Fully agree on your point CD, but as you prob. know, the ATA is airline mgmt. and their numbers are subject to said biases.
That's mentioned because many base their belief in concessions on obviously biased mgmt. or ATA numbers.
Somehow, somewhere, someone fed pilots "responsibility kool-aid" that made them feel
they were responsible for the airline's finances. Paycuts to save the airline, paycuts to pay for airplanes,
paycuts to pay the bank debt, paycuts to pay for fuel, paycuts to pay mgmt. bonuses and pensions.
There's a reason lawyers don't make arguments for the opposing side, the outcome for them will be worse. That's who we're fighting.
When we start fighting for our profession only, for our interests as new UAL pilots only, this ship will turn around.
Not mgmt., not accounting, not Goldman Sachs, not Boeing, not United Express, not Shell Oil, not other employees. UAL Pilots, period.

Interesting when one thinks about it, that bags are given more respect than pilots, with their "surcharges".
It's way past time for a pilot surcharge, just like bags, just like fuel, just like taxes, just like airports.
The only reason there's not, is we cave every time our costs come up. Think about it.
Mgmt. will not shut the doors for tax, fuel, aircraft or airport fees. Neither will they for our costs. They need all of us.
We need to start behaving that way.

Until then, they will keep chipping away at every section of our contract, arguing only their side like good lawyers will do,
because they know some pilots still think it's our responsibility to argue both sides and support their cause if something doesn't work.
Having a sympathetic opponent in the courtroom is a grand slam for them and we've handed it to them on a silver platter over and over again.
Time for that to stop and change. Now.
What's the definition of mgmt. again? Right, it's their job to manage how to make it work. Revenue v. costs. Not ours.
We need to stop playing airline managers, stop arguing their side and start owning and defending the profession of UAL Pilot.
FUPM