ITCZ,
you're comments relating to why Eastern pilots didn't get backpay or 400's shows your considerable lack of knowledge on this subject.
The "hair brain" scheme was bourne out of frustration with a union (AFAP) that, in the opinion of many, has underperformed for years.
Ironically the industrial staff at the AFAP always say "the Federation is the pilots", yet the industrial staff refuses to take direction from the pilots paying their wages.
The EBA was voted down for the same reassons the
VB one was: because it was a bad deal.
The 400 wasn't even on the AOC till 2007, so it wasn't coming anytime soon around 2005 when the EBA was voted on.
All this decision is about is choice. For too long the Federation have enjoyed a monopoly, and with the protection of that monopoly they have treated their membership with contempt. Eventually enough EAA guys decided to seek an alternative.
If the AFAP had spent half the time, money and effort helping Eastern pilots as they have fighting this case no-one would have wanted to leave the AFAP in the first place, because they would have been effectively representing their members.
It's funny that the AFAP President has already written they expected to lose this case. If that was so, why spend all the members' money fighting it? Surely they should have been concentrating on providing a better service than AIPA. If they did this they might retain their membership.
You don't see Mcdonalds suing Hungry Jacks for making hamburgers, they just try and make a better burger. In the end you get the choice of where to eat.
