Definitely not trying to kick a hornet's nest here, but some of the recent information being posted on this thread is worth paying attention to. I am an FQS, and was here from the beginning of the airline. Right or wrong, good or bad, it was the job I was offered - and is the job I accepted. It's been a good career, and I have no regrets. I am nearing the end of my career here, so the outcome of any integration plan will not affect me one way or another. Whether it ever happens or not is anyone's guess.

In the early days of the airline, Rob Dorsey and I spoke often about his ideas regarding many aspects of the airline (anyone who knows Rob knows that he wasn't shy about expressing his opinions). Rob felt strongly that there needed to be changes in the Flight Operations structure. He felt that the "Fleet Supervisors", as they were referred to at the time, should have representation. Rob climbed WAY out on a limb to try to make this happen. He knew that strength was in numbers, and he counted on the IPA to back him up when he decided to move forward with his plan. I still remember the day that the IPA dealt Rob the coup-de-Gras when they "officially" took the position that they had no desire to represent the UPS Mgmt Pilots. That was the beninning of the end for Rob, and the rest is history. Many "Fleet Supervisors" who supported the integration felt terribly betrayed, and couldn't understand this position.

Somebody mentioned in a past thread that if there was ever a "right time" for the integration, it was early in the history of the airline. They were exactly right. Now, the FQSs are deeply vested in their pension and retiree health care plans that would change drastically if any type of integration were to occur now. This is one reason (among others) why there doesn't appear to be much support in the form of "cards" being returned.

I'm sure there will be many angry responses to this post, which will have a different version of what happened back then - and that's OK. I'm not interested in debating this, and I'm not interested in discussing whether or not I even agreed with Rob. Again, I'm not trying to defend any position here - I just feel like this perspective is worth being voiced. I really believe the IPA missed a huge opportunity back then, and now it may be too late.