I did not say that overall Delta has an industry leading contract. I was referring to Delta's pay rates (which are industry leading). This is what we were offered and I believe this is a good offer.

Having worked at both non-union and union airlines, I would say my personal experience has been far better at the non-union airline. I never had peer pressure when I felt like picking up extra flying. No one ever gave me a hard time for picking up a certain trip. I didn't have to give away 2% of my pay every year. We always were paid among the best in our section of the industry.

I felt like working at a non-union airline, that we as pilots were working to help the company, and the company was working to make QOL good for the pilots. At my current union airline, it seems like it is pilots vs. management, and pilots vs. other pilots. That is not the way things should be.

That was really well said. It is not Southwest management that makes Southwest successful. It is the way that Southwest management and SWAPA work together. Southwest pilots have never gotten a massive raise. When they were paid below market, they didn't complain and start a work slow down. They came to work, they did their job, and they got a respectable raise. Look where that got them.

The last part of your post was so good I feel the need to repeat it as I have never seen it worded so well...

Southwest's management could be brought in to run United and I have no doubt that the pilots would effectively tick them off. And then the pilots would again complain about how bad management is. Maybe, just maybe, the entire blame isn't in management's corner. I know that's a horrific thought; a subject never broached among UAL pilots.