What incentive does the company have to work with the union anyway? The union can demand $55/hr first year pay and anything else they can dream up, Mesa will say "Nope", and life as we know it will go on.

The pilots themselves, not the union, have all the power. If you don't want to work for peanuts then go to a company that pays more. Eventually the pilot pool at Mesa will run dry and management will be forced to either close shop or treat their employees better - Not because ALPA said so, but because of simple supply and demand.

Mesa could not care less about labor relations or what the union says. They care about money and nothing more. If pilots start leaving in droves and flights start getting canceled as a result (hurting their pocketbook), then you can expect to see a decent raise. Until then, current book is what it's going to be. If the last TA didn't make this painfully clear, I don't know what will.