http://www.slate.com...bolted_down_.html

The bankruptcy process gave American management leverage with which to extract concessions from its labor unions. American got those concessions, except from the pilots’ union, with which no agreement could be reached. So American decided to call the pilots’ bluff and got a bankruptcy judge to void the pilots’ contract.

It turns out that the pilots weren’t bluffing. Organized labor in the United States—especially in the private sector—has been in decline for so long that management seems to have forgotten that a disciplined union can exert a ton of pressure under the right circumstances, even if the legal environment is hostile. American pilots weren’t allowed to strike over the contract voiding, so instead they did something clever: They started following the rules.

The pilots have been issuing a constant stream of repair requests for every little issue, jamming up the system royally. Essentially a work slow down, but a perfectly legal one.

Jay

While I understand that company in bankruptcy need to be able to renegotiate and even get out of some contracts, the courts are too quick to let companies use bankruptcy as a way to get out of contracts they just don't want to pay. It is particularly bad when the company gives pay raises and bonuses to executive while slashing pay for regular employees.

Jay