Unions Urge Management To 'Engage With US Airways Now'

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), certified collective bargaining agent for the 10,000 pilots of American Airlines, has co-signed an “open letter” to the AMR Board of Directors urging a merger with US Airways.

The open letter was featured in advertisements in the Friday, May 4 editions of The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The leaders of the Transport Workers Union and Association of Professional Flight Attendants also signed the letter, which asks the AMR Board of Directors to “engage with US Airways management now” and proceed with a merger of the two carriers.

“We are firmly convinced that the alternative plan of reorganization sponsored by US Airways management represents the best path forward for American Airlines,” said APA President Captain Dave Bates. “This plan would preserve and enhance the American Airlines brand, retain the airline’s Fort Worth home and save thousands of jobs that would otherwise be eliminated under AMR management’s stand-alone plan.

“As the letter notes, our three unions have already reached conditional labor agreements with US Airways management that will boost productivity and reduce costs,” he said.

“This plan has the support of 55,000 front-line employees at American Airlines, and we believe it deserves immediate and serious consideration by the airline’s board of directors.”

Bates also pointed out that thousands of APA members have added their names to a petition of “no confidence” in AMR management’s ability to successfully restructure the company. The petition drive began on Tuesday, May 1. “Our pilots have spoken with one voice—it’s time for a real change in the direction of our airline,” Bates added.

Bates has spent the past 27 years as a pilot for American Airlines, which he notes beneath his signature on the open letter.

FMI: www.alliedpilots.org