My Turn,
The original Feds broke away from ALPA and signed up to a contract during Air NZ negotiations 1990/1991.
The new toy (747 400) was dangled infront of them and they went and sharted on their mates. The seniority system went out the window for the 744, for a period of time. Those who signed up jumped the que. They were the sc@bs. Those who join the fed now are subscribing to those philosophies.
One 74 capt i spoke to recently who did not cross to the Fed side reckons it cost him about NZ$400,000. I bet plenty of you are thinking, "what a dummy, why not just go for it"?
Well, there is that little thing called ethics. Belief in a system that works and a system that is fair, namely the seniority system. It is an aristocracy not a meritocracy and airline managements hate it as much as they like it. But it works and is fair.
More importantly, why poop on your colleagues? Just to fly a bigger plane? For a few more bucks? Hell! Your turn will come soon enough. And shortly after it does you will be as bored as you were in the cruise on that last thing you were driving. If you want more money go climb a corporate ladder.
In the mean time, the union, which is the collective of all its members, not just those who are doing all the graft and looking out for your interests, has some muscle. Muscle to tell the company, no we dont want to fly 40 hours in 7 days, no we wont stay in the hotel next to the motorway when we get in to town at 3 am and woken a few hours later... etc, etc.
I guess its all about standards and trying to keep them as high as possible for the betterment of us all, pilots, our families, and even the company for which you work.
Hope to have enlightened
