Regarding the IBT and the RAH flight attendants:
The RAH flight attendants have zero connection to the RAH pilots' Local 747. Comparisons don't apply here.
As for the push for no integration:
The RAH F/A's wanted full integration with Midwest and Frontier. RAH flight attendants ended up in a court battle with the Frontier F/A's over "single carrier status". The RAH flight attendants claimed that since RAH (the hilding company) owned Frontier, they were technically a single carrier and thus integration was required. The RAH F/A's lost, and Frontier somehow found itself able to prevent integration with the RAH flight attendants. As you can tell, pilot and flight attendant scope and representation differ significantly. Now, with legal precedent stating that Frontier is separate from Republic/Shuttle/Chautauqua, the RW/S5/RP flight attendants are basically saying "screw everyone else, we are obviously on our own". This is also somewhat an act of retaliation in response to the AFA union drive. The AFA, former representatives of the YX F/A's, sent out cards to RAH F/A's in an attempt to get the RAH F/A's to drop IBT. The significance of that being DOH integration would be required, and essentially the RAH flight attendants would be stapled below YX'ers, a few exceptions aside.
The FA side of RAH IBT is a joke. However, quite a few of them are started to find themselves and a little self pride. Misguided or not, the RAH F/A's are standing up for themselves in the wake of a court judgment that took away their perceived right to integration among all parties. A smackdown from F9 and an assault by YX has left them a little bitter.
As anyone will tell you, a union is only as strong as its membership. IBT Local 1224 did a lot to represent its pilots. Local 747 was a waste thanks to GS and gang. The lack of faith an effort on behalf of the pilots at RAH stems from years of failure at the top of Local 747. That has changed, and the RAH/IBT is gaining steam. The flight attendants have generally been apathetic temporary help, spending far less time at the company than is required to really hold meaningful positions within the union. That, and who wants a 19 year calling the shots for a few thousand F/A's? The RAH F/A's are maturing overall now, and with an influx of other 121 FA's over the past year, their side of the IBT is finally growing up. Soon they may even have direction.
The IBT has a lot to prove to me, but I have finally seen that the weakness of the airlines division lay in the individuals leading it, and in a communication structure that supported truly local Locals. Airline Divisions members of the IBT don't share the same water cooler or the same bulletin board. We require more elaborate means of communication than other IBT work groups. We are finally getting that. We may actually have a chance.