CluebyFour-
That insuation is flat wrong. You're basically saying that ALPA national (which I do believe provides the legal/financial talent) is lying to, or misleading our MEC to protect its dues base and/or to protect ALPA national treasury from having to pay strike pay? That is absolutely ridiculous, as are most conspiracy theories.
I suspect from those statements that you either 1) aren't even an ALPA member and/or 2) have never even belonged to a union. Let me GENERALLY explain the relationship between ALPA National and UAL's MEC. The UAL MEC is in the midst of bargaining for concessions. ALPA National's job is to supply UAL MEC with the resources and expertise to negotiate with the company. ALPA National generally DOES NOT get into the minutia of MEC/UAL negotiations because that is the job of the elected MEC members who are directed by passed LEC resolutions NOT ALPA National directives. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship with Duane Woerth as our Feuhrer. If the UAL MEC needs legal or financial advice, they ask their advisors for the required information, and generally that's where the relationship ends, although Woerth does sign all final negotiated contracts.
CluebyFour said: "I also think that ALPA, like most unions, cares much less about the welfare of the profession and/or the working conditions of a particular group so much as it does maintaining itself as a whole. Witness the pressure they put on the duly elected members of the AAA ALPA from the locals in PIT and PHL during the US "concession" talk."
I would disagree with that, and you can use the AFA as an example. Even though their legal advisors are probably telling them the same thing our legal advisors are telling us about the questionable legality of a CHAOS/STRIKE/SICKOUT or whatever you want to call it, they are still quite vocal about participating in such an act. If they do strike/chaos/sickout and it is found illegal, the union (and possibly the CWA) will be fined into financial oblivion, and they know that. Yet, they still might partake in a job action much to the detriment of "maintaining itself as a whole." So I disagree with that statement too.
And in that last sentence, notice you used the word "pressure." I guess ALPA national can exert "pressure" on anyone they want. So did some PA legislators. I guess ALPA National could call up the King of Spain and attempt political pressure. So what? The PIT and PHL reps at US did what they thought was in the best interest of their membership as their elected officals. But ALPA National didn't tell them what to do.
That insuation is flat wrong. You're basically saying that ALPA national (which I do believe provides the legal/financial talent) is lying to, or misleading our MEC to protect its dues base and/or to protect ALPA national treasury from having to pay strike pay? That is absolutely ridiculous, as are most conspiracy theories.
I suspect from those statements that you either 1) aren't even an ALPA member and/or 2) have never even belonged to a union. Let me GENERALLY explain the relationship between ALPA National and UAL's MEC. The UAL MEC is in the midst of bargaining for concessions. ALPA National's job is to supply UAL MEC with the resources and expertise to negotiate with the company. ALPA National generally DOES NOT get into the minutia of MEC/UAL negotiations because that is the job of the elected MEC members who are directed by passed LEC resolutions NOT ALPA National directives. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship with Duane Woerth as our Feuhrer. If the UAL MEC needs legal or financial advice, they ask their advisors for the required information, and generally that's where the relationship ends, although Woerth does sign all final negotiated contracts.
CluebyFour said: "I also think that ALPA, like most unions, cares much less about the welfare of the profession and/or the working conditions of a particular group so much as it does maintaining itself as a whole. Witness the pressure they put on the duly elected members of the AAA ALPA from the locals in PIT and PHL during the US "concession" talk."
I would disagree with that, and you can use the AFA as an example. Even though their legal advisors are probably telling them the same thing our legal advisors are telling us about the questionable legality of a CHAOS/STRIKE/SICKOUT or whatever you want to call it, they are still quite vocal about participating in such an act. If they do strike/chaos/sickout and it is found illegal, the union (and possibly the CWA) will be fined into financial oblivion, and they know that. Yet, they still might partake in a job action much to the detriment of "maintaining itself as a whole." So I disagree with that statement too.
And in that last sentence, notice you used the word "pressure." I guess ALPA national can exert "pressure" on anyone they want. So did some PA legislators. I guess ALPA National could call up the King of Spain and attempt political pressure. So what? The PIT and PHL reps at US did what they thought was in the best interest of their membership as their elected officals. But ALPA National didn't tell them what to do.
