Wed, May 20, 2009
Isn't it nice when we all get along?
The pilots of Alaska Airlines have voted to approve a new four-year
contract. Of the 95 percent of pilots who voted, 84 percent did so
in favor of the agreement.
Effective April 1, 2009, the new contract for Alaska's 1,455
pilots includes pay increases, retirement options for current
employees, and work rules that provide increased flexibility for
pilots and improved productivity for the airline. The company's
defined benefit pension plan will be closed to pilots hired after
ratification, reducing retirement funding risk. Pilots hired post
ratification will instead participate in a 401(k) program.
Additionally, pilots will participate in the same performance
incentive program as the airline's non-union employees, executives,
dispatchers and flight attendants, and will share equitably in
health care costs.
"This pilot group, and pilots across our industry, have watched
our pay, benefits, job security and quality of life erode since
9/11," said Capt. Bill Shivers, chairman of the Alaska Master
Executive Council. "While this contract doesn't restore everything,
it does provide increases in pay and improvements in our work
schedule and retirement flexibility while allowing our company to
remain poised for success. We believe this is a positive step
toward repairing the relationship between this pilot group and our
management so that we can work together to achieve a company
culture where everyone succeeds and prospers together."
"We appreciate the hard work by everyone involved in helping us
achieve this multi-year agreement, which provides the right
foundation for our pilots and airline to succeed long term," Alaska
Airlines President Brad Tilden said. "I'd like to thank our pilots
for maintaining their focus on safety and providing great customer
service throughout a long negotiation process."
ALPA and Alaska Airlines began contract negotiations in January
2007 and reached a tentative agreement last month. The pilots' last
contract, awarded by an arbitrator in May 2005, cut pilot pay by 21
percent to 35 percent.
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