The company started this mess when they took these 8 captains and sent them to a non FAA approved "remedial" training event. Since there is nothing in the FAA approved pilot curriculum that deals with this "class" session, it means that the tactic was a purely arbitrary move by the company.
The union objected and asked that the company follow contractual protocol to solve the problem. The company ignored USAPA's request for proper protocol. USAPA told the company EXACTLY how they would respond if the company did not back off on this unapproved "training." The company AGAIN ignored USAPA.
USAPA followed through with EXACTLY what they warned the company that they would do. That resulted in the USA Today ad yesterday. The company was recalcitrant to USAPA's objections to their ignoring past practice and contractual provisions. The company thought they were dealing with ALPA. USAPA called their bluff.
USAPA's actions were totally upfront and avoidable by the company; it had no direct relationship to the contract negotiations which have just begun. I suspect, though, that it did serve as a de facto wake-up call to the fact that USAPA is NOT ALPA. It may influence negotiations, but it was not the point of the ad.