USAPAWATCH.COM
Watching, Waiting, Looking
We dislike repeating cliches but there really is no other way. Watch what they do, not what they say. In other words, here's a shovel - help us dig ourselves into a corner. That is what USAPA has essentially done with that and the irksome childish mantra of "be good union pilots."
However high minded the ideals of USAPA may have been when initially founded, it has been truly amazing to see a labor union based on simple but misguided pilot ideals founder so dramatically and so substantially on basic principles.
Not only is the union woefully underfunded on principles and monies it is also desperately devoid of honesty.
One of our points in every post has been that USAPA might be able to represent the pilots of US Airways if the current leadership, respected little, if at all by either east or west pilots, abdicated their positions prior to the scheduled elections to men and women with more democratic ideals. It is apparent they feel that the pressing importance of all the issues facing them preclude a wholesale change in leadership.
USAPA has a declining revenue base and a declining membership base. More and more current members are resigning and revoking dues check off. In fact, USAPA now has more nonmembers than members. Top leadership officials are making statements at east coast council meetings that defy logic in an attempt to shore up a growing sense of mistrust and dismay.
Rhetoric from both the west and east sides only goes so far to support an opinion until facts start getting in the way.
The lawsuits, the hard line positions on seniority, the futility of the current negotiating goals, the attacks on non members threatening their jobs, the disparate treatment of east and west by management, and the incredible shrinking airline industry are issues that USAPA has not and will not deal with honestly. We all wish it was 20 years ago but it isn't. The furloughees understand it only too well.
At the last session of negotiations with the company the depth of suspended reality between the union, its membership, and management was only too clearly illustrated. As the NAC attempted to negotiate one section with management they put out a release to the membership stating they were negotiating something 180 degrees opposite. Needless to say this has set back negotiations severely. Not only has the membership lost trust in USAPA, so has the company.
To be sure, a union and a company have, by nature, an adversarial relationship. But like every such relationship in our method of representation and governance there is a time honored level of basic trust that is required to advance the goals of everyone.
In an effort to forge ahead with some semblance of foresight and unity we can only say be responsible union pilots. We also would like to add the west notion of integrity. Put the two together and we might be able to make a go of this fragmented and mistrustful atmosphere that our union has, through lack of higher ideals and honesty, instigated among us. It doesn't have to be this way.
