Carl;
So it is the worst ever. Fine. How would you force the NMB's hand? (Honestly)

In AMR's case, the place is bleeding red, and even though the pilots deserve what they are asking for, in your opinion, could the company continue to operate if they increased their costs 2-3 billion a year for the pilots, a billion a year for the FA's and AMT's etc, without UCAL and DAL following suit?

One way to end the dead lock for AMR is for CAL to get a sizable raise, or for APA to do a short term agreement that patterns up. (I know you feel patterning is a horrible idea, but that has historically been the only way raises have worked) The shot at the long ball is for UCAL and DAL pilots to demand the same thing AME is getting and then see if all three agree. The downside is that all the majors will be in talks again at the same time in three to four years.

I get your frustration, but until something breaks free, we are stuck with the RLA and the NMB. It does what it was designed to; provides stability for the traveling public, not its workers. That is not an ALPA issue, it is a employee issue for our industry.