I did too. Coming from the military, we were mission-oriented, loyal to our superiors and our peers, and leery as hell about unions.

When I was hired, the company threw a big "Welcome aboard" steak dinner for pilots and spouses. It made me think "They truly value me. I'm going to work my ass off for them. The union is antagonistic, and does not have the mission in mind."

It didn't take long for me to learn that "There IS NO mission, and in fact, mission hacking in the airline world is both counterproductive AND potentially dangerous."

And it took not much longer for me to learn what the union is about, and to be strongly on board with them.

It's a difficult mental transition for military pilots, but one that must be made.