“This "anti-raid" clause will strengthen our support against any organization who might seek to dislodge your union for nefarious purposes, including the well-known efforts by the previous bargaining agent who is distraught that your dues money no longer fills their parched coffers.”

-USAPA President Mike Cleary

There is nothing like reading a Labor Day message from a union president filled with fear that a competitive organization will use a democratic process to replace our current bargaining agent. It appears that after 2 1/2 years of utter failure, Mr. Cleary recognizes that USAPA’s days are in fact numbered. 

We do not know enough about the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) to judge whether this new alliance will be beneficial to the US Airways pilots. What we do know about the IBT, however, is that they are an actual union committed to the labor movement. They probably would not take kindly to a union president who harbors a known union buster or one that leads with a dictatorial style. The Teamsters are about unity, something USAPA is most definitely not. 

Our inside sources have confirmed that Mr. Cleary’s new alliance with the IBT arose out of his need to 1) squash a coming ALPA card drive and 2) use their influence to get to a 30 day cooling off period. 

He is truly delusional if he believes either of these tactics will be effective. 

Just as the Charlotte representatives recently reminded us in their update that we live in America and any one can sue, we would like to remind them that that same freedom applies to a union representational drive. If a grassroots effort initiates a legal card drive to oust USAPA and the majority of US Airways sign cards, there is nothing USAPA or the IBT can do to stop an election. As much as he would like to, Mr. Cleary cannot escape the reality of the democratic world that exists outside his shame organization. A card drive will arise from the strength of the average line pilot, not an imagined dues hungry boogie man. It should be pointed out that USAPA taxes its members more than any other airline union. 

As we stated above, Mr. Cleary believes he can capitalize on the political influence of the Teamsters to get to a 30 day cooling off period. This tactic is probably more laughable than his attempt to block a democratic card drive. The west pilots comprise roughly 40% of the combined pilot group. A substantial number of east pilots choose not to be USAPA members or maintain accounts in bad standing. A strike vote by the Union would be an embarrassing event. Most experts agree that a unity vote north of 95% is needed to successfully petition the NMB. USAPA would be lucky if it could garner a simple majority. There is absolutely nothing the IBT can do for Mr. Cleary to fix this math problem. 

When your next dues statement arrives or you write your next assessment check for the investigation du jour, contemplate the sheer amount of your money filling Mr. Cleary’s and Mr. Seham’s parched coffers. They are willing to stop at nothing to ensure that their gravy train never stops rolling. 

What we do know is that there will never be a strike under USAPA and Mr. Cleary cannot stop the true power of democracy.