As one who is "close to the fire," I can tell you that morale at Atlas is low. Some are looking at employment elsewhere, but the majority are comitted to gaining a fair and equitable contract and making this a good place to work.
As of yet, there is no labor contract at Atlas and thus we are all still "at will" employees.
Management appear to be hostile to labor and we are being chisled on a daily basis with degradations in hotels and catering as examples. Often forced to fly beyond scheduled days or face termination. Rarely do you fly the schedule you were awarded in monthly bid. Needs of the company you know. Quit if you don't like it.
For 19 days per month of duty, our average captain is earning $80,0000 with FO's and FE's making perhaps 2/3 that amount if past the first year. Of course, we have pilots make much and and much less. The frustrating thing is that you may spend several days at a stretch in a hotel somewhere making only per diem and many months it is difficult to overfly the 60 hour guarantee. You are gone for entire 18 or 19 days per month (supposed to have 12 days off per month) whether you are productive or not.
Anyone considering the Atlas Aircrew Services scheme need to have their eyes wide open. You will be "used" to the maximum extent possible and paid for as few hours as possible. Watch out for the contract, you will not be free to leave as the Atlas pilots are. If you thought slavery wasn't alive and well in the civlized world, think again. This operation is preying on older pilots who just want an aircraft to fly and will be grateful at that. This is not a career move! Their management will be singing in tune with MC and have no regard for you in least.
Atlas Aircrew Services as union buster? I don't think it is neccessarily so. But it will not be a pleasant place to work even if it allows MC to keep the BA contract. If you should go to work for AAS, rest assured their will be no contempt from the Atlas pilot group, unless of course you left Atlas US and think you are coming back on our seniority list.