these guys don't have ALPA's deep pockets to help them out.
Is it okay if we don't turn this into a another jumpseating thread?
That's asking a lot with this crowd.
Which begs the question - why not?
Many answers to that one
An independent union is probably best bet for B6 at this point. Sometime down the road, after the B6 guys figure out their not much better off, they'll come ask ALPA for a merger.
Either way, a laudable first step for the Jet Blue pilots.
Let's do what we can to help our brother and sister aviators get a leg up in their profession so they can better their careers, and in doing so, help all of us better our own.
Playing devil's advocate here, but why do they need a union?
Do they have poor relations with management?
Are their pilots mistreated?
Does management abuse pilots and/or interpret rules to an extent that pilots are victims?
Will being a member of a union help them in the event of a merger like it did for USAirways ( east ) and TWA pilots?
Who will the new union negotiate for? Will it be for the senior pilots or the junior pilots?
What will management do in the event a union is voted onto the property?
Unions are not a panacea or cure all. Unions can't change the economy. Unions can't change management's strategy for the better ( quite the contrary more often than not ).
My prediction: If a union is voted in at jetBlue they will either cease to exist or be sold within 7 years. With no union on the property, and provided they survive this economic downturn, I see them leveraging their good position at JFK to start more international routes. Quite probably with larger aircraft.
Typhoonpilot
Playing devil's advocate here, but why do they need a union?
Do they have poor relations with management?
Are their pilots mistreated?
Does management abuse pilots and/or interpret rules to an extent that pilots are victims?
Will being a member of a union help them in the event of a merger like it did for USAirways ( east ) and TWA pilots?
Who will the new union negotiate for? Will it be for the senior pilots or the junior pilots?
What will management do in the event a union is voted onto the property?
Unions are not a panacea or cure all. Unions can't change the economy. Unions can't change management's strategy for the better ( quite the contrary more often than not ).
My prediction: If a union is voted in at jetBlue they will either cease to exist or be sold within 7 years. With no union on the property, and provided they survive this economic downturn, I see them leveraging their good position at JFK to start more international routes. Quite probably with larger aircraft.
Typhoonpilot
Playing devil's advocate here, but why do they need a union?
Do they have poor relations with management?
Are their pilots mistreated?
Does management abuse pilots and/or interpret rules to an extent that pilots are victims?
Will being a member of a union help them in the event of a merger like it did for USAirways ( east ) and TWA pilots?
Who will the new union negotiate for? Will it be for the senior pilots or the junior pilots?
What will management do in the event a union is voted onto the property?
Unions are not a panacea or cure all. Unions can't change the economy. Unions can't change management's strategy for the better ( quite the contrary more often than not ).
My prediction: If a union is voted in at jetBlue they will either cease to exist or be sold within 7 years. With no union on the property, and provided they survive this economic downturn, I see them leveraging their good position at JFK to start more international routes. Quite probably with larger aircraft.
I have no actual experience in the airline pilots lifestyle and what many of you guys go through other than what I hear and read, so I really don't want to touch this subject.