We got an email last Friday with this lovely image attached.

And what great timing.

Because I have to admit, when I read Delta ALPA MEC Chairman Lee Moak’s comments about the proposed US Airways deal Friday afternoon, this is exactly what I thought of.

For those who missed it, Moak ended his letter to the Delta pilots last week with, “Delta pilots will not change any provision of our contract in order to facilitate the hostile takeover of our company,”

“As such, the MEC remains totally committed and one hundred percent focused on one thing — the death of the US Airways’ merger attempt,” he added.

Okay, time for the truck to back up and unload the political BS. C’mon Lee. The “death” of the deal? A little on the dramatic side if you ask me, but certainly in the realm of heated union rhetoric.

I have nothing against Lee. In fact we’ve exchanged pleasant emails in the past. But I do have a problem when I see a public stance that is taken strictly because of union politics — and not pragmatic reasons.

Oh, I understand perfectly well why Lee has to take this stance, and it hits at just one of the reasons why the labor/management relationship makes this industry much more difficult to manage.

The reason is that the people who are leading unions have one political choice — either they stick up for the option that appears to be less “threatening” to their union base in the short term — or they will be kicked out of office.

Fine — but it offers no chance for either side to look at the longer term, and what is the better option for the company, because the option that may give the company the best chance for survival is rarely the one that will benefit union members the greatest in the short term.

And people wonder why this industry continues to be shackled to its recurring dysfunctionality.

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