And what of the TSA pilots who were being told for so long that "we have your back against these GoJets guys who took your flying"; to now be told by the very same people "accept those same GoJets guys as your brothers because they gave us some money".
No one is saying anything about money except for you. Again, there would be no money made by organizing GoJet. Money would be
lost. This isn't about making money, this is about unifying the profession.
The common thread is the $$$. In the end, the TSA pilots only become the "collateral damage" of the bigger wants/needs of nationa. They, however, remain disenfranchised. What have they gotten out of the deal? Sold down the river.
Alright, time for some "inside baseball." In the summer of 2006, the TSA MEC, then led by Captain Dario Miranda, approached many of the other ALPA MECs with a proposal: cease the denial of jumpseats to GoJet pilots so that an alliance could be built between the TSA and GoJet pilots' leaderships. I was on the PCL MEC at the time, and I personally had discussions with Captain Miranda about this. The TSA MEC wanted all ALPA MECs to sign repicprical jumpseat agreements with GoJet as a form of olive branch to begin the reconciliation process. The GoJet pilot leadership was somewhat receptive at the time to building a relationship.
I fought this proposal tooth and nail, and after much debate on the PCL MEC, managed to convince a majority of the MEC members to refuse the request. To this day the PCL MEC has refused a jumpseat agreement with GoJet. Several other MECs within ALPA also refused to sign agreements, but some of them complied with the TSA MEC's request.
I was wrong, and so were the other pilots that fought this proposal. We should have followed the TSA MEC's request to start building a bridge.
What did we end up gaining in the end by fighting this proposal? What would have happened if we had engaged in a full-scale effort to form an alliance between the GoJet pilots and TSA ALPA as the TSA MEC had wanted? Now, three full years after this was first brought up, the TSA pilots are in worse shape, GoJet is staffing their airline without any problems, and no new contract with a merged seniority list is anywhere on the horizon. We've accomplished less than nothing.
Why do we want to go on accomplishing less than nothing? Why not try to fix this problem? The only solution to the GoJet problem is a single seniority list. The only way to accomplish that is with the help of the GoJet pilots. We need to bring them into the fold to end this quagmire.
Why not, as a union, stick by a set of values that can be truly believed in....not bought off? They got away with it with CAL.
You keep saying "bought off," but money has nothing to do with this. Drop the money and start looking at this from a unity-building standpoint. How are we going to raise up the profession? How are we going to end the whipsaw between TSA and GoJet? What we've been doing so far has not worked. Time for a new strategy.
I'm not big on wild-eyed idealism. I'm big on pragmatism. How do we accomplish what is in the best interests of the TSA pilots and the profession?
Let me ask you this: With what USAPA has been doing to the AWA pilots......if they decided to come back to ALPA tomorrow, would they instantly cease to be the "scum they are" with what they've done, and would you tell AWA pilots to just let bygones be bygones and be buddies and brothers with them again?
I would welcome them back today with open arms. As they are now, they are a constant threat to this profession. The "seniority matters" USAPA jihad needs to stop. Let's bring them back and start working towards upholding our profession.
If YOU were an AWA pilot (or TSA pilot in this case) could you honestly tell me you'd be able to look the other way? I know I wouldn't likely be able to.
I think most AWA pilots would wet themselves from joy at the prospect of leaving USAPA behind and coming back to ALPA, even if it means bringing the Easties back with them.
