I've been a member of the HKAOA for more than 10 years now but I'm seriously considering quitting.
I watched guys leave because they disagreed with the direction the AOA was taking or they didn't want to pay the fees to support the 49ers and a hundred other reasons. My stance was always you don't quit because you just weaken the union.
Watching the last couple of presidents give away so many bargaining chips while promising to talk about pay and then having 3% imposed in a new COS was just too much for me.
People will say you need to be a member for the protection offered if you bend an aeroplane but I've watched this company sack and demote pilots and the AOA has been powerless to do a thing to help them.
Then there's the loss of licence protection. But I can still get that without being a member.
Others will say without the union there will be no one to negotiate on our behalf. But this union has negotiated so badly in my opinion I'd rather they didn't. Giving away 5-4-3, direct entry FOs and Captains, the 49ers deal etc, etc. And all this to get 3% after 7 years and 0% for the A scales.
So as far as I can see the AOA is useless. And I just can't see the point of paying for something that is useless.
Can someone please remind me why I shouldn't quit because I've lost my faith.
