I will not accuse or condemn pilots of using safety as a tactic in negotiations.
You can start now.
"Indeed, as confirmed by the applicable legal precedent USAPA's attempt to put
pressure on US Airways in ongoing contract negotiations by disrupting operations is a blatant
violation of its status quo obligations under Section 2, First, of the RLA. USAPA is directly
instigating the illegal slowdown by encouraging pilots to delay flight departures, not complete
certain training requirements, decline to fly on the basis of fatigue, increase maintenance write-
ups, and generally slow down in the performance of their duties — and also by threatening to
expose and retaliate against those pilots who do not participate in the slowdown. Although
USAPA is encouraging pilots to change their behavior under the guise of “safety,” USAPA's
own communications confirm the true purpose of its campaign is illegally to slowdown US
Airways' operation in order to gain leverage in contract negotiations. For example, USAPA
encourages pilots to “Fly Safe” and “slow it down!” in a publication describing what it will take
for US Airways' pilots to win their “battle” for a new contract. And USAPA's Strike
Preparedness Committee — not its Safety Committee — issued a publication stating that “it is
time for us to make a concise and powerful statement that we will no longer tolerate unfair
working conditions” by “MEET[ING] OR EXCEED[ING]” all “safety standards” “in every
single decision that we make” and concluded by stating that “[a] storm approaches.”
