I don't think the path to understanding DPA goes through wondering what management thinks about it. It's a question of evaluating what leverage and effectiveness it gives us.

A decertification effort before entering Section 6 negotiations lowers our negotiating power only if it gets past a meaningful % of the membership. A succesful decertification effort might raise our negotiating power, if the new product was endorsed by an overwhelming majority, and the new organization had both credibility and people that can implement strategies. I assume it would delay any contractual improvements because the new organization would have to get proper mebers elected, and time to get the right people to negotiate, in a tradition of transparency and effective communication it has so far failed to display... A narrow fail or pass of a decertification effort leaves either union unable to negotiate, and represents the worst case scenario.

If I were to looks elsewhere, I would look at the F/A's insetad of management. By all accounts, the AFA vote will be close. This isn't good. A pass means a union that doesn't have a clear mandate, a fail means a prolonged and ugly period of uncertainty as one culture (union vs. non-union) slowly and painfully tries to emerge as a consensus.