First post, might as well dive in head first in the union section.
I've noticed that a lot of unions(not just pilots) negotiate some rather short sighted contracts that hamstring the members, any idea why?
My opinionated guess is that most contracts are built from band-aids and taking the path of least resistance combined with a good chunk of the membership being either old-timers dug in like ticks(thats how it was in 1873 and we liked it just fine), or completely uneducated in the ways of economics and business philosophy.
For example: the old time pensions that were completely dependent on the company both not going bankrupt and setting aside the money 40 years later, rather than tax deductible money that the member controls(most common in the form of a 401k).
Another example: making it extra difficult to switch employers. How does preventing members from moving between companies help the members? (the old "A" pension scheme is a good example, as are pay scales graduated beyond 2-3 years) Would this not erode the unity of the union as a whole, cause individual bargaining groups to isolate?
My nearby electricians union (this was 20 years ago, an IBEW local, not teamsters) seemed to have their act fairly together in this regard, likely because the nature of the game, as a company will hire a bunch of guys for a project and when its built they get laid off. The method was basically: apprentice wages were on a sliding scale based on total time, then once you got a journeyman's license it was flat rate based on the type of work (residential, low volt, industrial... like a type rating or FO and Capt) it didn't matter how many years you had sat on that license. Extra could be had for acting as a project admin.(a legally required position in this state) or some other whatnot. Retirement plan was handled by the Union, though I don't recall how the money got from the employer to the account, direct or via paycheck deductions. I do believe there was some seniority in action within the union when it came to first pick of newly posted jobs, but this is quite different from each employer and job title keeping separate seniority lists causing every little career move or company failure to put you smack back at the bottom. (not to mention all the seniority scuffles during mergers that just weaken the union)
I'm up late proof reading is now sub-par, hope to interpret this as discussion not an argument-challenge.