Skippy, it is "Just Business"
That's why I didn't apply to UAL back in 06/07. UAL was an airline with alot of problems. Hell, every one of the United Pilots I knew at my squadron told me to avoid the place like the plague!

Career expectations can and should come into play.. but there in lies a MAJOR problem. Some mergers bring similar carriers together, some don't.
The argument will be simple- where do we think our two airlines were headed and what does that mean for us.
Our two sides will make their presentations and then it will be up to the Arbitrator.
My side will argue that-
1) We had 149 pilots on the street at the time of the merger, a much lower percentage then you had.
2) That we had firm orders on the books for 737's and 787's. And none of them (at the time) were listed as replacement aircraft.
3) That we had the strongest Scope in the Industry.
4) That our "financials" were strong.

Obviously, your side will argue otherwise.
But in the end, it will go to arbitration.

We will never know what would have happened to our two carriers had we stay independent. But I will always believe that my career expectations were good at a stand alone Continental.
Again, all 12000+ pilots at both carriers will have very different opinions based on their current status, their age and their airline.

We'll have this discussion again in Spring/Summer 2013!

Motch