I just don't understand the mentality of SKW pilots as far as wanting to remain non-union. Is it really that great? Are you afraid of losing the "bubba deals" you cut with schedulers because there isn't a pesky CBA to interfere with you getting what you need when you need it, while every other pilot cuts their own deal? ALPA is not perfect. It's run by a bunch of political types who probably should have been Congressmen. But 2% is small change for what you get. It's worth it, even if you don't ever need to use the resources that are available to you as an ALPA pilot. I buy insurance for my car, house, medical needs, my teeth. I guess I just see ALPA as a 2% insurance payment.

And as far as a Unified Seniority List. What are you afraid of? With the Alleghney-Mohawk merger protocol of the RLA and the McCaskill-Bond Act, you will be fine. No one at ASA or XJT or SKW should be or will be able to trample either of the others. Most XJT support a percentage integration, which seems most fair to me. If you are 50% seniority at any of the 3 companies, then you get a 50% number on the new Unified Seniority List. If you are 20%, you end up 20%. There will be base/aircraft fences for a number of years to prevent expensive re-training cycles and base and seat displacements, no one will be kicked somewhere they don't want to be for a long time. But if vacancies open up, well, we're one big happy family now, so everything new goes up to bid for everyone.

As far as a percentage integration goes, a '96 ASA hire, a '00 XJT hire, and a '02 SKW hire could all be right next to each other on the new list (just making this up, I don't know the percentages in terms of Hire Date at any company except XJT). So I may end up junior to a SKW pilot who has 2-3 years less service than me. I may end up more senior than an ASA pilot who has 2 years more service than me. It's a new airline. We have to let go of stupid high-schoolish ideas like "I have been here longer, so I should be more senior" That is very counter productive thinking, no matter what company you are coming from into the new mix.

I hope we can all be One Airline on One List. And if not, I hope XJT gets a judge to order an injunction against the sale as being illegal as proposed, XJT goes bankrupt (I guess) Uni-Cal gets stuck with our leases, JA gets to eat a steaming pile of his own hubris for not simply agreeing to treat his employees fairly and equitably, and XJT becomes a worthless horribly performing operation that no one can give away.

If I were an XJT stockholder, I would be writing JA to just agree to meet the terms of the XJT pilot contract, and avoid a lengthy court fight, so I can get paid my $6.75.