Only Five Votes Decided

By a razor-thin margin, the pilots at America West Airlines (AWA) have rejected a tentative agreement for a new labor contract. The vote was 725-720 against the offer, with 97.2 percent of the 1,487 eligible pilots voting.

The following statement was issued by Captain Terry Stadler, chairman of the America West Airlines pilots' Master Executive Council, part of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA).

"The America West pilots were faced with the difficult decision on whether or not to accept a tentative agreement that was recommended for ratification by the Master Executive Council. By the narrowest of margins, the pilots have chosen not to accept the agreement. Since the case is still under the auspices of the National Mediation Board (NMB), it will be up to the Board to decide the prospects of continued negotiations in light of the nearly 50-50 split of the pilot group. Our main priority continues to be serving the needs of our pilots."

Captain Duane Woerth, president of ALPA, said, "I would echo Captain Stadler's commitment to serving the best interests of the pilot group. We will continue to work diligently to bring this to a successful conclusion."

The AWA pilots' negotiating committee and AWA management agreed to a tentative agreement in October while in Washington, D.C. at the NMB. The two parties resumed negotiations in September after the NMB suspended negotiations with the pilot group and management in March. Pilots had overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement the two sides had reached in December 2002. Contract talks had begun in February 2000, and the NMB assigned a federal mediator to facilitate negotiations in May 2001. The NMB temporarily suspended talks after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

FMI: www.alpa.org, www.americawest.com