stlflyguy]

I am talking about every pilot that voted to give up scope on a TA, I am talking about ALPA in Herndon that agreed to the scope clause, and I am talking about every ALPA pilot that says "I would give up 90 seat scope for SWA pay." The leadership has a done a poor job of of keeping every ALPA pilot's best interest at heart IMHO. There is plenty of blame to go around and I am not excluded from that blame.

I have to pile on here by saying that ALPA's most egregious recommendation of giving up scope was to the TWA pilots. Consider me biased on this one.

Agreed, the leadership has done a poor job of keeping every ALPA pilot's best interest at heart. The focus has become more of growing the Union than representing the parties that are its constitution.

Ask exactly how close to Duane was Prater. Same sh!t, different moustache. When the changes occur at the top, perhaps they'll happen throughout.

stlflyguy

 

[BOX OFFICE]

Just keep thumping your chest Rez, eventually SOMEONE will make you the leader you dream to be by following you off the ALPA cliff.

 

[BoilerUP]

I hope the airline piloting profession can have some of its luster restored, I really do...but unless Obama can turn the economy around in time to take advantage of both lower oil/fuel costs and the multitude of amendable CBAs, there won't be much to be "taken back" by ALPA.

 

[ePilot22]

Yeah!.....Did we give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

The Germans?

Forget it....He's on a roll.......

Classic! Thanks for the laugh.







eP.

 

[RCA]

I hope the airline piloting profession can have some of its luster restored, I really do...but unless Obama can turn the economy around in time to take advantage of both lower oil/fuel costs and the multitude of amendable CBAs, there won't be much to be "taken back" by ALPA.

What we need to HOPE for is 95% of Americans use their $1,000 Obama tax credit to buy an airline ticket, a new car, and pay the mortgage.

Great plan Mr. Spread the wealth around.

Let's all HOPE taking earned money from the rich will give us that warm fuzzy feeling we are all looking for.
Pretty sure this is the anger stage of recovery.