It is interesting that up until a year ago Bobb hated ALPA. He even gave his union pin back to Prater, poking the union president in the hand in the process. Then Bobb broadcast his disillusionment in a VARS to his members telling them he had given back his union pin.
The Polar group to this day does not use ALPA lawyers, preferring to file all their grievances through an outside legal firm. I wonder why that is? Why would you so ardently support your union yet not avail yourselves of their legal resources? Why would you spend millions of dollars of the unions money to pay for legal counsel that you already have? Could it be that Bobb does not trust ALPA to work in his pilots best interest?
Now all of the sudden Bobb is banging the ALPA drum? My guess is that he figures that whatever the Atlas Pilots want, he wants the opposite. And I am not sure why. Why would one want to be part of a separate five airplane company in today's economy, when you could complete the merger and be part of an almost 40 airplane company with 1000 pilots, a much more robust and extensive route structure, and an association with 1.4 million members.
I was an IBT member 12 years ago. I hated it back then, but was a member of the local 747 which was mismanaged and very impersonal. It shows how screwed up ALPA is that I cannot wait to get rid of them. I think there is much to be said to have your own local, manage your own funds, hire your own staff and lawyers, yet have the full support of the IBT.
Last edited by Beaver_Driver; 26th November 2008 at 16:06.