Not taken as an "excuse," but when pilots are brought up in a culture which encourages pilot pushing they become used to it. At these airlines the Captains who take the risks are heroes until they break something or get regulatory attention. Then management sacrifices the Captain's certificate to get the FAA off their back, but continues pushing the next guy. This is why our union pushes back for "One Level of Safety" across the board.

As others have mentioned, a union which is conflicted about outsourcing loses focus on its core mission. It is impossible to take the moral high ground on safety, while out the back door you agree with management to facilitate outsourcing.

While I do not speak on behalf any of the candidates, a reason I support Dave Nestor and Chad Smith is my impression that they "get" ALPA's mission and are clearly focused on the foundational principles on which our association was built.* **

Besides, at some level, Delta has the same interest that we do. Operating a safe airline is priority number 1. We share common ground here.

* I'm no Expert on the matter, JMHO.
** I think Armando Gomez gets it too, but as an incumbent he's already vetted and qualified by the record of his actions.