PHPA is the Professional Helicopter Piloats Association. It is a union basically made up so we could have a union. Our international union is an office workers union.

Our biggest problem is that a grioup of like minded people have taken over the union by forcing out anybody not toeing the line with their beliefs. The problem is that we are currently in negotiations for a new contract and one of the guys negotiating has been fired by our compnay twice now and the company wont negotiate with him. So they INVENTED a union job so he could collect a pay check from our dues, and is a big ingredient in teh reason we are about to lose a contract all together.

Ill tell you this, under the old company that wasnt unionized, we may have worked a few more days a year for a few less dollars, but job security was better and you wee trated better by the managemnet. I had teh Chief Pilot's cell number and could call him any time. When we were up at corporate he would take us out for beers. You dont get that here because the management is afraid of what teh union will say if they do.