Brad,
You have the right to hold an opinion, you have the right to vote how you wish. As long as you pay your assesment when we all vote to support a pilot group, I can't really complain. I apologise for the "potential scab" comment, it was uncalled for and I am very sorry I wote it.
An army of one is exactly what a union isn't. We don't need devils advocates, we need unity, because I promise you that the managment is unified. And it's unified against us. By 50,000 pilots supporting 1500 we make it very expensive for managment to take us lightly. Paying gladly for three months isn't good enough to get the attention of the Delta board of directors, paying for as long as it takes is the only course of action for a union that means business.
My wife makes about $20,000 a month and pays an assesment less then $100 a month! You have to understand how complaining about that level of support makes you look. You have to understand what management sees when pilots aren't willing to kick in 0.5% of their salary to help defeat a company in an effort to lower all pilot salaries. I don't know where you work, but it's a real deal that your job can be sourced to an RJ for about 50% of what a major airline would pay to move the people. And it cost my wife less then $100 a month to fight it, it cost me less then $50 a month!
Do you understand how ungracious you sound when you complain about giving up pocket change to help a fellow pilot & union member fight a fight that concerns us all? A few hundred of your type make the job of getting this industry back on the pay track for all of us so much more difficult. In fact, if you'll change your vote my wife and I will pay your share of the assesment. You have my email address.
[This message has been edited by ex-expat (edited 22 June 2001).]