To be blunt, we take it in the shorts because we allow it. Many people I fly with are more interested in leaning the owner's manual for their new BMW and less interested in getting involved in the union.
A few years ago, I flew with a first officer who, during the entire four-day trip, bitched about his life as an airline pilot at our company. Finally, I asked him if he had voiced his concerns with XXXX. His reply, "Who the hell is he?" I responded, "He's your union rep
I agree PantLoad, we are a group of fractured coalitions going nowhere as we are too busy being concerned with ourselves and not our fellow aviators.