For all those sitting on the fence, let me just say that if you listen to all the nonsense that your management is telling you ask yourself why are they saying that? It’s coming from an individual that is trying to get a larger bonus if the pilots don’t vote for representation. They keep stirring the pot. Divide and conquer is the tactic. The next tactic is the “ We didn’t know it was so bad, you have our attention now, let’s sit down and talk about it. We don’t need a nasty old union here.” letter that comes out. Those who want to be organized have been hosed enough and those who aren’t sure just haven’t been screwed over enough times to say enough is enough. When it’s done correctly you have a good working relationship with management. Communication is the key. Dump the “us versus them” attitude. Educate yourself about your rights as an employee and then educate your coworkers. Support your leadership and get involved. If it’s done right it’s a win-win.
We’re working on our first contract now and our pilot group is split. But, we still have a fairly good attitude on all sides and we are working to maintain that through discussions and sending out information to all the crews. It's the rank and file pilots that make the union work.