Unions in the Americas: An unhealthy status quo prevails in collective bargaining

North American airline executives regularly tout the industry's transformation from the boom and bust cycle of making and losing money to a business that now actually delivers returns to investors.
Along with sustained profitability, customer service improvement and operational reliability are now fully fledged competitive tools airlines can ill afford to have absent from their respective arsenals.
But one vestige from the past remains - the tug of war between labour and management in contract negotiations that often results in work stoppages, lawsuits and vitriol from unions in collective bargaining that drags on for years.
Ultimately, agreements are reached, but not without a certain level of collateral damage to employee relations and short term pressure on an airline's financial performance and brand perception.