Originally Posted by
Colonel_Klink
Rated - you and I both know that AIPA has recommended the revised SH EA. It will be up to the pilot group to once again decide whether they think the agreement is suitable (I actually don’t know the feeling amongst the troops with regard to this revised offer).
AIPA have still been in negotiations with JQ as well. The issue with this is that AIPA represent under 20% of the pilot group at JQ, so even if they reached a deal with JQ management and every one of their members voted YES to a subsequent agreement, in all likelihood the agreement would be voted down convincingly. Given this, JQ management’s decision to essentially not meet with the AFAP perhaps indicates how serious they are in trying to get an agreement up.
What is more difficult to understand is the thought process AIPA is going through at JQ. They are the clear minority union, yet are still actively meeting with the company (and taking a very adversarial approach towards the AFAP). Because they would not get involved in PIA (despite their negotiators at the time pushing for exactly that), they lost about 100 JQ members. After continuing to negotiate with JQ, if AIPA come to an agreement with the company, and the EA subsequently gets voted down, where does that leave AIPA as an organisation representing JQ pilots? I think it is important that unions have healthy relationships with employers, but this can’t be at the expense (or against the wishes) of the majority of the pilot group (the union’s members!).
A rare opportunity presents itself when you have QF SH, QF LH and JQ agreements all up for negotiation - now is the perfect opportunity for AIPA to show that they could be a very strong organisation industrially - however, they just seem to be missing the mark as they seem to not want to rock the boat.
Agree - the out-of-touch AIPA exec and a handful of CoM have recommended the very average QF SH deal version 2. Didn't mean to thread drift with that but to bring it back to JQ, there's now a track record of those in charge at AIPA doing everything they can to please the company and zero to actually represent the people they claim to. Some will scoff at that but give me a contrary example, and I'll counter with the mass-resignation of AIPA JQ members and representatives as well as the QF SH mess and LH, well, what can you even say. They haven't read the room at all and it's amazing a group of pilots can't see themselves group-thinking their way towards disappointing everyone except QF management. AIPA has a pretty good history overall but unfortunately this lot is trading on that history whilst simultaneously destroying it.
Good on the JQ guys for standing your ground with both AIPA and JQ. Sorry that it's a battle on two fronts; it shouldn't have to be this way.