I will start with the last question. I have no connection to anyone at Airways. My only concern is the pilots at Airways whose careers are being shattered by their so called union. Their obsession with this has blinded them to any reality. I know I will never change Black Swan or Hate2Fly's mind and will probably never inhabit the same planet as Mutatis Mutandiis. Against my better judgment, I continue to hope that some of the lurkers on this forum will get a different perspective and change the direction of their union. It does not belong to Cleary and Bradford.
I don't subscribe to the who saved whom argument either. It is just when USAPA or pilots on this board talk about unmerged expectations it is a joke. You can't take unmerged attrition and apply it to a merged carrier because the minute the merger was announced the world changed. You can't it have both ways.
As for the West pilots needing to change, I would just point out that they didn't get their way. The arbitrator did not accept their proposal, he created his own list. He baked into that list everything that was relevant. What you "gave away to save the company" in the past is completely irrelevant to the discussion. A seniority integration does not attempt to right the wrongs of the past, it just looks at what is and how to move forward from there. The concept that the West has to give because a gun is to their head is not really rational. Not only that, but the East was not asking for small changes they wanted a complete redo. Compromise means give and take, not gimme, gimme, gimme and I will tell you when to stop giving.
The East pilots created this mess and the East pilots have perpetuated it. Surely there has been some goading from the West pilots but 99% of the blame lies east of the Mississippi. i appreciate that you can have a rational discussion without personal attacks, but the rest of the rational East pilots need to stand up and take control of your union. They are leading you on a path to nowhere.
The industry is in a massive reconfiguration right now, not just mainline but the regionals also. How many current mergers are underway right now, I count at least five. If you want your union and your company to have a seat at the table during this reconfiguration you guys need to change immediately. Otherwise more stuff will just happen to you, without your say. Usually, in this industry, that means bad stuff. Shape your future or have it handed to you, that is your choice.