Here's the truth. Most people as individuals are fine. The true test is how they act in a group situation. I have had East pilots on my jumpseat and I have been on theirs. As long as you keep it nonpolitical it is fine. I do not pretend to understand their thinking and I know I will not persuade them to change. I have found that most do not have the full facts of everything that has transpired since the merger. Very few East pilots ever read the Arbitration transcripts like we did. Heck, we had our guys debating stuff every night. Same with all the subsequent litigation. We have a very savvy group of pilots, some with law degrees and they work hard in educating the West pilot group.

Parker seems to be hated by every East pilot I have talked to. All I say to them is that this has been "just business". His job is to maximize revenue for the company. Our job as pilots is to fly the airplanes and make our case for higher pay and better terms as a business case of our own. So far USAPA has not been anywhere close to doing that. By acting childish they have actually killed any chance of the company taking them seriously. It will take another change of unions to recharge our negotiations. In the meantime it is good for us to be working for a profitable company. That way sometime in the future we can actually say "FUPMe" and mean it.