Ah, Needleman's a piker...he doesn't know the first thing about theft.

Just look what the "Frank Lorenzo wannabees" at the majors have done to their airlines and their employees!

United, Delta, USAir...they all had the same progression: built up by people who cared about their business, their passengers, their employees. Torn down by the money boys from Harvard Business school. These bandits come in, sell off all the equipment/facilities to leasing companies which they control through holding companies/consortiums and then siphon the profits away through the leases. They pay lease rates way above market rates for everything because that's how they make the real money.

They tell their employees that they just can't make a profit because of:

(Pick one)
High fuel prices (everyone pays for fuel!)
High labor costs (Huh?)
Bad economy
Global warming
Bad Karma

The employees have the crap scared out of them when they think the company is going down and they give the thieves whatever they want. The company then goes to bankruptcy court anyway and gets whatever the employees didn't give up voluntarily. Interestingly enough, the equipment leases never seem to be questioned by the bankruptcy judge. Do you think the government is on the scam too?

In the last 25 years, USAir has reported a profit two years...and they stay in business. You tell me they don't have a viable business plan!

Guys, this is the same game plan the railroads used in the late '50s and early 60's. Read all about it. The only thing that saved the railroad workers was that the railroad workers all belonged to the same union. Eventually, the union figured it out and stopped the process. Even though the railroads still whine about being broke, when was the last time you heard of a railroad worker being asked to give up his pay for fuel costs?

Doesn't happen.

If we can ever stop arguing/fighting amongst ourselves long enough to be smart, we, too can put an end to this business model.

So stop accusing each other of being scabs, or other low-lifes. The enemy isn't the other workers, the enemy is greedy management. Let's put our energy where it will do some good.

The choice is ours.