To union or not to union...

[jergar999]

Does anyone have any input on whether or not flying for union vs. non-union carriers has any effect on future hiring, specifically related to regionals and majors. I have heard rumors both ways, and am curious if this has ever come up in interviews.

 

[hopeful]

It is against the law for a potential employer to ask you about your Union affiliation. (Railway Labor Act) Management will generally be anti-union, because unions make them play fair. Pilots will generally be pro-union, because it is a pilots only chance of getting a fair deal from management. If you find a pilot that is whole-heartedly against unions, I bet with a little research you can find that pilots name on the ALPA black-list.

Being union or not should not affect your career down the road. The only affect I can see that it would have is if you have worked at a non-union company, you will probably never do it again.

 

[Andy Neill]

Those are some pretty impressive generalizations there, hopeful.

Would you care to discuss the quality of life at non-union SkyWest versus that at union Mesa?

But to answer your question, jergar999, I don't think any carrier would care one way or the other. If you crossed a picket line somewhere along the line, I suspect that would be a different matter for some.

 

[pilotyip]

Unions may not be the answer

I have worked at two union airlines, ALPA and Teamsters, both out of business, the place I work now has much better pay and working conditions than the last union place I worked at. In fact I saved the pay stub from my last union job, Teamsters, where they took their dues out of my last check as the company went out of business. Unions do not work at small privately held companies. Do not make hiring decision in these times based on union or non-union

 

[bobbysamd]

Unions may not be the answer

I have worked at two union airlines, ALPA and Teamsters, both out of business, the place I work now has much better pay and working conditions than the last union place I worked at. In fact I saved the pay stub from my last union job, Teamsters, where they took their dues out of my last check as the company went out of business. Unions do not work at small privately held companies. Do not make hiring decision in these times based on union or non-union

I tend to be staunchly pro-union but I agree with Yip.

In an ideal world, there should be no need for a union. The best example I know is my late father's business. He was an old-time employer. Benevolent and paternalistic. He was in the lead business, which is dirty and hazardous. He understood the need to have loyal and productive employees, so he paid them well and looked out for their welfare.

Someone came in and organized them. The bottom line, though, is his employees finally realized they had it better without than with any union and they voted it out.

I realize that few aviation companies are benevolent and paternalistic. But I'd bet there are a few.

I don't intend to start up another union debate. Try to get feedback from the company's employees. If they say they are paid fairly and treated fairly, the company is probably a good place at which to work.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[jergar999]

Thanks for all the responses. I was really just curious if it was ever something anyone had been asked about in an interview.

 

[ksu_aviator]

There are a whole slew of questions that aren't allowed in an interview. Most interviewers won't ask you them, but if they do you need to know how to handle it.

So here are the Illegal Questoins

and How to handle the problem