The workers still technically belong to the union, he said, but the yearly contract negotiations are a mere formality and the union barely participates.

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Defence analysts in Moscow say the Start II treaty has been dead in the water for some time and that Russia's announcement is a mere formality.

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But while some might see the interview as a mere formality, for others this face-to-face encounter proves to be a major stumbling block in what is already a competitive application process.

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The eight candidates in question have all accumulated prolific statistics and distinctions of honor that would have made enshrinement in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown a mere formality under normal circumstances.

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One would hope that renewals become a mere formality, that pricing firms up and that the net income line on that initial chart we showed you starts to move toward to revenue line, instead of away from it.

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The two sides dispensed with that formality after a mere 12 months.

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