Quote:
Originally Posted by higney85 
YES. An arbitrator ruling, a Union Grievance still on file, and Scope being at the top of our negotiating list should be a good indication that we want 1 true list. We WANT fences in place. We (at PNCL) are very hopeful that the ALPA drive is sucessful for the CJC folks. One union, one list (but operating seperate) keeps both sides from being pawns and allows growth and security for both sides (if there is such a thing currently in the industry). Nobody is calling for a "Staplejob" and nobody is saying "I wanna bid the Q because we bought them", the pinnacle pilots understand that the colgan pilots are just "along for the ride", but also understand that the mgmt team we are dealing with is far from the "mom and pop" setup that Colgan had before. Colgan going ALPA and both groups on a combined list with fences is the best thing for both pilot groups. ALPA may not be what it was back in the day, but in this current situation of the industry ALPA is the best thing for both groups to have. Nobody but mgmt wants a whipsaw and it should be rather obvious that a whipsaw potential is exactly what Pinnacle Corp (mgmt) wants. |
Let me first start by saying that I mean no disrespect to the PNCL pilots or ALPA. I want nothing more than a fair and equitable working contract for BOTH PNCL and CJC.
First, I think we can all agree that each and every one of us wants what we perceive is best for us. It is very clear that the PNCL pilot's want a list merger, which is what you perceive is best for you. That does not necessarily mean that a list merger is best for CJC. As an FO here I have listened to many CA's explain what they want. Two things are clear to me. One, the colgan pilots most definitely want a union, and two, we want a union that will represent OUR interests. I think the major problem (and why we get into these much heated discussions) is that the CJC pilots (myself included) do not know that the interests of PNCL pilots are the same as the CJC pilots. They may be, they may not be (although it's highly doubtful in my opinion). The simple fact that you are so forceful in pushing ALPA is surely reason enough for many of us to doubt your good intentions.
Secondly, I have read over and over that we (CJC pilots) need to be educated on the benefits of ALPA, and that we cannot state specific reasons for not wanting ALPA represent us. To this let me say that we do not live in a vacuum, and many of us have friends and family that work for airlines that are represented by ALPA. Many people are not happy with the way that ALPA has represented them, and they have "educated" us as well.
Each and every one of us is entitled to an opinion, and I would expect that people will stand up and argue for something they believe in. In fact, I would be disappointed if they didn't. But at the end of the day, it's one man, one vote. Please respect other people's opinions even if you don't agree with them.
So where do I stand on this issue? I am still trying to "educate" myself, which brings me back to my original question. Is a list merger unavoidable? To be clear, is there some way that a list merger could be forced upon us, and will it happen? I think this question goes to the heart of why so many CJC pilots fear ALPA representation.