"In short US Airways is in federal court not because of any actions of its pilots but in a blatant attempt to muzzle your union from bringing its legitimate concerns regarding the safe operation of US Airways airplanes to the attention of the passenger public. We have retained counsel and experts to maintain a comprehensive and vigorous defense and will apprise you of the developments in this case as they unfold."

                                                          -August 3, 2011 USAPA Legal Update

The hundreds of pages of evidence submitted by US Airways in their request for injunctive relief from USAPA's illegal job action is overwhelming. As we've been writing for some time, this isn't a campaign about safety or protecting the general public. This campaign is about quasi date-of-hire and nothing else. Since 2005 the east pilots of US Airways have been promised quasi date-of-hire and they will stop at nothing, including the liquidation of the airline, to achieve their goal. Unfortunately for all of us, it took Mr. Parker the better part of six years to figure this out.

The latest lawsuit was filed by the Company almost one week ago. Since that time USAPA has continued to poke the bear in the eye with defiant updates from the national office, as well as the Philadelphia and Charlotte domiciles.

Although there have been off the record conference calls among the east BPR members and officers, there have been no publicly announced meetings called by the President to discuss legal strategy. USAPA is facing the greatest threat to its existence since its formation and there has not been one official meeting or conference call. Remember, this is the same leadership that couldn't even sign an office lease without holding numerous BPR meetings. Yet a lawsuit with the potential for crushing monetary implications is met with internal silence?

Not likely.

Through many sources, TheEye believes that the BPR has been holding unofficial phone conferences regarding the Company's lawsuit and its illegal safety campaign. It is our belief that these clandestine meetings predate the latest lawsuit.

Not only is conducting official union business under this veil of secrecy against the USAPA C&BL's, but it's a violation of federal labor law to exclude certain elected representatives.

But then again, most east pilots remain silent as this is all being done in the name

of quasi date-of-hire.

It is ironic that we still complain about the back room deals made in smokey rooms at the Key Bridge Marriott by our former bargaining agent, but we condone our current union's secrecy when it involves the destruction of another pilot group.

Hypocrites we are!

On a final note, have you noticed that the stench created by our BPR's "Safety

First" campaign was even too much for Mr. Seham to stomach? We never thought we would see the day where his lust for billable hours was overcome by the recklessness and stupidy of his client.