American Airlines pilots vote to authorize strike amid contract negotiations
Pilots will picket at 10 airports nationwide spanning from Los Angeles to New York
Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Union President Lyn Montgomery discusses how benefits and pay have decreased over the years for airline workers.
American Airlines pilots began picketing at airports nationwide Monday to put pressure on the carrier to reach a new contract with their union.
The Allied Pilots Association, the collective bargaining agent for 15,000 American Airlines pilots, said its members will line up outside 10 of the carrier's major airports, holding signs that read "American Airlines pilots ready to strike."
Among the hubs being picketed are Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
American Airlines pilots, represented by the Allied Pilots Association, picket outside Chicago O'Hare International Airport. (Capt. Dennis Tajer/APA)
The pickets come on the heels of APA members overwhelmingly voting in favor of authorizing a strike if deemed necessary in the event that the union can't come to an agreement with the airline over the new contract.
DELTA PILOTS VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY TO AUTHORIZE STRIKE
APA Communications Chair Dennis Tajer told FOX Business that this strike authorization "sends a clear signal that there's a problem here at American Airlines and management is driving us to this point where a strike is considered."
More than 96% of APA members participated in the strike authorization vote and more than 99% of those pilots voted yes to strike. However, there are a number of steps that would need to occur before it would even come to that point.
The pickets come on the heels of APA members voting to authorize a strike if the union can't come to an agreement with the airline over the new contract. (Capt. Dennis Tajer/APA)
Dan Koller, a spokesperson for the APA, told FOX Business that talks between the airline and the APA, which have centered on better schedules for pilots, have been ongoing for more than four years.
SOUTHWEST PILOTS TO VOTE ON WHETHER TO AUTHORIZE UNION LEADERS TO CALL FOR STRIKE
Negotiations first opened in January 2019 and were delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Koller said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 14.29 | -0.10 | -0.69% |
Tajer said it's about creating a better work-life balance for pilots and schedule predictability.
"Management right now is hung up in old ways of doing the scheduling of an airline," Tajer said. "They are still scrambling and building schedules to the maximum as we come into summer. We see it."
Tajer added that the parties need to negotiate a better contract as soon as possible given that "the ingredient for last summer's failure was not providing enough buffer in pilot's schedules."
THESE ARE THE WORST AIRLINES FOR CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS
An American Airlines spokesperson told FOX Business that the carrier understands a "strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done" and it respects "the message of voting results."
The APA's Dan Koller told FOX Business that talks with the airline have been ongoing for more than four years. (Capt. Dennis Tajer/APA)
However, the airline remains "confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly."
"Importantly, the results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to complete a deal," the spokesperson continued.
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Federal legislation governing national transportation workers mandates that before they can even strike, the National Mediation Board must decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and must offer an opportunity to resolve the contract through arbitration.
If either side declines the arbitration, a further 30-day "cooling off" period is required before strike action.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.