redsnail - Could not agree more. Surely if we were like every other industry then individual employers would not be able to play us off so easily as those who were worth more would migrate elsewhere.
Alas, I think we are perhaps still 10 - 15 years off the point where this point of view will be more than just a fringe idea.
Many things amaze me about AIPA, like their attitude towards the A list drivers (ie their own), their attitude to 89' , their intense 'company mindedness' their lack of foresight on issues such as Jetstar etc. etc. I cannot point to why they have these attitudes, however it is certainly endemic.
A GA Union. What a great idea, maybe if we start with a solid wage foundation then pilots would be more aware of thier negotiating power.
Unfortunately this would require the assistance of AIPA and the AFAP and I am afraid that neither has that degree of forsight.