Quote:
Originally Posted by skydog 
What I find amusing is that not too long ago pilot unions were using their muscle (slow-downs, strikes, etc) to get management to give them what they wanted. And the pilots were just fine with that. Now that the tables are turned, and management is using their muscle (i.e. bankruptcy) to get what they want, the pilots are all indignant about it.
If you're going to play hard-ball, don't be surprised when the other side plays by the same rules.
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But they aren't playing by the same rules. All of the labor side "strong arming" was done within the law of the RLA, which has set steps laid out. Bankruptcy is NOT one of those steps. Management is using bankruptcy to side step the law and throw it into the laps of the courts. Let's look at MAIR holdings, the company that owns Mesaba. Now, Mesaba contributes most of the money MAIR makes, yet MAIR is still solvent while Mesaba is in bankruptcy. Now, I know they have Big Sky, but I don't see how Big Sky can offset the money Mesaba is "losing" for MAIR. So, in order to break the union contracts, management turns to the court system. They've got a long, drawn out fight on their hands under the RLA (ie the LEGAL way), but they need to cut costs quickly. So, they side step the law. So, the other side is NOT playing by the same rules. If both sides were allowed self help as they should be under the RLA, it would be the same rules. As it is, the courts have taken ALL of the power out of the unions hands, not just some of it.
There's a reason no new talks are scheduled with Mesaba management and pilots: management doesn't have anything to gain from talks since they've already got what they want in their back pockets. If there wasn't a time frame set for those imposed terms, they would have been imposed the second the ruling came down and there's nothing labor could have done about it.