Flop,
You're absolutely right--we (or at least -I-, since I don't speak for anyone else) don't uunderstand what is going on at your table. And with all sincerity, I wish you luck getting an improved contract you can live with. The point that we're making is that you won't get to any cooling-off period until after November. No matter what. Obama's NRB will not put him in a position where he would have to issue a PEB until after the election is decided in November. They won't let him look bad to labor before then. He won't allow you to actually strike either, because it would hurt the economy too much and doom his reelection chances. This has nothing to do with United, or any other airline, for that matter--it's pure politics.
Now after the election, he MAY do what he wants because it won't matter anymore, at least to any reelection hopes. If that's the case, then at that point, you'll have your cooling-off period, the PEB, and whatever else it takes to get your business done.
I actually suspect the NRB will stall and stall as long as it can (election notwhithstanding), if not indefinitely, because no matter when President Obama (assuming he gets reelected) acts to stop a strike at United--and I'm sure he will--it'll make him look bad as one of the most liberal presidents in generations who emasculated a labor union by taking away their prime leverage. Even though he won't have to worry about getting reelected anymore, alienating labor would hurt his ability to get anything else done during his presidency. Like I said, politics at its finest.
Bubba
