As for Am. Eagle's arbitration, which I wasn't familiar with: who picked the arbitrator(s)? Also, doesn't Eagle's contract cover several years, maybe 6-10?
During the dispute over the Reno merger, AMR mgmt "cherry-picked" (as in picking what you want) the judge whose prejudice against labor was already known. It is fairly well-known that Texas (as in much of the South) is very biased against organized labor, or for that matter, any labor. Only the rich boys and girls in the three-piece suits are the good guys.
Knowing that the AMR pilots lost the court appeal to get their war chest back, how could the pilots afford to strike anyway? I don't envy the terrain that they are marching through.
The more money that is offered by mgmts, the worse the work rules/benefits become, based on past negotiations. Hasty acceptance often leads to major regrets, unless a prolonged analysis is allowed to take place.