Who's Defending Unionism?

[luvn737s]

Have most pilots forgotten (or did they ever know) why the pay scale was set where it was when they started? It wasn't generousity, it was the power of the unions. Now, when they are called on to defend their profession from corporate slashing to makeup for incompetence, they capitulate, hoping to hold onto what little is left. Had the pilots of the 50's, 60's and 70's been as spineless, the pay rates today would be much closer to a municipal bus driver.

Pundits say that pilots are more cooperative because they have so much more to lose than other rank-and-file employees. That of course makes no sense. But I think that pilots have lost sight of just what they have to lose. Under the guise of "reality" they are lead to believe that the changes in the industry are beyond their control and that they need to be proactive (concessionary) to defend what little is left. "RJ's are here, JetBlue has a backlog of applications and a pilot job just ain't what it used to be" are repeated enough to become an acceptable substitute for the truth.

So now who stands up for the airline profession? The F/A's, the mechanics and rampers are carrying water for the pilots. Anyone who fails to see the war zone that exists in airline-labor relations is bound to become a victim of it one way or another. The Christmas meltdown was a watershed event that signaled the first defensive salvos in the war that management has decided to wage on it's own employees. Just as airlines have had to adjust to the new "realities" of it's market, passengers will either have to acclimate to a new and much less reliable level of service or choose carriers based on service reputation. Service that won't come with the $39 ticket.

This battle will not be without casualties (in the emotional, business and financial sense, of course). But it is a battle worth fighting, both out of respect for those who fought before and those who will choose to follow.

 

[luvn737s]

Oh, and this post is directed as much, if not more, to the DAL, UAL, AWA and AMR pilots as the USAir.

 

[bagstacker]

Oh, and this post is directed as much, if not more, to the DAL, UAL, AWA and AMR pilots as the USAir.

[post="234549"][/post]​

well said. the nature of today's management is to push aggressively until it becomes clear to them that those tactics are costing them more than they are gaining. ugly as it was, the us sickout/meltdown may have been the shot heard 'round the industry...

 

[Phoenix]

...it is a battle worth fighting, both out of respect for those who fought before and those who will choose to follow.

[post="234548"][/post]​

The chief Captain of confusion, and capitulation is sure to blow a gasket over this. HA!

Touché.

 

[BabyBus]

Very well said...What can I say?...You have been thinking very deeply with this type of editorial...Thank You and HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

[A320 Driver]

Oh sure, I get it. Since 9-11 U has had a gazillion bucks in profits and they won't give you your fare share. What is it exactly you think your fighting for? For those of you with your heads in the sand...U IS BROKE. The only money they have is BORROWED. Why is this so hard to understand. I could go with more of these posts if the company was making money but it STILL loses 2 mill a day.


A320 Driver

 

[PITbull]

Jerry is a what's called a specialist. His trade is human brutality the kind that affects not only your pocket book, but your mind. There is a special chamber in hell that awaits such individuals with its lowest setting being twelve thousand degrees Celsius.
deano/curt

[post="234228"][/post]​

Who defends unionism?....not enough in this country.

We have learned to defend ourselves, and defend the rights of ALL American workers, whether union or not.... those who are non union, or even some that are union, just don't know it. The question is: "when will they"?

"We begin to die, when we are silent about the things that matter": Martin Luther King.

 

[PITbull]

Oh sure, I get it. Since 9-11 U has had a gazillion bucks in profits and they won't give you your fare share. What is it exactly you think your fighting for? For those of you with your heads in the sand...U IS BROKE. The only money they have is BORROWED. Why is this so hard to understand. I could go with more of these posts if the company was making money but it STILL loses 2 mill a day.
A320 Driver

[post="234611"][/post]​

FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH YOUR HEADS IN THE SAND:

Labor has given 3 TIMES IN TWO YEARS...2 BANKRUPCIES, SCREWED CREDITORS, STOCKHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES....

ONE MUST ASK ONESELF AT THIS POINT....WHY IS USAIRWAYS BROKE?

THE GREATER QUESTION IS:

WHEN WILL FOLKS STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THIS MANGMENT'S LACK OF KNOWING HOW TO RUN AN AIRLINE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT????

 

[RowUnderDCA]

First of all, unions need to keep their members from voting how their preacher tells them to. What percentage of union households voted republican? You're pushing on a string.

 

[PITbull]

First of all, unions need to keep their members from voting how their preacher tells them to. What percentage of union households voted republican? You're pushing on a string.

[post="234620"][/post]​

Most likely, and obviously too many.

Which brings me back to the earlier post...

We begin to die, when we are silent about the things that matter": Martin Luther King

 

[N628AU]

Maybe if the unions started listening to the true desires of their membership, instead of maintaining a hard left position, they would hold more weight. How many union members have personal feelings more in touch with the Republican Party than the Democratic party? Obviously quite a few, according to the exit polling. Maybe the fact that the heads of so many AFL-CIO affiliated unions try to push political positions through that have nothing to do with their stated purpose of collective bargaining (gay marriage, gun control, abortion rights) has led to the continous free fall of union membership in this country? How many realize that the President of the AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, is a member of the Democratic Solialists of America?

Maybe for the labor movement to regain it's footing in this country, it will take a move back to ways of Samuel Gompers, the founder of the AF of L and the American labor movement. He realized that a great number of members of unions and the workers of America are Republicans and to continuously use their dues to advocate a political party that opposes their views will ultimately doom the labor movement.

 

[PITbull]

The reason why the working class or Labor is doomed is because of lack of education on political views and posting how their representatives vote on issues that effect them directly.

In today's working world, one has to be pretty savy on issues of lawmaking, world policy, world economics and the job their political representatives are doing. There has to be an effort on ones part to be "in the know".

Our American workers would rather watch football, then read US News and World Report, or investigate the voting record of their elected officials. This is endemic of our society, more so with the my generation and younger, than our parents.

Most American workers would rather watch comedy on T.V or spend their time watching fantasy movies or working to feed their families with second jobs.

They have been brainwashed by the right wing religious factions that insist on total control of the American mind and spirit. War and guns are good, gay marriages are bad, affordable health care for all Americans is unrealistic, outsourcing is good, supporting other world economies is good, and fostering inividualism is radical and should be squashed.

The "free thinkers" are slowly evaporating, and the "powers that be" are diverting the attention of the American worker toward entertainment, TV rather than how policy changes will and does effect their lives.

Guilt or fear to speak out has over come those who think they are at the mercy of their employer or church or government... They are afraid to question or be allowed to question higher authority without fear of some retribution.

They believe in the philosophy and ideology of those that have wealth and power, and those few that dare speak out are reticuled and chastized by there own peers.

The conspiracy against labor has begun.

 

[UAL_TECH]

The reason why the working class or Labor is doomed is because of lack of education on political views and posting how their representatives vote on issues that effect them directly.

In today's working world, one has to be pretty savy on issues of lawmaking, world policy, world economics and the job their political representatives are doing. There has to be an effort on ones part to be "in the know".

Our American workers would rather watch football, then read US News and World Report, or investigate the voting record of their elected officials. This is endemic of our society, more so with the my generation and younger, than our parents.

Most American workers would rather watch comedy on T.V or spend their time watching fantasy movies or working to feed their families with second jobs.

They have been brainwashed by the right wing religious factions that insist on total control of the American mind and spirit. War and guns are good, gay marriages are bad, affordable health care for all Americans is unrealistic, outsourcing is good, supporting other world economies is good, and fostering inividualism is radical and should be squashed.

The "free thinkers" are slowly evaporating, and the "powers that be" are diverting the attention of the American worker toward entertainment, TV rather than how policy changes will and does effect their lives.

Guilt or fear to speak out has over come those who think they are at the mercy of their employer or church or government... They are afraid to question or be allowed to question higher authority without fear of some retribution.

They believe in the philosophy and ideology of those that have wealth and power, and those few that dare speak out are reticuled and chastized by there own peers.

The conspiracy against labor has begun.

[post="234639"][/post]​

From one 'Free Thinker' to another

Take Care and watch your back!!!
B) UAL_TECH

 

[mweiss]

WHEN WILL FOLKS STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THIS MANGMENT'S LACK OF KNOWING HOW TO RUN AN AIRLINE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT????

[post="234618"][/post]​

Who's making excuses? Fighting a paycut does nothing to improve the current management team. :huh:

 

[PHL]

They have been brainwashed by the right wing religious factions that insist on total control of the American mind and spirit. War and guns are good, gay marriages are bad, affordable health care for all Americans is unrealistic, outsourcing is good, supporting other world economies is good, and fostering inividualism is radical and should be squashed.

Yeah, right, because the left wing doesn't do any brainwashing of its own. I just read a bunch of it in your post, PitBull. More than 80% of Americans have CableTV. Most of them know where CNN is. How many know where PBS is? How many know where the History Channel is? Who's fault is that?

War and guns are good because without them we'd be ruled by the Queen or, even worse, speaking German or Japanese. We've built this country up on defense because we were the "little" guy and broke out of the opression.

Gay marriages are bad because there are no religions(without crazy interpretations) that recognize a marriage as two of the same sex. DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS allowing the same rights as man/woman marriages are okay, and both the left and right has said so.

There is no affordable healthcare, and if the left has told you there is, just look back to Bill and Hillary. Kerry would have failed miserably if he tried it again.

Outsourcing is good. It improves the bottom line of companies so they can hire more skilled labor. If you're not more skilled than someone who can answer a phone or turn a wrench, then you should look outside the box and think how you can use your brain better to your advantage. Look at the preliminary annual results for companies across all sectors - profits are improving and with that, so are open job positions.

We are in a global economy. This is not just the US economy. So, darn right we should support other countries. Especially if it will impact on trade agreements that help keep our taxes in check. It's a very intricate equilibrium. If this country had a big wall around it to allow no trade, we'd pay much higher taxes.