Contract Issues Slated To Go To Arbitration In February

The pilots flying for the merged American Airlines and US Airways will soon be voting on a new contract in an effort to avoid arbitration and secure an initial pay raise.

The contract is the final proposal offered by American Airlines Group in November. The board of the Allied Pilots Association Union agreed late Saturday to accept the contract proposal and send it out to the 15,000 rank-and-file pilots for a quick ratification vote, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Approving a vote by the membership met a Saturday deadline imposed by the airline for a healthy initial pay raise for pilots. It also pushes off arbitration planned for late February, which has provisions that are known to be less generous to the pilots that the carrier's "last and best" offer.

That offer included a pay increase of more than 18% retroactive to December 2, as well as a 4 percent hike for most non-union employees as well as for any unions that complete post-merger contracts. The goal is to have a pay structure that is 7 percent above rival Delta Airlines, which has a profit-sharing program.

That arbitration will move forward, however, if a simple majority of the rank-and-file pilots do not vote in favor of the proposed contract. APA represents 10,000 AA pilots as well as 5,000 that fly for US Airways.

FMI: www.alliedpilots.org, www.aa.com