Folks, I hate to rub salt into this, but here is the difference:
Even in today's market, there is still some demand for somebody with, say, a CPA as a cost accountant. Or, with an MBA and strategic planning skills. These folks are among the few and the proud who can easily find other employment, in many cases paying more money and _not_ at a company in Chapter 11. And, in US' case, once these people leave, it'll be very difficult to replace them--since people with these skillsets can easily find work and would not necessarily want to stake their future on a carrier in Chapter 11. $6 million across a couple of dozen (possibly a few hundred) people is not that much money.
Can you honestly tell me that as a ramper in PIT you are going to run right out and get another ramp job in PIT with somebody else? Or that there is any threat of a 12-year pilot jumping ship to go work at another major? See the difference?
It's the delta in replacement cost, and the cold hard fact is that the people who are up for these bonuses have a replacement cost (in terms of hard cash and intangibles) that is levels of magnitude higher than any of the organized labor groups.