It is called apathy. As you have pointed out it has been going on for a very long time. Nobody thinks they can change anything so why bother. The other thing as already pointed out these are all recycled players. Why in the world a recalled MEC president is now negotiating a contract is beyond understanding. I guess everybody is alright with that though.
We made motions to recall CA from the JNC and when the PHL LECP took that to Las Vegas for the MEC meeting, the MECP's from other bases, as well as JM, cast a scant few votes to support our desire to get her off the JNC.
How much power do we have, really, when it's a "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" game among our LECP's? The Las Vegas meeting produced many outcomes among the national vote that befuddled and defied the wishes of the membership. Part of the problem is, IMO, we DO feel defeated and to buck the system puts one on a limb, is time consuming, tiresome, and makes you ill favored among some of your peers.
Not that I'm against fighting city hall when it's needed. My problem is I don't know for sure who is actually supporting the membership and who is pretending they are when they themselves are too tired, apathetic, in bed with higher ups, or trying to placate others for their own upward motion.
I would hate to see any benefits cut among other workgroups, as the better they have it the better we can argue our points for better benefits. With that said, it's a heck of a lot more lucrative to get a seat in the national AFA CWA than to be a veteran career flight attendant as far as retirement is concerned.
I think if we all had the same benefits, work rules, standards, etc, we all would feel more unified and supportive of one another.
An example, and I'm not trying to start a RSV versus BH issue, but what if the AIL / Bid Sheet was awarded based on LTO and not seniority? If it's good enough for the reserves it should be good enough for the blockholders. Alas, it's not.
Sorry for the multiple points / rants / and likely mispellings.
