I believe that unions are a necessary evil in this business, however, I don't necessarily think ALPA is the answer. Currently at Skywest, we have no enforceable contract, no representation or protection in FAA violation/loss of medical/etc. cases, and employment is pretty much at-will. Employment can (and has been) be terminated at any time. If one desires their job back, any legal representation is on your own dime. Having said that, life is not bad at Skywest, especially compared to some other regionals. We do have good work rules and slightly above average pay.
One of my biggest fears is the rate at which we expanding and growing. As we have acquired ASA, and look like we're about to acquire another airline, the growing pains are going to be enormous. I fear what will happen if they decide to merge seniority lists at some point. If the acquired carriers are union (which ASA is), I don't know how a merge would work out. I have a feeling that us at SKYW would probably not fare too well.