World Wide Strike Benefits?

[A-V-8R]

Here in the US, when an ALPA carrier goes on a ** LEGAL ** strike, other ALPA pilots in the US are generally assessed an amount to provide for strike benefits. Sometimes a short time, sometimes a long time.

With two divorces behind me, I'm a cheap man, but in the past I have paid assesments for Continental, Eastern, Comair, and am currently paying an assesssment for medical coverage for our furloughed pilots at UAL. I don't like it, but I consider all of the assessments necessary in my long term best interest.

Our world as Airline Pilots is rapidly changing. With the advent of the Deathstar Alliance and Oneworld individual airlines have networked with each other around the world. Soon it will be the Global Alliances that will be buying airliners and fuel, not the individual air carriers.

We must begin to think of our pilots unions as one global organization rather than individual organizations within country boundries.

It might help to point out that all of us employed by air carriers should not think of ourselves as an airline pilot for United, or British Airway's, or Thai or Singapore Airways. The fact is, it is our respective goverments that license us as airline pilots, and we are goverment licensed airline pilots in the service of our carriers. My airline did not make me an airline pilot, I did, they just employ me.

Given what is happening at Cathay, Air Lingus today, and what has happened at other carriers in the past, perhaps it is time that IFALPA levy worldwide assessments for legal job actions to help our fellow pilots. The fact is, when pilots raise their bar at their airline, in fact they raise the bar for all of us.

They way this industry is going, you never know when your turn in the barrel will come.

[Intruder]

Don't forget -- it would have to be a 2-way street! If US ALPA members are to help other IFALPA member unions, then those unions would have to be subject to, and responsible for, the same assessments imposed on US ALPA members for strike assistance for US carriers.

[A-V-8R]

This is very true, Intruder, but one hand washes another is the point I'm trying to make.

Lately, because there are soooooo many pilots who will cross a picket line in the United States, the trend is a work to rule work action. Much more effective on the property than off the property.

[southflyer]

Great idea AV, some of us have been paying union dues for years, are now on furlough, and you want our dues to go support causes like the HKAOA against CX, so in turn we can be placed in the glorious balck list?...makes no sense to me!

[nudger]

*

[southflyer]

Nudger,

Again, you appear to be a bit bitter about something, I suggest you take an anger management course.

[nudger]

*

[southflyer]

Nudger,

There are a lot of furloughed guys, really, not supposedly.

Now you are starting to sound paraniod man, I don't think anyone is after you. And what is it with the language, is that what you call reasoned and well informed?

Now, remember that union reciprocity thing that you disliked so much?? Intruder seems to have a general idea of how it works.

Best/only job?? I've heard that on man's garbage is another's treasure...maybe you should value what you have.

Get rid of the ban, I will come.

As for you, try meditation and soft contemporary music.

[ironbutt57]

Hypocrisy in the unions again...for years when I flew for a large regional wholly owned by a major, the unions had no use for a flow-through agreement with us...now all of a sudden they want it...so they can flow back down on top of the very regional pilots they shat on just a few years back....now they want world-wide strike benefits....wait till all the unemployed airline pilots show up in the harbor...and they will believe you me.....watch all these scope clauses limiting regional jet flying disappear as well...now the furloughed major pilots can flow back "down" to the regional and fly them.....yes world wide strike benefits...you strike...others benefit from the employment opportunities created by the strike...you call them names...nobody cares.....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[GlueBall]

There are some exceptions to the pilot solidarity phenomena: The COMAIR pilot group (US Regional Carrier) set a superlative example for all the World's unionized pilot groups. They went on a lengthy strike without producing a single (non management) scab to cross the picket lines.

Without a doubt, this was the most tightly knit organized pilot group in aviation history. My hat's off to those guys!

[sfomarc]

I would hope as professionals that we all know what the consequences are if one were to cross a picket line.

I think it is very important that younger pilots coming through the ranks are given a course on unions, history of strikes and scabing. I myself had never had any dealing with a union until getting my first ALPA airline job. I have never scabed but did work with a lot of people who did. People scabed for different reasons and although a scab is a scab some reasons did seem a little more palitable.

I ran accross one guy whos dad scabed at Eastern and his own son crossed the line and went to work for them. Needless to say his dad does not speak with his son anymore. This is probably the worst of the scabs. On the other hand you have pilots who did not agree with striking and crossed the line of their own company. Still a scab but in my opinion not as bad as the above.

I also know somone who is a double scab (Cont and UAL), his son got shot down twice at UAL, I wonder why.

I think that Comair should us how to stike to our guns if we are going to survive as airline pilots we most act in a professional way and scabing is not one of them.

[GlueBall]

And, to be sure, a big outfit like UAL wouldn't have much of an obstacle to operate under Chapter 11 if management were to exercise its court protected "freedom" and bypass the ALPA contract;...All of the UAL scabs would have a second life, staying aboard the mothership until it sinks, just as it happened at Eastern Airlines. :(

[Young Paul]

Why should I support an American trade union when it strikes, given the complete lack of interest on their behalf about my labour concerns? Or put it another way: if pilots in the US majors really do expect to retire with $1M plus in a bank account, a couple of houses and boats, and funding their inability to keep to their wedding vows, why do they need money from me?

[ironbutt57]

So they did glueball....and now the delta pilots..who fought tooth and nail those comair guys getting jets...are now fighting to get hired on those veryjets....without even approaching the comair mec