Originally Posted by MarkThyme

So what you're saying here is that the orange lanyards with the "This merger won't fly without pilots" slogan worked brilliantly, because the merger happened anyway, even without pilot group support, and now base chief pilots are dropping like flies. But surely, new orange lanyards with a new slogan will work next time for sure. They'll know you really mean business this time.

My original argument stands.

You want a contract with all that stuff you're wishing for? You're going to have to go scorched earth. You're going to have to be willing to go four years beyond the amendable date - no arbitration - so that nobody wants to apply until a contract gets done. Pilots need to leave in droves, not a few here and a few there. Recruiters at job fairs need to be left waiting for anybody to come talk to them. New-hire classes need a no-show rate of 50% or more. You need to get to the point where the only pilots they can hire are the ones who can't get a job anywhere else, or end up washing out of training.

Do that, and then you will have their attention.