We're all shaking our heads Holly...
"Then there are the Real Men of Genius. The original RMG, not the United AFA MEC.
That of course would be the folks at the US Airline Pilots Association, AKA USAPA. USAPA still represents the pilots (fractured as the group is) at US Airways.
The last time we talked about the folks at USAPA, they were objecting to the fact that the Allied Pilots Association had filed for single carrier status with the National Mediation Board. That objection was quickly, and quite effectively in my opinion, dismantled in a very adult fashion by the APA the next day. To put it another way, the adults in the room took care of the situation quite nicely. (Unlike what happened with ALPA in the original US Airways/America West situation.)
But it appears the Real Men of Genius are not going down without a fight. (Guess there is still some money in the USAPA treasury to burn through.)
We've detailed the issue here in the past, and frankly, my patience with pilots arguing over seniority lists -- when the process to determine all of this and more is pretty clear -- has grown thin. The APA is not, as USAPA argued in a missive this week, "making a last minute change to any protocol."
Even worse, reading through the USAPA missives from this week, I find it ironic, er, amusing, er, frustrating, that the union seems to be using the very same arguments they used against ALPA in 2005 -- only this time they have reversed the situation. Or as someone wrote this week, "Ironically, every single point they raise would support the argument that the East and West pilots should STILL have separate unions! In fact, every point is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they argued to the NMB back in 2007!"
Exactly.
As APA said in a letter to its members,
"APA and the company have always understood that, at some point after a ruling by the NMB on the single-carrier proceeding, APA would assume representation for pilots at the two carriers and, as a consequence, take on a duty of fair representation to all of the pilots.
In recognition of this legally mandated state of affairs, APA therefore agreed that, up until the time APA becomes the representative of the entire pilot group, USAPA would be the sole representative of the pilots at US Airways and handle the merger negotiations within its discretion.
However, consistent with the law, once APA becomes the representative of all pilots, APA would of necessity displace USAPA and have authority as the certified collective bargaining representative over the process.
USAPA has always insisted that it maintain institutional involvement and a degree of control over the process even after it ceases to be a lawful collective bargaining representative. That, however, cannot be the case under the law."
(This was recently confirmed by a ruling of U.S. District Judge Silver in Arizona.)
What is the end game here? Apparently the Real Men Of Genius have determined that if they can get the National Mediation Board to consider the dispute, that will delay the process long enough to allow USAPA to have a say in the seniority process.
Yes, I'm sure you can see me shaking my head from here."
