That injunction will soon be vacated when the 9th Circuit denies the motion for stay and issues their order for dismissal to the district court. It's sad they don't see the wasted time and money, their attorney's and the District judge cost them.
When you look at the motion for stay, and the response from USAPA, it could easily be deduced that the Addington lawyers are just going through the motions. USAPA hammered their motion in its response and while initially one might think it wordy at 16 pages, it was very to the point citing both case and rules supporting the denial. I am no lawyer but a very sharp judge that I know well and a lawyer I am acquainted with that has worked for both major Longshoreman unions seem to think a little CYA is going on. They said the motion for stay was one of the weakest they have seen and pardon the pun was probably just going through the motions. ITHO, maybe a little placating the plaintiffs by counsel. Not that the Plaintiffs could ever mount a malpractice suit against their counsel at this point. Sadly, they drew an activist judge that for reasons that may never be known, manufactured a results oriented trial. Whatever favor he thought he was doing cost the Addington plaintiffs 2 million and 2 years, and gave them no recourse for the counsel received by their attorneys to prematurely seek adjudication or the bills run up. It would be easy to see why they would just go through the motions at this point. For all the attacks plaintiffs have leveled at the competence of SSM&P it's pretty clear their ability of knowing and understanding labor law is showing and at least the people I know in the legal business have expressed which sides counsel they would want representing them, and its not plaintiffs.
The filing of a Writ of Certiorari is a complete waste of time. The rules require a writ conference within 90 days and by process for clerks to make recommendations on the wirts filed but their is no time line for the judges to see or act on the recommendations and their are thousands. It could be well beyond 2011 before a yea or nea was ever heard. It's why SCOTUS reserves its time for matters of a Constitutional issues(I.e. ruling on the Chicago handgun law. ), or when they see apparent conflict in interpretation of the law between the various circuits. There were two cases brought against USAPA over DOH seniority, one Addington and the other Breeger. Both have now been found not ripe, one after an unneeded costly trial and the other pre trial. Consistency amongst circuits has been found on the issue and as it pertains to this specific set of events. The fact that no Judge polled for the En Banc petition voted in the affirmative would normally be a loud message for someone with the exception of plaintiffs, that no chance of the SCOTUS hearing the case is likely, unless one is just going through the motions.
When you couple this with the fact that the 9th Circuit in the majority decision while not addressing the merits of the case commented on them, in ways favorable and supporting the very arguments of USAPA's counsel, a definite vortex for throwing money away now exists for the plaintiffs and their contributors. Citing Ford Motor v. Huffman, and the standard by which unions find themselves in conflict of its Duty of Fair Representation had nothing to do with ripeness. It was a comment, not a judgement, but a comment on the merits that anybody, except for plaintiffs could see was intended for a potential future district judge, what a wide latitude unions were given in setting policy and negotiation for a group. That and the fact the 9th considers the seniority issue and internal union process, with only a the normal "Good Faith" requirements really set the course for any future claim. I am sure the message was intended for plaintiff and attorney's as well but I don't see it getting through.