It's because of the nature of the three-way hate fest:
- ASA pilots generally want QOL improvements and a reasonable pay increase. Most of the ASA guys I know understand that remaining competitive means growth and job security and don't want to break the company's bank with demands.
- Most of the XJet pilots I have talked to have exactly the opposite attitude and think that they're working under a 'concessionary' contract and that they can't possibly gain enough of a pay increase to make their job worth it.
- Management relies on very inept mid-level managers who need an unrealistic amount of scheduling/duty flexibility in order to pull off the monthly schedule at all...nevermind doing so efficiently or cost effective.

The mix of those elements is going to make it practically impossible for everyone to agree on anything. I anticipate a mediated solution.

This merger was SO not a good idea...love to have been a fly on the wall when the cultural differences between the labor groups (and how those problems would be addressed) were discussed. That'd be good for a laugh.