I understand unity and I don't participate in the SM which, IMO, has very little to do with unity.
Unity is more than a fashion choice. Anyone can make an easy choice like a tie or lanyard. Whether it's not wearing a tie, sporting a unity lanyard, bag tag, sticker, pin or whatever other symbol is chosen - there's a second far more critical part to the unity you speak of. That's personal choices that create an actual result that management deeply cares about. When they are
truly concerned about what personal choices we may or may not make as the situation dictates then they notice and care about unifying symbols like ties or lanyards. That's because a unified pilot group that backs up their fashion choices with action represent a worthy opponent that should be respected and bargained with fairly and even generously to keep the labor peace.
We don't have that respect here friend. We never have. I know how they look at us (or laugh at us) and that isn't going to change because we come to work without a tie. Hell, they even put out an FCIF to make sure all the kitties who are afraid of p!ssing off the man knew it was ok just this once.
What does that tell you about the tie plan? They'd rather have us doing that then something they might actually care about. So, please don't try to educate me on unity and how management looks at us. I've worked at a militant airline that did bargaining the right way and earned the respect necessary to make and achieve demands at the negotiating table and not have to bargain for every gain - tit for tat.
FWIW, I'm going to show my unity without my tie, with my lanyard and most importantly, with my personal choices as I've been doing all along. It's the right thing to do. I'm doing my part to row the boat in the right direction even if I see and hear about many others pushing the oar backwards. Until we ALL start rowing the same way and make it hurt to delay a new TA, that's exactly what management will keep doing.