Originally Posted by DeadHead

I agree that the decision to relax scope was voted on by each specific mainline pilot group and never came from ALPA National.
However, the decision NOT to relax scope never came from ALPA National either.

Personally, I feel as though ALPA National should have made some basic, concrete guidelines a long time ago. One of these basic concrete guidelines should have been scope plain and simple. The entire discussion of an individual pilot group considering to relax scope in exchange for a pay raise should not even be open for discussion period.

Therein lies the problem with ALPA, ALPA National will take dues from any pilot group without question. ALPA National seems to run more like a business looking out for their own self interests as opposed to an organized labor group looking out for it's members.

ALPA National doesn't seem to give that much guidance to it's pilot groups, instead they allow each group to vote on any piece of regurgitated contract proposal kicked down from management.

ALPA serves under the guise of unity with strength in numbers, but ALPA National will sit by idly while one ALPA group is allowed to whipsaw another ALPA pilot group. While I am not saying ALPA National should be voting on our contract, I do believe that ALPA National needs some backbone principles to stand on that are not negotiable. If a pilot group decided to try and vote below or against these principles, ALPA National should reject that pilot group as a whole.
But then again...ALPA National was never one to turn down money or members.

Originally Posted by sailingfun

Like most pilots you need to read and understand the RLA act. Much of what you suggest that ALPA national should do is illegal. That is why ALPA is a association not a union. You can tie contracts at different airlines to each other or national goals.

Originally Posted by FlyingViking

Well, while we are waiting for that 50.000 maybe we can debate a bit on a little issue I ran into today. Apparantly Delta has decided that if you are gay you can add you partner to your medical insurance, however, if you are straight (like me) and have a GF you have lived with for almost two years, there is no way. I contacted ALPA and they assured me that Delta is in their right and that there is no laws stopping them from these discriminating policies. Anybody have an idea where to start so I can get my GF added to my medical insurance?

Originally Posted by newKnow

I'm sure I'm ignorant about the national structure of ALPA, but if ever there was a sign of what the image problem is that ALPA must deal with, this is it. Why would anyone ever want to be a VP? What do they do?

Originally Posted by FlyingViking

Anybody have an idea where to start so I can get my GF added to my medical insurance?

Originally Posted by FlyingViking

Well, while we are waiting for that 50.000 maybe we can debate a bit on a little issue I ran into today. Apparantly Delta has decided that if you are gay you can add you partner to your medical insurance, however, if you are straight (like me) and have a GF you have lived with for almost two years, there is no way. I contacted ALPA and they assured me that Delta is in their right and that there is no laws stopping them from these discriminating policies. Anybody have an idea where to start so I can get my GF added to my medical insurance?

Originally Posted by Carl Spackler

Sure. Change your sexual orientation. Say you're a lesbian, and you want your girlfriend on your medical policy.

You can thank me later.

Carl