Lead sled, great to hear the history (I mean that, no sarcasm intended).
What I also heard was a lot about AN/TN self interest. At the end of the day, was it not self interest that lead GW, TJ et al together with QF Management at the time to form AIPA?
At that time, Qantas was the only international airline headquartered in Australia, hence Australian International Pilots Association.
AIPA at that time represented a very small percentage of Australian Airline pilots. Today it is very different, AIPA represents pilots whose airline brand controls nearly two thirds of the Australian domestic market, the very market its founders were determined to walk away from.
I think (happy to stand corrected) you have also expressed the opinion that many ex TN AIPA members would prefer to return to AFAP? If so, why should they be denied that choice? Why should AIPA not be forced to compete for its membership dollars, as it has forced AFAP to do in many other airlines ie JQ, NWA, EAA, SSA and even Virgin (come on, lets be honest, AIPA was knee deep in the formation of VIPA)?
I don’t believe competition is a bad thing, even in unions. I am more worried about a scenario where one union, whose structure and rules facilitates one dominant pilot group controlling the agenda as against all union members receiving equal representation.
At the end of the day, AUSALPA can still be the umbrella for issues which suit the common cause.