Originally Posted by Ben Salley

Of course not. The SLI train has already left the station, and in my opinion, both kids have said "******" in front of Mom; Dad's on his way home. And we collectively will have to deal with Daddy Eischen's decision.

What I will say is that I currently sit at 58%. The CAL proposal places me at 51%, the UAL at 81%; I know the numbers don't coincide with the briefs, but folks can make numbers do what they want. I don't want 51% or 81%, I want to be where I am right now come September. That seems to be the consensus of the IAH Pilots. I also believe that I should't Captain a wide-body before I could have independently hold it, as a result of this merger; therefore UAL wide-body fences make sense to me.
The arbitrators made about 6 grand/day/each while we spent a month arguing about which airline sucked the worst; acknowledging that we BOTH sucked.
I won't be making any statement to disparage either merger committee or their proposals. I understand that the two groups need to fight for their respective Pilots.
Growing up in Newark, I fully understand the need to fight for your turf or beliefs; I did that every week until I enlisted in the Navy at 17. What I don't think most guys understand is that it's ok to deliver a bloody nose to one of your buddies on the block to make sure you defend your own. It is not ok to bloody his nose, kick him in the crotch then spit on him. At some point, you're gonna need your block-buddy on your side; at some point the CAL and UAL Pilots are gonna need the same.
Fight Hard. Fight Fair. And we'll be stronger for the next fight, that will certainly arise.
I hope that's moderate enough.

-Ben