All of you pilot want to be doomsayers that think that pilot salaries are going to force their employers to file for chapter 11 don't know anything about the history of this business. I think Mikem727 said it best and I will add a few points it.
1. When APA signed the infamous B scale contract with AA in 1983 the union bought into the doom and gloom of Bob Crandell and signed one of the most damaging contracts in history. AA pilots were flying at 40% below their counterparts at Delta and United. Did AA make more money because their pilot costs were that much lower? Did they expand that much more? Certainly not! All it did was force the pilots of UAL to strike in order not to prostitute themselfs in the same way. They did sign a limited B scale but not nerely as deep as AA and their airline did fine.
2.In the early nineties NWA management took the company private and saddled the company up with so much debt it nearly failed. The pilots agreed to concessions. They were forced to strike in 98 to get back to industry standards even though the airline had made promises to them regarding snapbacks. NWA is doing fine.
3. SWA is often quoted as being a low cost competitor even though their pilot salaries are quite respectable. They are behind after the DAl contract but you can bet that their salaries will rise substantially in their next contract and it will have nothing to do with SWA's future viability.
Here we are again. Times are bad. People are bringing up the same old argument regarding labor costs. If any of us agree to concessions it will not make the slightest bit of difference as to the future viabilty of our airlines, but it will take years to erase. It took APA 20 YEARS to get rid of B scale. I would caution ALPA at both UAL and DAL to tread very carefully before they agree to any concessions. I know that Delta and AA havn't aked for any yet but I think UAL management has.
Keep the faith.