flyhigh2fly - you may indeed have asked a reasonable question, but it is not a sensible one. I totally agree with Bruce Wayne that Unite are not a credible union for pilots. In my experience, most pilots are more right wing in their views than left - by definition, therefore, they do not support the Labour Party. More importantly they would never contribute to an organisation who gives to the Labour Party and therefore for that reason alone they cannot ever effectively represent the pilot profession.
My first ever 'proper' job was as a bus driver in Glasgow and I was forced to join the TGWU (ie Unite) under the closed shop legislation in force at the time. It was a true eye opener to take the lid off the industrial madness that had taken over the country at the time. Love her or hate her, the day Margaret Thatcher brought in secret ballots, the T&G were finished. Intimidation on a grand scale was no longer possible and their membership shrank overnight. They have since re-invented themselves, but underneath it all are still the hard left, brain-out-the-window crowd of yesteryear. Listening to Tony Woodley spout forth to a meeting of the faithful outside Heathrow last week just took me back to the 70s and 80s. It was like a visit to the Natural History Museum, but this time a real-life dinosaur was prancing about on his hind legs and was on display for us all to marvel at. These guys are in the process of destroying British Airways and have zero grasp of the commercial realities of our world. Their company is losing a million a day (that's before the strike!) and expect to carry on with their snouts in the trough. A serious reality check is required very quickly or it will be well and truly game over. BA does not have a right to exist and Wille Walsh knows that only too well. Alas, their cabin crew, goaded on by the half-wits at Unite do not seem to realise that. I simply do not get it - how could anyone want Unite to represent the pilot community?