The best weapon to avoid a strike is to be willing and prepared to strike. Than again, your adversary has to believe you will execute, and if that's the case it will never come to a strike. Its a big head game, like the ultimate poker hand, winner takes all, but with stakes that's are real to the livelihoods of a lot of people. On the face of it, it would seem if striking would be a symmetrical risk, both to the worker and manger/owner. But in the age of BUSH the risks are decidedly skewed against the workers and toward management/stockholders. In the case of bankruptcy, the shareholder is hosed and (upper) management is the only ones in a win-win situation. If the company desolves, they take (their) millions ("earned" while "managing" the company into the ground) and go elsewhere (or just play golf, I'd retire if I could stuff a couple mil under the bed during "good times") If labor, caves, you reap big bucks as the stock rebounds from nothing and you "reward" yourself s for your fiscal due diligence.
Good luck, Delta pilots, we all stand to benefit if you prevail. If you don't, despite the comments of some, we will all be the loser, but none less than the 'Delta people' who for so many years, set the standard for service in an industry often criticised for a lack there of. Hang in there!