Hopkins’ portrayal of ALPA’s intervention with the 570 is accurate. Thanks for posting those excerpts, ClappedOut145. But your conclusion regarding each of the 570’s intentions is neither fair nor accurate. I know and have flown with many members of the 570. Some were clueless in 1985 and some crossed the line and turned a wheel. But most of these pilots knew the game and never intended to cross. Some of the 570 were CAL strikers who had lost their careers to Lorenzo and the Continental scabs. They had no desire to inflict the same damage on United pilots and their families. Other 570 pilots were second or third generation airline pilots. I know one 570 who is the son of a retired Northwest Captain. If you know anything about airline history you know how the Northwest pilots stood firm and walked the line (repeatedly).

United erred in a big way by hiring too many that knew better, to be a part of their 570 “strikebreakers.” That blunder, and ALPA’s outreach, merely served to clog United’s training pipeline. While the 570 aren’t the saviors some would have you believe, their refusal to cross was a key contributor to the United pilots surviving the strike, union intact.