Well, past and current events point towards each brand doing what is best for #1....which ain't the other guy. For the average American, is that right? Is that wrong? Depends on your beliefs.
For the pilot group, it's clearly a negative to have to fight other pilots for the award to do the cheapest flying. Unfortunatetly, I think the train has already left on brand scope. Not to absolve them from blame, but there is nothing that ALPA or any other union could do at this time to instill or force a unity amongst pilot groups. Without the ability to conduct an organized strike, there is no serious financial motivation for management to actually negotiate with pilot groups. Sure, we can 'work to rule' and 'fly safe', and these things have helped with ASA's negotiations, but not to the effect of an organized, specific work stoppage.
So, the average pilot asks him/herself, what good is ALPA (fill in the name of union here: Teamsters/SWAPA/girl scouts/etc...)? Sure, there are several things that ALPA does well. However, the main thing that pilots want and need a collective bargaining umbrella to do, i.e. increase wages and quality of life, ALPA can not do.