Two influential labor leaders are working to hash out their differences regarding the potential merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines SAVE .

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants and John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, say they will meet Friday in Miami to discuss labor issues raised by the deal. Meanwhile, The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to rule any day now on whether to approve JetBlue’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit.

Last week, Nelson publicly backed the deal while Samuelsen publicly opposed it, with both writing letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland laying out their positions. TWU represents 6,800 flight JetBlue flight attendants and 250 Spirit dispatchers: AFA represents about 5,600 Spirit flight attendants.

Samuelsen said Tuesday that unions don’t have to agree on everything to get along. “People are allowed to disagree on issues,” he said.

Nelson said Tuesday, “We understand the urgency of labor unions working together and not allowing conflicts to bog us down. We have all learned from mergers of the past that conflicts only hurt the workers. Companies have pitted workers against each other; we will do everything in our power for that not to happen.”

Samuelsen said, “If Sara and I were in lock step, the world would be a better place.” He added, “If the roles were reversed, she would oppose this acquisition.” Nelson didn’t go quite that far. She said, “This deal is not just potentially good for flight attendants: it’s good for setting a higher standard for all aviation jobs. JetBlue will insource work and not use regional flying. If I didn’t have assurances from the company that flight attendants would share in the benefits, I would oppose.” She noted that workers at regional airlines make 45% less than at mainline airlines.

Samuelsen said he opposes the transaction—he views it more as an acquisition than a merger – because JetBlue “masquerades as being hip and groovy,” but in fact is strongly anti-union and “should not be rewarded with expansion.” He said his members would be harmed in a merger.

Who wouldn’t want to overhear the meeting between Nelson and Samuelsen? Both are charismatic leaders with strong identities. Samuelsen, a former New York subway worker, heads a 155,000-member union that represents bus drivers and other transport workers including flight attendants at Southwest and JetBlue. Widely known in New York, he often speaks in support of working-class values and against trendy neo-liberalism.

Nelson, a former United Airlines flight attendant, heads a 50,000-member union. In recent years, her fame has expanded beyond the airline industry. She has become the country’s most prominent labor leader and was viewed as a candidate to fill the post of U.S. Secretary of Labor, which is being vacated. However, President Biden nominated Julie Su on Tuesday.

In his Feb. 23 letter to Garland, Samuelsen wrote that the two TWU work groups “recently won their first collective bargaining agreements after long and hard fights against anti-union management teams.” He said, “We believe JetBlue management, which will be the successor management team for any combined carrier, has the intent to not fully honor these agreements should they be allowed to acquire Spirit.” He said JetBlue fought bitter battles against flight attendant unionization and, more recently, against a failed bid to organize fleet service workers by the International Association of Machinists.

While JetBlue has opposed organizing drives, it says it works together with its unions.

In a letter to JetBlue flight attendants, also written Feb. 23, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes led by noting that Nelson had endorsed the merger. “Despite overwhelming support from the AFA, we know TWU has shared different views on where they stand,” he wrote. Although TWU has sought improvements in the collective bargaining agreement, before a merger is approved, Hayes said, “It’s very rare CBAs are opened and when they are it’s usually near the end of the contract rather than just one year.” But he said that talks on a new merger contract could open as soon as the end of this year.

Hayes also hinted that a merger could lead to a change in union jurisdiction. He wrote, “It’s worth noting that once combined, JetBlue will play no role in deciding inflight Crewmember union representation and will stay neutral in this decision.” Both union leaders said that if there is to be a jurisdiction battle, it is more than a year away.

In her Feb. 24 letter to Garland. Nelson wrote that the tentative agreement between Spirit and its flight attendants. ”In a showing of good faith by Spirit management, we achieved a tentative agreement for a short-term contract that provides immediate double digit raises and scheduling improvements, as well as continued contractual raises during the merger process,” she wrote.

“Separately, JetBlue management committed in writing to both flight attendant groups and their unions that it would engage in expedited negotiations for the joint collective bargaining agreement,” Nelson wrote.