Sorry to burst the bubble. Wake Can Impose the Nic. It's been discussed and is in the court records. The only thing holding that decision up is the 9th, (how many months does it take to issue a stay?) and USAPA's behavior. When the 9th upholds, and USAPA spends more time resources negotiating in bad faith with no intention to fairly represent ALL the US Airways pilots, you can expect Wake to issue the order. It's already been eluded to. You're vote doesn't mean Jack S*** when it becomes clear to Wake that it's only being used as a tool of discrimination. Guess What? It's already been made clear to the Honorable Judge Wake.
Seham made sure of that.
The Ninth has actually had a de facto stay in place for going on two months. Wake did it himself.
Unlike the characterizations here by the peanut gallery, there is an understood level of professionalism at play within the Federal and Appeal Court Systems. Nobody with any real ethics or brains doubts any of the legal players (Judges, Bigger Judges, and the Legal teams of both sides) are acting in a manner they at least themselves consider appropriate to further their own true and honest beliefs. Judge Wake, a seasoned and former litigator, has done a man’s job of bringing a halt to USAPA’s attempt at restoring DOH as a tenet of airline mergers. For almost 18 months now, his intervention has been doing its magic, at least in the eyes of most Westies. Six new 330 Captains and a bunch of other upgrades on the East has us all thinking a little different.
Unfortunately for the Honorable Judge, the NC Breeger decision rendered his current line of rational (at least as to ripness) into doubt early on (or that of the NC Judges, I guess you could look at that one from either side.) I won’t bore you with too much, but Judge Wake has been doing a slow retreat, ever so cautious and methodical, from his original track. He absolutely respects the sanctity of “the vote.” That folks is a fact.
There is no doubt in my mind a clear signal was given by the Ninth to Judge Wake that a stay was necessary, and I don’t pretend it was necessarily because the Addington judgment was going to be overturned. Who really knows the answer to that. But somehow, he did get the message. Almost two months ago, Judge Wake himself stayed the proceedings. You can read a little more colorful account of that here (scroll down to “To Stay or Not to Stay.) http://unfactualbias.com/wordpress/?m=201002
Read and talk about it among yourselves, and maybe show a little class and not make this about the lawyers and Judges you all seem to either love or hate. All those legal eagles will all still be in business long from now, maybe a few unpaid for a lot of fine work. But professionals none the less. Win or lose, this case will probably stand tall above most others in the area of union rights and privileges.
RR