Here is the deal. Either negotiate a "realistic solution" per the Rice Committee or face USAPA uncertainty in the very near future when the NMB orders an election.
"face USAPA uncertainty." Let's examine what that means.
1. I have looked and have been unable to see that the NMB has declared SBU status on the US East/West pilot groups. As such, if the NMB orders an election before that happens, the East pilots will be voting on their own representation, and nothing more.
2. Even if the NMB finds a SBU, it's questionable whether or not USAPA even has the cards--as evidenced by the fact that they are quite publicly stating they need "x" more (where X is 150, 300, etc). And, they will lose a ton of furlough cards in mere weeks, not to mention the fact that once the furloughed guys are off the list they cannot vote in the election, if one is called.
3. There is no guarantee that USAPA wins an election.
4. Even if USAPA does win an election, it inherits all contracts, LOAs, and agreements with the company. This includes the transition agreement, which
dictates how seniority integration is to be handled. It says "ALPA Merger Policy."
5. In order to change the outcome of Nicolau, USAPA needs to get the company to agree to alter the Transition Agreement. It also requires that the West guys ratify a single contract. Independently. I don't see the West guys doing that if USAPA tries a cramdown. I would imagine that the NMB might also have something to ponder here in terms of whether or not they see a SBU when it's clear why the pickleballers are doing what they are doing.
Now, with that in mind, what exactly is your blustering about "uncertainty" supposed to mean? You have no leverage over the west in terms of seniority integration and switching unions won't solve that problem.
"Face union imposition." It's like a yuck a minute. The west leadership, like them or leave them, is so much more effective than the east leadership (or the crazed lifetime FOs leading the USAPA drive) that it defies logic. The time to talk about "realistic solutions" was before you took them to arbitration.