Yes, problems started with deregulation, but as I said, the two most expensive pilot contracts in history were singed during the first couple of years of Duane's administration. Hardly an appreciable or noticeable slide. The glaring problems became apparent during the 9/11 aftermath.
When times are good (good contracts being signed, big industry profits, lots of hiring, etc...), people don't tend to focus on the problems. They tend to fall by the wayside and not get much attention. That's simply human nature, and it's the nature of politics. Look to the booming 90s for an example of this outside of ALPA. During the 90s, the economy was booming and the stock market was reaching new highs. Despite this, the looming problems with social security, medicare, and other programs were already apparent to anyone looking for them, but virtually no one was paying attention because they were too busy counting their profits from their Pets.com stock. Not until a rough patch comes along do people realize that the problems are there. Again, it's just human nature.
I won't speak for Duane, but I'll speak to the general sense that many of us have had about problems within the Association. The "wake-up" didn't happen for many people with the 9/11 event, it happened as a result of the events that took place during the following years. Pensions didn't disappear on 9/12. Pilots didn't take 40% paycuts on 9/12. The right to strike in bankruptcy wasn't lost on 9/12. These things took years to develop. People are generally slow to acknowledge deficiencies. It's a process, not an instantaneous event.
