Maurus, I've been doing this "union thing" for a long time. Committee member, committee chairman, elected rep, ALPA National volunteer, etc... Judging by your profile, you're pretty new to this whole industry. Take some friendly advice: listen to the guys who have been there and done that and try to learn something. Do you really think you're going to school a union rep on how unions work? Come on now.
I have done just that in real life actually. Has a great flight background including military and various airlines. One thing he hated, constant airline pilot complaining. At the same time he knows how to manage. Treat the pilots well that treat you well. Yes it was on a much smaller level, but he had great relations for a low paid group of CFI's. Maybe that dual received in a B-25 had something to do with it for the good pilots.
As for the flying public, we have done focus groups and polling on this. No matter how much information you give the public, they still won't side with us. The data is clear: they just want their cheap tickets and their flight to run on time. Our problems aren't important to them, especially if it means they have to pay $2 more for a ticket to see Mickey Mouse.
And what does the public hear in the media all the time? Flight delays and company financial problems caused by labor issues, ect. I just keep looking back at different articles each one talks about "labor issues" being one of the reasons for failing airlines. What do people percieve from this?
We aren't the ones doing the screwing, Maurus. We just want to bargain in good faith, and they refuse. When that happens, we retaliate. We never pick a fight, we just finish it.
I said to be the better side. Just because the management starts to tug a little doesn't mean you have to tug back. You could just leave your airline if you don't like it. Oh wait. Seniority is everything, funny how that works. :crazy:
You need to do some research. Specifically, you should look into what settled some very recent contract disputes. Let's start with UAL contract 2000. UAL management refused to negotiate in good faith with ALPA. ALPA played nice for quite a while, but the pilots eventually had enough. This culminated in what we called the "Summer of Love" in 2000. The pilots slowed down, sick calls shot up, airplanes got written up left and right, etc... The contract was settled in no time.
Come on, you know there is more to that. Managment was employee owned at that point in time. The owners legally wanted to acquire US. Airways and the employees illegally did their "summer of love". Basically a partial strike. The partial strike was only part of the issue as the US was heading toward a recession in 2000 and then Spet 11, 2001 which put the final blow to United Airlines managment which ended calling for recessions from workers, furloughs and bankrupcy. The bankrupcy is what ended a lot of the issues for United Managment and forced the labor into concessions in the end.
Now lets see the result of what has happened since then. This "success" for the pilots has turned out to be interesting. Year 2000 United had
10,500 pilots and is now down to 7,747 pilots. Wether it be to attrition or forced retirement, no new pilots were able to fill the spots. The extra loss of many was definately a factor in United Bankrupsy rebuilding time and could have allowed more jobs after bankrupcy, but instead United lost 25% of their pilots. Definately furthuring the profession...
Flash forward to 2007. The NWA pilots were operating under a horribly concessionary contract after bankruptcy. Their work rules were decimated. Schedules were unbearable. The pilots asked management repeatedly to come back to the table to negotiate some improvements to make their lives at least somewhat livable. As usual, management said NO. They refused to even sit down and talk about it. The pilots had enough. They started a "what about BOB (block or better)" campaign. Virtually every single flight in the system overblocked for a few months. Suddenly, management had a change of heart. Amazing how that works. Management rushed back to the table and quickly agreed to a slew of work rule improvements.
All I can find on this is the Labor Unions being pissed off because of the bonus of a CEO of over 26 million for getting NWA out of banruptcy. Unfortunately the CEO didn't ask for the bonus last I checked as it was given by the shareholders.
Another case: ASA. The ASA pilots spent over 5 years in negotiations. Management continually played games and refused to bargain in good faith. After the NMB parked them for the umpteenth time, the pilots had enough. They started taking the same actions that the UAL pilots had taken seven years prior. The result? Management suddenly decided that they were ready to make a deal. Know how long it took them to have a change of heart after the slow-down started? Three weeks! That's all it took.
The airline was also sold in the middle of this time which also would cause more delays for the contract. A simple search was not able to show me what the ASA labor issues were, but I was able to find that in 2006 ASA was the worst airline for on-time arrivals...
Why did I just give you a history lesson? Because you need to learn what works and what doesn't. The actions I just discussed have been proven to work time and time again. The things you are advocating have never worked in this industry. From the time of C.L. Cord to Lorenzo to Steenland, they're all the same. They will never treat us with respect until we force their hand. Welcome to the real world.
Funny how Lorenzo just left Eastern in the dust and continued with his Continental Airlines. How many people lost their jobs when Eastern bit the dust? How about AA unions in the 50's that if going to strike would have literally shut down half of the US's domestic flying if not stopped? Frankly these tactics don't always work as you make them seem.
I suggest you study the Railway Labor Act so you can understand how the process works. Simply put, we can't just strike whenever we feel it's appropriate. The government has to approve our strikes, and they rarely do. I would also recommend that you read "Flying the Line, Volumes I and II." They will give you a complete history of airline labor relations from the beginning up to the '90s.
I know it takes more than just wanting to strike to strike, but wouldn't any type of mediation be easier when all the good is on your side? Once the pilots start to whine and groan about everything and do partial strikes by just canceling flights, taxiing slow, and such, they lose leverage. Contract talks will take longer. Until shareholders force the management to make a deal they will wait it out as long as they can.
Get the leverage of good work ethics. You say the government rarely approves strikes, well how often do labor groups go looking to strike with a militant attitude? Curious on that one. I am not talking about representatives but the people actually walking the line as anyone approving anything would look at more than just the representative.
If you want to improve the profession you have to improve the pilot image. With only 12% of the us workforce being unionized, fighting management only helps management's cause.
This stupid industry just needs to be redone. Not talking regulation, but just a complete wipe and start over, but that is impossible.
Anyway I am done with the thread. No need to just go in circles.
