I agree 100% with the previous post. As a pilot in the field, the question to ask is, "What can a union bring to an equation?".....In one word.....Representation. An individual has but one voice. Often, that voice, as reasonable and as logical as it might be, is only one voice and as such, has no strength. A union of pilots allows one strong voice that can and must be heard by management. Management is often directed by economics and the loudest voice heard is an accountant's voice. Management is often not intimately involved with the issues that must be faced by the workers in the field....namely, the pilots. Without a union, decisions are made, policies are set and people's careers and lives are in the hands of their supervisors. Try having one bad day and see how difficult life gets without a professional body behind you providing support and representation.
The airlines and the professional pilots therein have recognized and have had representation before management by unions for decades. Somehow, we (helicopter pilots) have seldom organized and consequently we have never had the same advantages. Consequently, we have had our fates determined by management alone and when we have a problem, we stand alone.
And then there is the question of salary. Without an effective bargaining unit, what incentive is there for management to give fair and equitable pay increases when times are good? Their first responsibility is to their shareholders, not their employees. When senior management is rewarded by bonuses dependent on profitability, lower salaries generally equals more profitability and this generally equates to higher bonuses for management. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Who represents the pilots?
I don't have much experience with unions but over the years, I really cannot say that we, as pilots, have lived up to our potential. Perhaps a good union will help us along the way. It can't hurt to have professional representation. Right now, we have none.