'The West Pilots deny that the issue before the Board is whether or not West Pilots have an independent legal right to participate in the SLI proceedings.
Any attempt to reframe the issue in this manner should be dismissed by the
Board, the West Pilots insist. Whether the West Pilots have a separate and
independent legal right to engage in SLI negotiations and arbitration is irrelevant,
as APA has already decided as a matter of its discretion to appoint a West
Merger Committee.
According to the West Pilots, USAPA is merely attempting to confuse the
issue before the Board by recrafting the issue to be decided. The only issue to
be resolved, the West Pilots maintain, is whether APA has properly exercised its
discretion to appoint a West Merger Committee to ensure that the interests of
West Pilots are fully represented in the SLI process. As a minority group, the
West Pilots should be afforded full party status in the SLI proceedings to avoid
being dominated by USAPA. For that reason, the West Pilots conclude that APA
has the discretion to appoint a West Committee to participate in the seniority
integration process."