Three-Year Deal Included Annual Pay Increases, Work Condition Improvements

After over two years of negotiations, World Airways announced Monday the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) negotiating team representing company pilots had rejected the company's final contract proposal.

The final proposal included a one-time signing bonus, annual pay increases over three years, profit sharing, major improvements in working conditions and further improvements in most of the sections of the contract under mediation.

"We believe this was a fair and equitable offer to bring a long negotiation process to conclusion," said World Airways CEO Charlie McDonald. "We regret their decision to turn down pay rates and working conditions that would be among the best in the non-scheduled airline industry. We remain committed to our objective of getting a fair agreement out to our pilots for a vote."

World Airways asked the National Mediation Board to release the company from mediation, but will continue to work under the auspices of the NMB until such time that the parties are released.

If the NMB releases World Airways and the IBT from mediation, arbitration will be offered; if the offer is declined, a 30-day cooling off period will go into effect, during which time the parties may continue to talk.

The pilots rejected an earlier tentative agreement in March 2004.

World Airways operates a fleet of 17 wide-body aircraft to meet a variety of customer needs, including passenger and cargo operations, freight forwarding, and military transport (above).

FMI: www.worldairways.com, www.teamster.org