Soft Talk and a Big ALPA
Following three-years of negotiations, Amerijet pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) unanimously approved a tentative agreement with the management of Amerijet International Inc. The inchoate agreement was subsequently forwarded to the airline’s three-hundred rank-and-file pilots for ratification.
Amerijet ALPA Master Executive chair Captain Tim Miller stated at the time: “My bedrock principle in all our work with Amerijet has always been collaboration before competition and this was the foundation of our Negotiating Committee’s approach in addressing the daunting list of issues that are associated with a fully re-written contract. This approach frequently surprised both sides of the table as to how many of the frustrations with our current, outdated CBA were shared by both the pilots and management.”
After three-weeks of voting, Amerijet pilots, on 23 June, ratified the tentative agreement. Of the 120 eligible pilots who took part in the vote, eighty-percent favored the new deal.
In addition to pay-raises exceeding 45-percent, the three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) includes improvements to pilots’ schedules, work rules, and retirement security.
Amerijet ALPA Master Executive chair Captain Tim Miller stated: “I am thrilled that our pilots demonstrated their unity and commitment to attain a collective agreement that reflects the contributions we bring to the success of our airline.
Captain Miller added: “The days of our pilots working under an incredibly subpar and outdated contract will soon be over. With the improvements in pay, quality of life, retirement, and insurance, I believe we will enable the company to recruit and retain pilots to sustain our continued growth into new markets.”
Amerijet International Airlines, Inc. is an American cargo airline headquartered in Miami, Florida. From its main hub at the Miami International Airport (MIA), the air-carrier delivers air freight to 48 destinations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America by dint of its fleet of six Boeing 757-200PCF, five Boeing 767-200BDSF, eight Boeing 767-300ER/BDSF, and three Boeing 767-300F aircraft. Amerijet’s network spans 476 worldwide destinations, including Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.
Founded in 1931 and representing over 74,000 pilots in the employs of 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines, the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is the world’s largest and most influential pilot union.