Wow. A lot of anti-union sentiment here. Maybe my union is different, I don't know since I've only ever been in one union. I will tell you this -- I don't think my union has ever proposed something that would be bad for the customer. I guess you could argue that our pay and benefits would be lower. But as far as the actual experience when we're doing our job, not so. In my 21 years, management has proposed hundreds of ideas that were shot down by the union that would have made your flying experience worse. Unity and solidarity have created a self-policing atmosphere where we're constantly on each other to work harder and better. I hear "come on brother!" quite a bit at work. Maybe we're unique, I don't know.

Don't look at better pay and benefits as an excuse for poor workers. Look at it as an incentive to attract better workers. A good union wants good workers because it makes their job easier when it comes time to negotiate. We have had roughly 25 new-hires in my area in the past 4 years. Exactly ZERO of them have certified and only 3 still work here. If you can't cut it, you're outta here. Yes, they all were in the union.

A good union doesn't promote keeping bad workers early in their career. Of course, once tenured, the union will try to protect your job -- you've already "proven" yourself is the standard dogma. Sometimes that's a good thing. Not always of course.

I can almost promise that the pat-downs would practically disappear. Touching the customer's privates? No union will stand for that -- they will fight that for decades if necessary.

SR