I tend to concur with CPDude whilst agreeing in part with the Silver Fox.
I joined the AOA when it was an Association...being an organisation of persons having a common interest..albeit some of whom were somewhat eccentric. That common interest was shared by most and allowed us to have an input into the company's thought processes and policies.
It then added the words...
The Registered Trade Union of the Pilots and Flight Engineers of Cathay Pacific Airways
... and defined itself as an organisation of WORKERS formed for the purpose of advancing its members interests in respect to wages, benefits and working conditions through collective ACTION..and to hell with whomever got in their way.
It then employed union muscle, if not intellect, in a jurisdiction which immediately rendered it an oxymoron.
Management turned off the lights and the UNION turned on any dissenting members in it's continued search for fresh meat
And now some of you have the gall to criticise those that left.
My question is why would any sane person pay good money to be insulted by an organisation hell bent on destroying itself and insulting the intellect of those who dared to criticise it. I have far greater access to management (and I'm not one) than ever I could through the UNION.
I have disagreements with policy but can see clearly that a lot of it is due to the combatative state of relations with flight crew.
Sure I have issues with management policies but feel that my input is sought and often listened to.
The cabin crew have their own issues and my sympathy but they too let the militants destroy their bridge to the policy table.
CX is not our train set and I will say again, more can be gained by constructive dialogue...and removing the second line from the AOA logo would go a long way to restoring a good working relationship with influence.
For all those that pine for a genuine union...Air Canada, Qantas and BA offer a limited window.
Otherwise get real. Terms and conditions in this industry will never be what they were 25 years ago but I challenge any of you to name an airline that you could join tomorrow on better conditions.
CX, like HK, is far from perfect but most of the alternatives are further.