USAPAWATCH.COM

Only the best

2012-05-09T21:58:17Z

This past week President Hummel appointed two west pilots to the NAC. These appointments under normal circumstances might raise an eyebrow or two as neither of the candidates have stunning resumes. One simply does not have the experience needed and the other, by all accounts, brought nothing of substance to the table during previous negotiations and quit for suspect reasons.

It might be that at least one of these individuals could be brought up to speed in a normal negotiating environment but these are not normal times. The negotiations being conducted by the company and the APA are far from normal. There is a self-imposed 60-day deadline to get this new CBA inked and signed in order to move the possibility of the US/AA merger closer to reality.

60 days is an extremely ambitious schedule that would be trying for even the most experienced of negotiators, let alone two relatively novice individuals. The product that will come out of these negotiations will dictate the working rules and conditions for the “new” American for the remainder of most of our careers. Regardless of our backgrounds (east, west, north, or south), we need to insist that only the best represent us at the table.

The staff of TheEye held out hope that our new USAPA President understood that the greater good was more important than petty politics. Unfortunately, our hopes were in vain as he appears to have rescinded on most of his promises to appoint only the most qualified and experienced pilots to our critical committees. Far more qualified individuals applied for positions on the NAC but were rejected for purely political reasons. This is unacceptable.

Our sources indicate that the members of the BPR spent more time debating the optics of potential candidates than the qualities the candidates would bring to the process. In typical fashion, they wasted time whining about disproved acts rather than formulating a solid plan for the pilot group as a whole.

With the very real possibility of a merger between US and AA looming, now is the time to demand that the members of the BPR do what is best for all the pilots of US Airways and not continue the failed policies of the past.

The BPR has a clear choice; get on board, send the best team available to assist in this endeavor, or continue a policy of obstructionism and delay. We can assure you that the current path of our BPR will most definitely lead to us (east and west) to being completely marginalized by both the company and the APA.

From PHL, to CLT, to DCA, and to PHX - it is time to let the BPR know we have had enough of the infighting. We can either sit back and let the company and the APA dictate our future while we fight the battles of yesterday, or we can unify and get the best possible talent working for all of our futures.

Mr. Hummel was elected by us. He answers to us. Don’t be shy about reminding him of this.

Time and events will not wait; make your sentiments known now!

ghummel@usairlinepilots.org

officers@usairlinepilots.org

bpr@usairlinepilots.org

phl@usairlinepilots.org

clt@usairlinepilots.org

dca@usairlinepilots.org

phx@usairlinepilots.org

A new majority

2012-04-20T20:16:08Z

Early this morning, President Hummel awoke to the news that another union negotiated an industry leading deal with Doug Parker. Not only did Hummel not have any input into the deal, but it appears that he will have little to no input to the final product slated to be negotiated in the very near future. USAPA has been completely and totally marginalized and there isn’t much the US Airways pilots can do about their new predicament.

A few years back a New York lawyer sold Steve Bradford on the concept that the tyranny of the majority could impose its will on the minority to get its way. At the time the east pilots outnumbered the west pilots almost 2-1. For the last four years, Bradford’s independent union experiment has spent millions of dollars of our money trying to convince numerous judges and juries that the majority can do as it pleases with little regard to minority rights. So far the west pilots have been successful in their efforts to thwart USAPA’s agenda.

The news this morning must have been a jolt to the USAPA faithful. The stark reality is as follows:

APA represents 10,734 pilots

USAPA represents 5,127

According to the Bradford theory on majority rule, the APA has every right to dictate the terms of the merger to the US Airways pilots. Following USAPA’s logic, the agreements brought to the new entity can be ignored by the APA as they were negotiated by former bargaining agents.

The good news for us is that the west pilots are fighting to ensure that the new combined east/west minority retains our lawful rights and preserves our current collective bargaining agreements.

For that we should all be thankful

Last chance

2012-03-21T17:40:52Z

We at the Compass Correction have a nagging suspicion that National Officers Elections are ongoing at our Union, but could find no written evidence from USAPA to confirm that fact.

Mike Cleary came into office promising a 45-day process for obtaining a date of hire contract. He promised a successful strike, should that process fail. He promised a war on management, for their treatment of the pilots. Mike Cleary leaves office having waged war on his political opponents, and the lawyers who extended credit to USAPA when it was only a dream and who helped to birth this union.

-Eric Rowe, Captain, PHL

For the Compass Correction

What a coincidence! TheEye was thinking along the exact same lines as Captain Rowe, except we were wondering where candidates Hummel and Bradford have been hiding the last few weeks. Ah, lest we forget that the true candidate for USAPA President is Captain Rowe.

Rowe would like us to believe that everything is Mike Cleary’s fault. That somehow his chosen puppets have clean hands in the failures of USAPA. After all, Gary Hummel is the current Executive Vice-President and Steve Bradford is the founding President. They have both been intimately involved in USAPA from the very beginning. Yet, both have maintained strict radio silence during the troubling events of the last few weeks.

Hummel and Bradford’s silence on both the ongoing censorship by our Communications Committee and the outrageous lawsuit filed against Lee Seham is troubling to say the least. Nothing prevents them from taking a public stand against these egregious acts. Yet, all we hear are crickets.

But as you will see with the next quote from Compass Correction writer Captain Woody Menear from 2009, this pattern from Hummel and Bradford is not new.

The Board meetings do run well, that is true. This is primarily because there is seldom unified disagreement by Board Members with the assertions and “leadership” of certain of our Officers.

By the way, the Founders, Steve Bradford and Mark King have been largely silent at the meetings in which I have participated, for reasons known only to them.

-Captain Woody Menear 2/16/2009

Do we really want three years of spineless leadership unwilling to stand up for the pilots of US Airways? A leadership managed by a group of unelectable and power hungry former representatives? The answer is obviously no, but if you vote for Hummel and Bradford this is exactly what you are going to get.

Finally, we couldn’t sign off without noting the irony in Rowe’s mocking of Mike Cleary’s 45-day date of hire contract. There is ample video evidence on YouTube that Steve Bradford was the one promising a quick date of hire contract. In numerous USAPA road shows prior to the NMB election, Bradford continually cited the removal of the dual ratification road block and the addition of a professional negotiator as the fastest way forward. Bradford also suggested that offering a cost neutral contract in exchange for date of hire would seal the deal.

As you probably saw in your last paycheck, Bradford never sealed the deal.

Tomorrow is our last chance to boot these failures from office and elect a fresh group of leaders who can most certainly - seal the deal.

The whole truth, nothing but the truth, and censorship

2012-03-16T00:36:12Z

“We regret to inform you that we have reached an impasse with the Communications Committee Chairman in our attempt to publish multiple updates in February and now into March. Even this short message has been censored and edited by the the Communications Chairman from what we are trying to say to you.”

-Joe Stein, DCA Chairman 3/12/12

One must wonder where the supposed voice of dissent on our BPR stands on this blatant censorship? After all, candidate Hummel is the current Executive Vice-President. If he doesn’t have the courage to speak up in this instance, we can only imagine his response as our puppet president.

The reason Hummel hasn’t taken a public position on this despicable instance of censorship is because Rowe and Menear support the current communications policy of the union. As a matter of fact, so does Joe Stein, as he voted in favor of the policy when his intent was to silence the west. Now that he is the one being silenced, he is feigning disgust. But we digress.

Rowe and Menear need to censor the west and all voices of dissent in order to maintain their power. If the membership knew the truth about the millions of dollars squandered on their lunatic agenda they would never get elected. Stringing along the pilots through three more years of nothing requires the continuation of the carefully crafted propaganda machine started under President Bradford.

We can stop this takeover by Rowe and Menear, but your vote is needed. A courageous vote that places trust in the very people we’ve been taught to despise. We have one more week to send these people out to the pasture and let them fly their lines in obscurity. Returning the reigns of power to these failed former representatives with the expectation for change is not a viable strategy. TheEye has maintained all along that the west is needed for us to be successful.

Enough of the censorship.

Enough of the power hungry flight pay loss vultures.

Enough of our life under LOA 93.

Vote for real change and let’s work with our west brothers and sisters for the betterment of all.

Grand puppet masters

2012-03-12T22:57:47Z

"President Ferguson, on Day One, decides to give up the east Change of Control (which does not protect west pilots anyway) in exchange for the NIC"

"President Eric Ferguson, on Day Two, could hire Polsinelli Shughart PC, the West Plaintiff Law firm, with your dues money to be USAPA’s law firm."

"It should also be noted that the Officers, including the EVP, do not vote at the meetings"

Eric Rowe PHL-A330

Woody Menear PHL-7i

Their names cannot be found on any ballot. They do not volunteer for any USAPA committees. Yet these two pilots are running for the highest office of our union. Just as they did when ALPA was on property, they want to control every aspect of your careers. In their minds, they know best. The thought of losing control is too much for them to bear.

They have chosen three surrogates to be the kindler and gentler faces of their administration. Once in office, they will capitalize on the inherent weak leadership qualities of Hummel, Bradford, and Smyser and yield considerable power without any responsibility or accountability.

Up until this point in the election cycle, everything was going as planned. With the defeat of the Cleary legacy ticket they believed that it was just a matter of time before their re-ascension to power was complete. But time has also worked against their plan. The pilots are starting to awake to the fact that a Hummel administration will serve as a puppet regime for these two failed former representatives. Now, with the election possibly slipping out of their hands they are resorting to

FUD

Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt

There is absolutely no evidence nor reason to believe that a west pilot would cede a huge piece of leverage in exchange for a list that has already been accepted by US Airways. Lee Seham and Steve Bradford are the only ones that ever suggested forfeiting negotiating leverage in exchange for a seniority list. Remember, unlike the Nicolau Award, USAPA's date of hire proposal was rejected by management. To assert that the West would give up something in exchange for what they already have is sheer lunacy.

Yet lunacy is exactly what we are dealing with here. Rowe and Menear fear losing the election so much that they will say anything to get your vote. To them, a contact that moves us all forward is beyond repugnant. They would rather you suffer years and years under the status quo just so they can stay in power.

Sickening, we know.

A vote for Hummel, Bradford, and Smyser is a vote for Rowe and Menear. Let's not relive the last 20 years. We deserve better.

Keep USAPA My USAPA

2012-03-07T01:13:28Z

Charlotte - March 6, 2012

Dear Gary,

We write this open letter to encourage you to adopt a “Keep USAPA My USAPA” campaign. When Doug Parker made his hostile run at Delta, the employees there unified to keep US Airways out. Today, we are faced with a similar hostile takeover attempt. The union founded by Steve and your handlers was never designed to give the west pilots a voice or any power. They were to be marginalized and rendered impotent in face of our greater numbers. After the last round of balloting, we have become concerned that the west is gaining power through their psychotic talk of resuming JNC type talks and seeking a contract sooner than later. This is very troubling to say the least.

We are beyond thrilled that you shelved the “awe-shucks Gary” and have taken a hard lined approach to our seniority dispute. Mike, Randy, and Bill burned the midnight oil trying to get you to see the light. Like you, we also believe that Judge Silver will give US Airways full and complete immunity to negotiate away from the Nic. After all, the Philly power brokers would never have put Steve up to the whole USAPA idea in the first place if they didn’t believe we had an absolute right to discard the Nic.

But just in case the little old lady in the desert ignores case law and rules against us, we need a president willing to keep us on LOA 93 forever. Gary, you are that guy. A targeted “Keep USAPA My USAPA” campaign is exactly what we need to make sure our pilots fall lock step in-line with the plan. Ceding just one vote to the west could lead to a juggernaut so powerful that one day we’ll all wake up with a joint contract that contains work rules and pay on par with our industry peers. We know you will not let this happen.

Remember Gary, you are the last line of defense protecting our pilots from themselves. If the west gets into power and we’re allowed to vote on a contract, we will have failed our fellow aviators.

In solidarity,

Your fellow “Keep USAPA My USAPA” brothers and sisters

The two Gary's

2012-03-06T00:22:45Z

“Our union can no longer tolerate demanding and demeaning rhetoric from union officials who fail to respect democracy. If we continually blame others, there will be no end to the blame...Which Captain will you choose? One who berates his fellow crew members who offer solutions, or one who listens to all before charting his course? It’s time for a change.”

-Gary Hummel Feb. 9, 2012

“We find nothing in the RLA, ALPA merger policy, or the Transition Agreement that would require USAPA or US Airways to adhere to the Nicolau Award. We will employ all available resources to ensure that a DOH seniority list is ratified by our union in our new collective bargaining agreement.”

-Gary Hummel Mar. 5, 2012

It appears there are at least two Gary Hummel’s running for election this month. On some days we have the “awe schucks, can’t we all get along” Gary and on other days we have the “damn the torpedoes, date of hire or nothing” Gary.

During the first round of balloting we had the softer-gentler Gary espousing the virtues of a contract and taking care of all US Airways pilots. Now during the run-off, the toxic Gary has appeared ready to swoop in and caress the emotional remnants from the campaigns of the departed. Apparently, Gary’s handlers have advised him that he only needs the east pilots to propel him into office.

This lack of core is not what the pilots of US Airways deserve. For too long we’ve been strung along by spineless officeholders telling us exactly what we want to hear. Not one campaign promise made many years and campaigns ago by Hummel or Bradford has come to fruition. Four years ago they promised date of hire and an industry leading contract. All they have delivered is the most polarized and divided group in the profession working under two of the industries worst contracts. They now have the audacity to ask for our trust again. They should be ashamed of themselves; but they’re not because we continue to enable their thirst for power.

The fact is, without unity and competent leadership we are doomed to failure. Unity means east and west pulling together for the betterment of all. The flip flopping by the Hummel ticket to unify north and south against the west will have catastrophic long term consequences for the combined pilot group.

Whether it's merger or contract talks, we need true leaders who stick to their cores, no matter how unpopular the message.

So we humbly ask - Will the real Gary Hummel please stand up?

Good Cop-Bad Cop with concessions

2012-03-01T22:22:32Z

“I am running for USAPA Vice President because I believe that I have found someone better qualified than I to sit in the President’s chair and that person is Gary Hummel. Gary is a staunch pilot advocate and he supports Date of Hire as enshrined in our constitution.”

-Steve Bradford

Four years ago Steve Bradford along with his sidekick lawyer Lee Seham promised us a quick contract along with the annihilation of the Nic. Not only is a final affirmation of the Nic right around the corner, but we are further away from a contract than ever.

We have yet to find any supporters of the Kirby proposal on either coast, except possibly Steve Bradford and his lawyer. This is what Seham had to say about convincing Doug Parker to accept USAPA’s date of hire list.

It seems the Kirby proposal in exchange for date of hire is a viable option for the Bradford-Hummel ticket. Remember, Bradford’s first campaign email this year ran on the promise of a Seham return.

The fact is, Gary Hummel and Steve Bradford have no ability to deliver on the centerpiece issue of their campaign - A contract with date of hire. They couldn’t do it four years ago and they certainly can’t do it today.

It appears their campaign strategy is to portray Hummel as the “awe shucks, it’s in the court’s hands" guy while Bradford projects the edgier "date of hire with no exceptions" bill of goods persona.

The only result we see from the election of this good cop-bad cop duo is a continuation of the past four years. Which by even the best estimations equates to absolutely nothing.

The polls are open, there are other options.

Coming soon to a ballot near you

2012-02-28T16:57:05Z

Down to the wire

2012-02-21T18:50:51Z

Last week we highlighted the the sameness of all the date of hire candidates. With the voting deadline fast approaching their resolve to continue their same destructive agendas appears to be strengthening. To this day, we have yet to hear one date of hire candidate articulate how they are going to get us a contract and move us off of bankruptcy era wages and work rules. Instead they fill our email boxes with obnoxiously verbose endorsements lecturing us on the duties of the office they seek and the virtues of date of hire.

No one we know of is happy that the Nic is the Nic. There is no question that many of us will not see the left seat while those with less years on property will forever bid higher positions. Unfortunately, it's a reality that cannot be changed now or in the future. The day USAPA became our bargaining agent, the Nic became set in stone without possibility of modification. We were all warned of this by our MEC, yet we ignored the sage advice given by the so called evil ALPA lawyers. Instead we threw all of our eggs in the basket of a New York lawyer willing to take millions of our hard earned dollars to wage a legal battle with an ending all too predictable. Meanwhile, we've squandered our kids college tuitions and retirement savings all for nothing.

Incredulously, not only are we voting for a continuation of the same, but many are voting for candidates hellbent on rehiring the same lawyer who sold us on the impossible over four years ago.

What is the old saying on the definition of insanity?

We realize that accepting the Nic is no easy pill to swallow. In fact it is beyond repugnant for many of us. But what is harder to swallow is the thought that our friends and families will continue to suffer as we work under a miserable contract to the day we are forced to retire.

The money we're forfeiting, the vacation memories that will never happen, and the decline of our general health can never be recouped.

If you've already voted for names from the past, it's not to late to make a change. Sit down with your families this evening or make a phone call from the road and discuss your vote with those whom you love the most. They will understand and support you like no one else can.

Vote your conscience and vote for your family.

Remember, names such as Hummel, McKee, Bradford, Parrella, Borman, Javurek, Dopp, Day, Smyser, Sevier, Stein, Tobin, Bauhan, Wright, Dunn, and etc...are all the same. They are all synonymous with failure.

I'm more date of hire than you!

2012-02-16T05:52:55Z

Gary Hummel and Steve Bradford support DATE OF HIRE. It is part of the opposition “big lie” to say otherwise.

-Stephen Bradford

I am a strong believer in USAPA, our Constitution and Bylaws including seniority based on Date of Hire...

-Joe Stein

I want a contract and I want to work to achieve one that solidifies Date of Hire...

-Courney Borman

Make No mistake, USAPA continues to maintain that the Nicolau Award is not binding and that seniority is an issue that must be resolved in negotiations subject to membership ratification. Anything that anyone tells you to the contrary is categorically untrue.

-Bill McKee

We are rapidly approaching the four year anniversary of USAPA’s reign of power. Since that time, we’ve been parked by the NMB, slapped with a permanent federal injunction for an illegal job action, and lost a grievance that could have restored our wages. In that same time, we lost a DFR trial, sued our west colleagues for alleged RICO crimes, and lined the pockets of a New York law firm with millions of our hard earned dollars.

Now the same exact people who got us into this unbelievable mess are running for office basing their entire campaigns on their degree of support for....you guessed it - date of hire! Instead of offering fresh ideas and blueprints for the future, they are buying hundreds of dollars worth of bandwidth and spamming our emails swearing allegiance to the unobtainable quest of date of hire.

What we can guarantee you is that if you vote for any of these retreads, you will be casting your vote in favor of nothing. That’s right, not one of them has given us any reason to expect anything more than nothing. After all, almost every single one of them has had their chance to produce positive results for our group and instead they chose - nothing.

For the past four years the only thing 1.95% of our salaries has gotten us is a soap opera unworthy of day time cable television. As we continue to labor for salaries akin to turbo prop pilots, our hard earned dollars are funding flight pay loss leaches completely consumed by office dalliances, leaked emails, office space, illegal job actions, and politics of personal destruction.

As you cast your final vote, we hope you realize that checkmarks next to names such as Stein, Borman, Bradford, Hummel, and McKee are completely interchangeable. These names from the past have absolutely nothing positive to offer our combined pilot group.

It’s up to us to prevent a repeat of the last four years. Your vote can and will determine the remainder of your career.

Think about it.

The true cost of a 5 year upgrade

2012-02-12T20:48:39Z

A popular argument from our third list pilots is that they are better off supporting separate operations and a quick upgrade than supporting a reform candidate and a quick contract. On the surface a five year upgrade with separate operations sounds like a no-brainer. But when the numbers are crunched, it’s a losing proposition.

Let’s use Delta as our comparison:

In the first eight years of employment, flying an average of 80 hours, a Delta first officer will earn a cumulative base salary of $759,360. This excludes better retirement, work rules, per diem, and other fringe benefits.

The same first officer at US Airways will earn $524,160. That’s $235,200 less base pay than the same position at Delta.

If for some reason the expected upgrade on the east operation is reduced from its current ten year projection to five years, the cumulative base salary over the first eight years with an E190 upgrade at year five equals $571,200.

The Delta first officer will still make over $188,154 more in the same eight years than the US Airways first officer who took an upgrade on the E190 at year five.

As we all cast our votes this election session, it is crucial that we arm ourselves with the facts. If for some reason US Airways does not merge and remains a separate entity, the newly hired pilots will be far better off seeking an industry standard contract than working under bankruptcy level wages.

Whether it's stand-alone or merged, you cannot afford to vote for a date of hire candidate.

Source: airlinepilotcentral.com

Delta 320 first officer for 8 years

US Airways E190 first officer for year one followed by 320 first officer years 2-8.

US Airways E190 first officer for year one followed by 320 first officer followed by E190 captain at year 5.

Shock waves

2012-02-10T17:22:11Z

It’s election season in USAPA world and the candidates are busy filling our mailboxes with diatribes of blame as to why we haven’t achieved a date-of-hire contract and fulfilled the union’s original intent. On one corner there is founder Stephen Bradford whining about the firing of Lee Seham and on the other side is the paranoid fringe represented by Bill McKee claiming a vast conspiracy between his opposition and the Phoenix candidates.

One theme consistent between virtually all of the candidates is the finger pointing and incessant blame that all of our problems are a result of the former bargaining agent and those who served under its evil grip.

What is abundantly clear is that almost every single candidate running for office has had their chance to create the promised utopia, but failed miserably to do so. Now they seek your vote with absolutely no vision or plan to move the combined pilot group forward.

Looming on the horizon is a possible merger with a much larger pilot group. If the analysts are correct, a merger between US Airways and American Airlines is likely before the end of the year.

American Airlines currently has 1,685 pilots on furlough and recently announced plans to furlough an additional 400. (source: www.airlinepilotcentral.com)

A vote for any of the date-of-hire candidates will place the employment of thousands of US Airways pilots at risk. Pilots who brought jobs to the transaction could be furloughed all in the myopic quest to destroy the careers of the America West pilots.

Incredulously, when this theory is mentioned on the line, the typical response is that an arbitrator will protect those who brought jobs. What they don’t realize is that the USAPA Constitution requires the Merger Committee to pursue a date-of-hire integration regardless of the devastation it could cause the pre-merger pilot group. Further, using USAPA’s own pretext, if the American pilots are unhappy with the arbitrated list they can use their significant majority to circumvent the arbitration and impose their self determined seniority list on the smaller US Airways pilot group.

This possibility should send shock waves down the spine of every US Airways pilot.

Stay tuned for more from TheEye. This election is too important for anyone to sit on the sidelines.

To Dean

2012-01-04T06:07:47Z

Pat, Manny and I all share a military background and we have been schooled in leadership techniques but I don’t recall learning about the methods they are using here. It seems like something more out of the playbook of a South American dictator rather than what should be coming from an ‘officer and a gentleman’.

First Officer Dean Colello

Integrity first

Service before self

Excellence in all we do

An open letter to First Officer and NAC Member Dean Colello:

Dean,

Thank you for your honest and very public statement regarding the recent resignations of Capts' Day and Lopez from the NAC. It must be incredibly frustrating to witness your years of note taking experience flushed down the drain by such reckless and self serving individuals. Rest assured that one day the hard work you selflessly gave our pilot group will bear its fruit when an important contract dispute confronts us. The quality of your product will most assuredly guarantee us success.

The seriousness of purpose conveyed by your letter should give all US Airways pilots pause. Your credibility should never be questioned as few pilots can claim so many years of uninterrupted full time union service. Hold your head high Dean, for you have seen it all. You’ve had a front row seat to the messy sausage making process first at ALPA, then at USAPA, and possibly both at the same time.

It is clear that the tragedy befallen you over four years ago has caused you significant stress. Switching your allegiance in order to preserve the self placed unimaginable demands on your core. In that light, we understand your break with the COC and your direct communication to us rank and file line workers.

Dean, it must be difficult to look back and see the mess you’ve helped create. We would just like to remind you that it is never too late to put honor ahead of self. So pack a lunch, leave the flight case at home, and enjoy the fruits of your labor - separate ops under LOA 93 for ever and ever. Congratulations, you’ve done it!

Sincerely,

TheEye

To a better 2012!

2011-12-29T18:42:29Z

Enemies

2011-12-20T05:46:04Z

“Unfortunately, there is no middle ground being offered by our opposition on any front, so there is simply no question of which side of the battles to be on. We will neither cease nor buckle and our adversaries should clearly understand that our commitment to our collective futures will endure regardless of what is thrown at us.”

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.

Recycle

2011-12-07T18:07:50Z

Although TheEye has been dormant as of late, we certainly have not ceased paying attention. The looming LOA 93 decision coupled with the eventual cementing of the Nicolau Award in Judge Silver’s courtroom have made commentary on the circus called USAPA rather unnecessary.

But the latest hypocrisy spewing from articles published by the website Compass Correction Coalition is too much for us to ignore. While we don’t necessarily disagree with much of what the Coalition writes, it is important to remind the readers of the recent history of its primary authors: Eric Rowe, Dave Ciabattoni, and Doug Mowery.

Let’s start with Capt. Rowe. It is well known that Capt. Rowe was the self-proclaimed protector of the “junior” pilots as Chairman of the PHL local council under ALPA. He led the charge to fire any member of the Merger Committee who wavered from a hard line DOH position. Even after repeated warnings from Arbitrator Nicolau, Capt. Rowe was not going to budge and compromise. After all, as an A330 Captain at the pinnacle of his career, he had little to lose by maintaining a “damn the torpedo’s, full speed ahead” approach. The minute the Nicolau Award was released he parlayed his role as protector into a founding supporter of USAPA and its mission to circumnavigate Nicolau. Few of his admirers ever stopped to question the ineffectiveness of his leadership. In fact, it could be strongly argued that had he ceded true autonomy to our Merger Committee, we would never have had to deal with the Nicolau Award as we know it. Doing so, however, would have surrendered his epic status among his faithful flock.

Next we have Dave Ciabattoni who served with Capt. Rowe as First Officer Representative under ALPA for the PHL domicile. Capt. Ciabattoni supported his chairman’s hard line approach and demanded full DOH allegiance from the Merger Committee. They along with John Brookman and Mark King in Pittsburgh formed a four vote roll-call to block any movement off of strict DOH. Once the Nicolau Decision was released, Capt. Ciabattoni quickly jumped ship to the USAPA cause. One must wonder if he was really surprised by the Nicolau Award given his hardline stance and the warnings from Nicolau. Could it be possible that his position was designed to get the result it did in order to decertify ALPA? We’ll never know. What we do know is that Capt. Ciabattoni took a lead role in the new union and wrote a substantial portion of the USAPA Constitution and By-Laws. The same document that now deprives his clique of absolute power. The irony is uncanny.

Moving on to Doug Mowery: the “nice guy” behind the Rowe and Ciabattoni front. Capt. Mowery was a member of the JNC negotiating a contract that would blend the east and west contracts. He worked hard for the JNC right up to the release of the Nicolau Award and then jumped on the “too shocked” to continue bandwagon. Why he was so shocked is a mystery to us as he was fully briefed and on board with the hard line stance taken by the PHL and PIT representatives. With the new union up and running, Capt. Mowery became the face of USAPA that the old hardliners wanted to advance. His name is continually found on USAPA nominating and election ballots. More recently he has begun signing his name to Compass Correction Coalition articles.

What caught our Eye was the statement they made in their November 30th open letter to the BPR. They wrote, “If USAPA loses the right to negotiate its own seniority system, the repercussions for the profession and our pilot group should be obvious to the Board.” They must understand that no one argues that USAPA doesn't have the right to negotiate its own seniority system. The problem for them is that they helped form a union with the documented goal of purposely disadvantaging the AWA pilots. If USAPA exercises its right to negotiate, the west pilots will most assuredly sue for DFR and win. And if Judge Silver doesn't release US Airways from their obligations as memorialized in the Transition Agreement they will be sued too. Their favorite lawyer either never told them this inconvenient truth or they never listened to opposing viewpoints when they joined Capt. Bradford in the back of the van. Their blind acceptance of the notion that changing bargaining agents would free the east pilots from the Nicolau Award was as dangerous then as it is now. What is further troubling is that these so called “unionists” believe that their failure to destroy the careers of another group of pilots will somehow have negative repercussions for the profession. They must have missed the fact that their actions have allowed US Airways to employ some of the lowest paid pilots in the world for the past decade.

In the coming officer elections, the names above are highly likely to surface on a ballot or nominating form. Yup, the same old-same old is coming to a ballot box near you. We get to choose between the failed hardliners of the past who make us feel good with their ineffective posturing and the current dictatorial regime that has gotten has absolutely nowhere since their ascent to power. Add these two factions together and one could only begin to calculate the damage inflicted on our pilot group. We are all desperately in need of results, yet these names have never produced anything of meaning for our group.

Recycling the past hasn’t worked too well. We need new, brave, and bold leadership.

Injunction

2011-09-28T20:05:59Z

Today, Judge Robert J. Conrad found USAPA guilty of sanctioning an illegal job action.

In recent weeks TheEye has refrained from posting about USAPA as the union has become completely irrelevant. It has demonstrated itself to be a completely ineffective, dysfunctional, and inept labor organization.

We sincerely hope that those participating in the illegal job action take a moment to reflect on the extent of the pain and suffering they have brought to all US Airways employees.

USAPA is damaged goods -

Even a federal judge has memorialized this reality.

A Kasher decision?

2011-08-06T01:02:26Z

“As we updated you in our June 7th briefing, USAPA Paralegal Cathy McHale contacted Arbitrator Kasher seeking his availability for the scheduling of future arbitrations. Arbitrator Kasher reported that he was recovering from major surgery, that he was "back in business," and that he would try to complete his work within the next couple of months. As you are aware, he currently has two decisions pending before him: the Hotel Selection grievance and the Letter of Agreement 93 grievance.”

-August 3, 2011, The Iron Compass

TheEye has received confirmation from numerous sources that Arbitrator Kasher issued his decision in the Hotel Selection grievance more than a week ago. From our understanding USAPA lost the grievance and is purposely withholding the decision from the membership.

Considering USAPA and First Officer Parrella’s pattern of deception and lies, how can we be sure that a decision in the LOA 93 case hasn’t been issued?

We would like to know why USAPA has held this information from us and why they continue to mislead the membership?

Yes, these are rhetorical questions.

Defiance

2011-08-04T21:07:45Z

"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.

Chicken

2011-07-20T05:05:17Z

“In or about April, 2011, USAPA distributed to its members lanyards that bear the legend “Safety First, I’m on board”

-Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief filed by USAPA.

We’re confused! Until this latest court filing, USAPA has denied any and all involvement in the “Safety First, I’m on board” illegal job action. Now the Union is taking full ownership of this out of control and ill advised campaign.

Not only is USAPA taking ownership, but in a letter to US Airways COO Robert Isom, USAPA President Mike Cleary proclaimed “We consider the new policy to be simply a component of a policy of intimidation, undermining union activities, and subordinating safe operations to corporate profit. We are therefore advising our members to continue to visibly demonstrate their support for their bargaining representative through union-approved lanyards, pins and badge-backers.”

We have no doubt that Mr. Cleary has placed his red "Union Pilot" badge backer and yellow "Safety First, I'm on board" lanyard in the top drawer of his conference room office desk* in compliance with the new Company directive. After all, he completed his Distance Learning module on-time in direct conflict with phone calls and text messages made by his most loyal supporters.

Now that the bet has been wagered in this high stakes game of chicken, will the Company or USAPA blink first?

Considering US Airways management has done nothing but condone and encourage USAPA’s behavior over the past three years, our money is on the Company.

Are you willing to take the risk or will you join USAPA's leadership and comply with the directive?

As you head to work on August 1st, the choice is yours.

* TheEye has confirmed that Mr. Cleary refuses to occupy the office allocated for the President at USAPA’s new headquarters as he considers it to be inadequate.