USAPA President Mike Cleary 12/19/2011

TheEye is once again shaking our head in bewilderment wondering exactly who ‘our’ adversaries might me in Mr. Cleary’s delusional world? Could he be referring to the west pilot class, US Airways management, another union? 

The rapidly dwindling mass of the Cleary regime has declared war on all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Resignation letters continue to collect on the Woodlawn doorstep as our ever despondent and irrational officer corps wrestles amongst themselves for control of the agenda. The march towards total and unconditional victory has been declared despite the ever dwindling fuel and ammunition supply. Total chaos and complete implosion are likely at any moment. 

Meanwhile, those of us living in the real world are struggling to provide Christmas cheer for our friends and families. We naively believed that our new union would take advantage of the recovering industry and provide much needed relief to our financial houses. Instead, we have our independent USAPA - A dysfunctional embarrassment incapable of proving us with the most basic of services. The promise of a date-of-hire contract that protects our attrition has been replaced by an eternal sentence of LOA 93. 

No amount of bravado printed on a USAPA letterhead can change the fact that our union has failed to bring one benefit to our pilot group. We’ve squandered millions of dollars on legal fees trying to sue our way to success. The very law firm with whom we placed our endearing trust has been ousted, replaced by an outfit with double the rates and none of the charisma Lee brought to the courthouse. 

Our lives at work have degenerated into hours of fantastical conversations focused on a phantom merger and the liquidation of the west operation. Even our President alluded to our new fantasy by suggesting the west would be exposed in this hypothetical merger but the east would be protected. Our new hires have also been foolishly convinced that they would be better off supporting the war effort with grandiose promises of rapid advancement and west marginalization. 

TheEye is here to ring the sobering bell of reality. The reality already told to our waring leadership by our new legal team. The reality that the seniority fight is coming to a rapid close and we would be far better off embracing our west colleagues than promoting their extinction. With the departure of the only lawyer confident of our plan, we need to reevaluate our position going forward. The 1700 west pilots will have virtually no effect on our careers if we unify with them now before the next transaction.

On the other hand, should the 1700 west pilots unite with a much larger majority, our situation could become even more dire. Contrary to popular lore, our COC language is not air tight and will not overcome Judge Silver’s sphere of influence or the negotiating leverage of a larger pilot group. 

We can guarantee one thing -  

If we maintain our current course, we will be hoisted with our own petard.