An Outsider's view of this situation.....
There I wuz thinking "loyalty" was supposed to be a two way street.....now what did I get wrong in that concept?
The old saw about "You get what you pay for!" rings a bell somehow.
When two sides take up opposing positions on matters then loyalty goes out the door and compromise becomes a competition to see how much each side can get and how much each side does not have to give up.
In time this Strike shall come to an end....they all do at some point with a less than happy outcome usually.
The side with the deepest pockets is going to prevail (I was going to use the word "win" but there are no winners in a Strike).
When the mortgage payments, car payments, alimony payments, kid's dental braces and school fees, and other expenses come due....then some serious contemplation shall take place among the Strikers.
Those who have been careful with their spending will be able to weather this storm....the others are going to be in the Hurt Locker.
How much are you willing to lose in this horse trade?
I watched a buddy who joined a very well run and happy regional airline thread his way the many furloughs that happened post successive acquisitions of that airline by the majors.
He lived in the same house and drove the same car he had the day he first was hired and he had them both the day he became a 767 Captain and Training Captain flying to Europe from the United States.
His fellows who lived it up on their fat paychecks and bought fancy houses, fancy autos, fancy boats, and maintained costly girlfriends and ex-wives......most went bankrupt during the many down turns.
Look around you fellows.....how long can you hold out and what are you going to do if it all goes pear shaped and not at all like you have hopes for it going?
That also applies to the Management....this Work Action is costing them as well.
What is it worth to them to break the Union?
Will that work to their future benefit?
That might very well be part of their calculations.
Otherwise, making a reasonable offer should have been the first step rather than the last.
Evidence suggests that reasonable offer was not and has not been made or the Work Action would not have happened and would not be on-going.
What is their bottom line that they cannot afford to cross?
They know what it is as they can make projections and have considered the various costs both short term and long term.
Unless it is all about ego which in business is not the path to success.
From the sounds of the many posts about this situation it appears to me the Pilots and other employees have a bonafide concern about pay and working conditions that the company needs to address.