RE:RE:RE:RE:Pilot deal getting close Well, first of all that article is from the USA where you'll get sued if your coffee is served too hot, or too cold!
The fact that the union was sued means virtually nothing. A regulatory change was proposed to change retirement age. If the union agreed to it and/or supported it it would benefit the more senior members and harm the junior members. If they opposed it the benefit/harm is sort of reversed. So one group or the other will sue!
The same thing happened at Air Canada with ACPA - change proposed from age 60 retirement to age 65. The union opposed it and got sued for not representing the members.
So, why would the union oppose increasing the retirement age you might ask? Career progression is based on the more senior people retiring. When those senior pilots got hired they knew the retirement age and benefited from people retiring ahead of them. When their own retirement approaches they wanted the age to be changed to extend their careers. While I understand the motivation it can be seen as selfish and unfair.
When the age at AC changed from 60 to 65 there were virtually no retirements for 5 years. The result was a 5 year halt in career progression.
There are pros and cons to changing retirement age but no matter which way the union leadership decides to go there will be a group that's aggreived.