Capt. John Prater (pictured below), president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), has issued a statement supporting the Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México in urging the Mexican government to work with airline employee unions to address economically challenging times.

“The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, stands with the pilots of Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México in strong solidarity. We urge Mexico’s government leaders and its airlines to work with employees to forge the long-term solutions that are required to take on the economic challenges the airline industry faces in Mexico and around the globe.

“The recent attempts to lay off hundreds of workers and radically restructure Mexico’s airline industry in a way that risks many airline workers losing—or being denied—union representation are not the answer.

“A successful strategy to meet the challenge must include all industry stakeholders—government, airlines, and employees—working together to develop creative solutions built on consensus that will foster a stable airline industry for the long term.

“Through such a collaborative process, Mexico can maintain a healthy, competitive, and safe national air transportation system to the benefit of all, including the thousands of passengers safely flown every day by the professional airline pilots of the Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México.”

FMI: www.alpa.org