There's at least one "ex-Eastern 727 pilot out there" who scabbed, went on to another ALPA carrier, AND WAS VOTED BACK INTO ALPA BY MEMBERS OF THE VERY ORGANIZATION HE SCABBED AGAINST!

Continental scabs? There are none. The guys who used to be Continental scabs are all back in APLA's good graces, too.

THAT'S how much "unity" you can expect from your fellow airmen. To a man, they'll say they support you, and 95% of them will mean it at the time they're saying it. But give the other 5% a chance to move up one seat, and they'll throw you under the bus in a heartbeat. And the funny thing is, they'll be the ones hollering the loudest when it's their time to go under the wheels.

Been there. Seen it. You're not dealing with mine workers, or even steel workers. You're dealing with pilots, and pilots are, by their character, hard to unify in the manner you're suggesting. The sad part is that in a shrinking, deregulated business, they're the ones who need it the most.

The issue isn't whether you're entitled to better wages and working conditions - of course you are! The problem (at least as it appears to an outsider) is that you're in a weak bargaining position right now. Once somebody else is in your seat it gets even weaker.

You can't out-slug them, so you're gonna have to out-think them.

There's probably nothing the company would like more than to see a bunch p1ssed-off, unhappy pilots off the property. Don't give them the satisfaction!