Flap 10 you are right in say most of those things, Ill be the first one to say that the AOA is not perfect. With regards to the way cx treats the contracts and negotiations, do not think that this is unique to CX. I can guarantee you that QF AA BA, thay all do the same thing. No Company wants a strong union, and in fact a super strong union is also bad as it my kill the goose (ask ex Ansett pilots).
You are also correct in saying that we cannot compare the financial, all we can do is compare the way they treat the staff. I can also guarantee you that if they had a proper Union, their management would have to be restrained in their actions. To prove my point, look at SQ (state owned airline) and on how their pilot union has fought back at there at their managements bully tactics wrt unpaid leave.
Working without a Union is not the answer. starting a new one is also not the answer, think of all of the background work that is and has gone on over the years. All of the experience gained. Now think of starting from scratch, we would be exposed to management for too long for that to be an option.
If you do not like the way things are going , the best thing to do is to join and to change it from within.
