That works both ways too. A vocal and active minority certainly could wield vastly disproportionate influence over an apathetic do nothing majority. However to be fair its disingenuous to say DPA is flaccid because they don't have that level of active unity when everyone knows the majority that haven't signed on to the DPA aren't active rabid anti-DPAers either.

3400 cards is a big deal and worthy of attention from national, but its also fair to say that said attention will be proportional to the actual level of activism and vocality that the sum total of DPA supporters and sympathizers alike apply to the pressure points within the system either way.

3400 guys is more than enough to move mountains, but only if they make it happen. Sending in a card or voting after the fact won't always cut it. Look at the pension fiasco in '04ish. With or without 51% DPA cards, what many want can be accomplished, as long as the tenacious ferocity is there and maintained, but guys have to stay very active.

A significant minority of active Delta pilots sailed off into the sunset with full lump sump payouts slashing and burning everyone who came before them in their little C2K high water mark based "run on the bank" and punched out like 9-11 never happened at the expense of all pilots before and after. While there is arguably little doubt over the long term sustainability of that style of pension, especially at those high water levels, had a more fair solution to all pilots been worked towards, the outcome didn't have to be as all or nothing as it ended up. But that shows the power of a couple thousand guys who are passionately "in it to win it" over a numerical majority.