Tag Archives: ALPA

FedEx and its pilots reach a tentative agreement

FedEx Express (Memphis) and its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The tentative agreement is subject to a final ratification vote of its members. ALPA issued this statement:

On Wednesday, August 19, FedEx pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), reached a tentative agreement (TA) with FedEx management on an amended collective bargaining agreement. The parties have been actively negotiating since 2011. Discussions started in 2011 under a special interim discussions agreement that had originally been made by both parties to assist in narrowing the field of open items in order to conclude formal bargaining in a timely manner. Formal bargaining began in January 2013 when Section 6 openers were exchanged with management. On October 31, 2014, FedEx management filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB), and negotiations have been conducted under NMB guidance.

The new agreement is subject to review and finalization of contract language. Terms of the tentative agreement are not being released, as they first must be reviewed and approved by the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). If approved by the FedEx MEC leadership, the TA will be subject to a ratification vote of over 4,000 FedEx pilots. If ratified, the contract would become amendable in 2021.

Copyright Photo: Paul Ferry/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-236 (F) N915FD (msn 24120) departs from Luton Airport near London.

FedEx Express aircraft slide show:

Delta’s CEO Richard Anderson: The 40 Boeing 737-900 ERs and 20 Embraer E190s will be cancelled

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) management team held a conference call yesterday, mainly with the analysts and representatives of the media, after posting a record second quarter profit, beating all Wall Street forecasts.

In the conference call, CEO Richard Anderson when asked about the rejection of the proposed contract by the pilots, stated, without elaborating further, the 40 Boeing 737-900 ERs and 20 Embraer ERJ 190s on order “will be cancelled”. The company had tied these two orders with the ratification of the new pilot contract.

The comment could be considered posturing by some observers, intended as a new salvo to the pilots for the next round of contract negotiations.

The pilots, represented by ALPA, voted nearly two-to-one against the proposed contract. Both sides will now have about six months to further negotiate new terms in which both sides can agree.

ALPA has not formally responded to the comments.

The Embraers would have represented a new lower level of mainline flying.

Read more from Bloomberg Business: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-932 ER N817DN (msn 31928) banks on the river approach to the runway at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show:

Virgin America’s pilots vote to join ALPA

Virgin America‘s (San Francisco) pilots have voted to join the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA).

ALPA issued this statement:

The National Mediation Board (NMB) has announced that the pilots at Virgin America voted overwhelmingly in favor of representation by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA).

Of the 95.7 percent of eligible pilots who voted, 75.3 percent voted in favor of joining the world’s largest pilot union, showing their commitment to collective representation.

“ALPA is very pleased to welcome our colleagues at Virgin America,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA president. “Today, our union is stronger. ALPA is poised to ensure that Virgin America pilots will gain a stronger voice for their future and, together, we will continue to advance our profession.”

Photo Above: ALPA.

The focus for Virgin America pilots now shifts to the membership drive and establishing pilot representatives in each base, and starting the work to negotiate their first collective bargaining agreement.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 N528VA (msn 3445) taxies to the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Virgin America aircraft slide show:

Delta’s pilots, represented by ALPA, reach a tentative agreement with management

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) and its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.

ALPA issued this statement:

On June 4, the Negotiating Committee for the pilots of Delta Air Lines, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), reached a tentative agreement with Delta management on an amended collective bargaining agreement, over six months ahead of the December 31, 2015 amendable date.

In a letter to the Delta pilots, Delta Master Executive Council (MEC) Chairman Captain Mike Donatelli wrote, “This agreement represents the culmination of tremendous effort on your behalf. We have been engaged in negotiation preparation and execution for a full year, with incredible dedication from our negotiators, professional staff, subject matter experts and your elected representatives.

As a function of process within the Delta MEC Policy Manual, your elected representatives will now have TA language in their possession for seven days. We will meet, and if they approve the agreement, it will be made available to the Delta pilots for membership ratification.”

The tentative agreement is in the hands of the Delta MEC, the union’s governing body, for consideration. Until that process is complete, the details of the tentative agreement will not be publically released.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Sun Country Airlines’ owner Marty Davis threatens to downsize and eventually close the airline

Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Chairman Marty Davis has threatened to downsize and eventually shut down the airline if a new agreement with the pilots cannot be reached. In a letter sent to the pilots this past week, the owner threatened this drastic course of action. The pilots are locked in negotiations with management on a new contract. Davis has stated the latest management offer is the “last and best offer” according to this report by the Duluth News Tribune. The National Mediation Board (NMB) has scheduled another negotiating session in late May.

Captain Brian Roseen, Chairman of the Sun Country Master Executive Council, Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), representing the pilots, issued this response to the threat:

“The Sun Country Master Executive Council (SCA MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, the collective bargaining representative of SCA pilots, has received media inquiries related to reports about a communication from SCA management threatening a wind down of Sun Country Airlines.

“Yesterday, the SCA MEC received a letter from Mr. Marty Davis, Chairman and owner of Sun Country. Mr. Davis’ letter asserts that after five years of negotiations, the first comprehensive economic proposal presented by the company is also its ‘last, best and final’ proposal. In essence, it’s a take-it or leave-it offer. He claims that he has begun the process of downsizing the airline, although we have seen no evidence of this. In the interest of full disclosure to our members, we forwarded Mr. Davis’ communication to the pilot group last night.

“Mediation required under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act is now being conducted by the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC. The Association has made clear its willingness to meet anytime and anywhere to continue mediation. The NMB has tentatively set May 27-29 in Washington, DC as the scheduled next date for meetings. ALPA believes the Company was unwilling to meet sooner. At that meeting, ALPA will provide a counter-proposal to the Company’s offer that seeks to narrow the remaining gaps between the parties’ positions.

“We are disappointed Mr. Davis has chosen to respond to us with the threat of a shutdown even as the Association is prepared to present its counter-proposal. We appreciate the NMB’s tireless efforts to conduct mediation, and reiterate that our pilots are determined to rise above their current status as the lowest-paid B-737 scheduled service pilots in the country.

“Sun Country pilots intend to show up for work tomorrow and continue to do our jobs the way we always have — safely, professionally and courteously. The Association looks forward to opportunities later this month to continue our good-faith efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement that reflects established pay and benefit patterns, and trusts that Company executives will participate with the same intention.”

In February CEO Stan Gadek, who lead the airline in its last recovery, abruptly resigned and left the company.

Read the full report from the Duluth News Tribune: CLICK HERE

Sun Country Airlines aircraft slide show:

Sun Country’s pilots picket at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport

Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) could be facing a strike by its pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The pilots of the airline yesterday (April 24) picketed for higher wages outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. ALPA states they are the lowest Boeing 737 scheduled airline pilots in the country. The pilots have authorized a strike if necessary.

The union issued this statement:

Sun Country Airlines Pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association Int’l (ALPA), conducted informational picketing Friday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, saying the company’s current pay proposal would keep SCA pilot wages near the bottom of the industry for another five years.

Already the nation’s lowest-paid scheduled service airline pilots for their aircraft type, management’s recent proposal would provide only minimal increases. Sun Country pilots last received a pay rate increase in 2005.

“Our current pay is 30 percent below the midpoint for our peers. We’re seeking a contract that gradually gets us closer to the industry average. The company offer keeps us from realizing that goal throughout the life of a new contract,” said Capt. Brian Roseen, chairman of Sun Country’s ALPA Master Executive Council.

Virtually all of Sun Country’s 247 active ALPA pilots not flying or in training marched in shifts outside MSP’s Terminal 2, joined by supporters from United, Delta, FedEx Express, Compass, Endeavor Air, and other ALPA pilot groups.

ALPA and Sun Country have been in negotiations for five years, and in federal mediation since 2012. In February pilots voted 100 percent to authorize ALPA to declare a legal strike if later allowed to do so by the federal government. Before any strike could occur, the National Mediation Board would have to release the pilot group from mediation and the group would have to complete a 30-day cooling off period.

“Under our new ownership Sun Country has been profitable and more than doubled in size. It’s time for them to invest in people the same way they’ve invested in airplanes and facilities,” Roseen said. “We want to negotiate. We’re 100 percent ready to do everything the law allows to lift ourselves up from the bottom of the industry.”

Meanwhile the pilots of Southwest Airlines (Dallas) came to the aid of its fellow pilots at Sun Country. SWAPA issued this statement:

As the pilots of Sun Country (SCA) picket on Friday outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) announces support of the SCA pilots’ efforts to obtain an improved contract. Sun Country Airlines pilots are the lowest-paid Part 121 B-737 pilots in the country and have been in contract negotiations for more than five years. In February, the SCA pilots voted nearly unanimously to authorize ALPA to call a legal strike if necessary, upon a release from mediation by the National Mediation Board and the expiration of a cooling-off period.

“Sun Country pilots have the lowest 737 pay rates for scheduled carriers and are about 30 percent below the industry average pay for this equipment,” said SWAPA President Capt. Paul Jackson. “Low fares do not have to equal low wages in our industry and we fully support our friends at Sun Country in seeking a fair agreement.”

Sun Country management has failed to offer industry-standard fair compensation to pilots despite doubling the number of aircraft and profitability in recent years under new ownership. The company’s most recent contract offer would still leave the SCA pilots at the bottom of 737 pilot pay rates for another five years. The SCA pilots’ union leadership is proposing gradual increases toward the industry average, with the goal of reaching middle ground by the end of the contract term.

Top Copyright Photo: Ken Petersen/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8Q8 N804SY (msn 30689) prepares to touch down at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

Sun Country Airlines aircraft slide show:

JetBlue Airways’ pilots request open contract negotiations under the Railway Labor Act

Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), representing the pilots of JetBlue Airways (New York) today issued this statement:

The pilots of JetBlue Airways, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), today sent official notice to company management requesting to open contract negotiations under the federal Railway Labor Act. The notice marks the first labor negotiations in the history of JetBlue from any segment of its workforce. Currently, JetBlue pilots are the only unionized workforce at the airline.

“Our negotiators have worked hard to prepare for this day and look forward to successful negotiations for a first contract,” said Capt. Jim Bigham, chairman of the JetBlue pilots’ Master Executive Council. “While we see the bargaining process as an opportunity to make positive changes for our pilots, we hold no illusions that this will be an easy process. However, while attaining our first labor agreement will require intense focus and commitment, we also will continue to work with management to ensure we contribute positively to JetBlue’s success.

“I’m optimistic about the group’s opportunities for success. We will work hard and efficiently, but we will also be careful and take the time necessary to assure that the final product is done right. All pilots have a right to expect this approach, and it will govern everything we do moving forward.”

The Association’s request to begin negotiations pursuant to the Railway Labor Act was sent by ALPA President Tim Canoll. Negotiations are scheduled to begin on March 31, 2015, in New York. Future negotiations will alternate between New York and Washington.

“We hope the attitude and atmosphere of cooperation and professionalism will prevail as we work to secure long overdue improvements to our existing working conditions,” said Bigham.

In April 2014, an overwhelming majority of JetBlue pilots voted to join ALPA in hopes of gaining a meaningful voice in their future and the certainty of a collective bargaining agreement. Contract negotiations in the airline industry are governed by the Railway Labor Act—the federal statute that sets the rules for collective bargaining, representation, and grievance processing in the airline and railroad industries.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N238JB (msn 19000039) arrives at New York’s JFK International Airport (JFK).

Jazz Aviation’s 1,380 pilots ratify the new contract

Jazz Aviation LP (Air Canada Express) (Halifax), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc., has announced that its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have ratified their tentative agreement reached on January 13, 2015. The term of this agreement is 11 years expiring on December 31, 2025.

ALPA represents approximately 1380 pilots employed at Jazz. The term of the pilot agreement is consistent with the 11 year term of Chorus’ proposed amended capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada (that remains subject to the completion of certain terms and conditions), and therefore provides long-term labor stability. The new collective agreement also provides for productivity enhancements, cost control measures and incentives to grow at competitive rates.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Canada Express-Jazz Aviation’s Bombardier DHC-8-102 C-FJMG (msn 255) is pictured parked at the gate at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.

Air Canada Express (Jazz) aircraft slide show:

Envoy Air’s pilots vote to ratify the new tentative agreement, Envoy to get 40 new Embraer 175s

Envoy Air (American Eagle) (subsidiary of American Airlines Group) (Dallas/Fort Worth) will continue to grow. The pilots, represented by ALPA, have approved the tentative agreement hatched out between the company management and ALPA (MEC) representing the pilots. Envoy issued this statement today:

Pilots at Envoy Air Inc., an American Airlines Group wholly owned regional carrier, have voted to ratify a Tentative Agreement reached between the carrier and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). This agreement was ratified by a vote among Envoy’s more than 2,400 pilots and allows Envoy to now offer all existing and future pilots a direct career progression to American Airlines, the world’s largest mainline carrier. In addition, it provides Envoy with a firm fleet commitment of 40 new fuel-efficient 76-seat Embraer ERJ 175 (E175) aircraft and the opportunity to operate up to 90 more E175s, if American exercises those options.

“We are very pleased our pilots voted to ratify the Tentative Agreement that offers them new, large and modern aircraft to fly and faster career advancement at both Envoy and American Airlines,” said Envoy’s president and CEO, Pedro Fabregas. “This agreement also lays the foundation for Envoy to become a stronger and more successful company for all of our more than 14,000 employees. My sincere thanks to Envoy ALPA and its Master Executive Council (MEC), as well as ALPA president Lee Moak, ALPA executive administrator Tim Canoll and MEC chairman Sam Pool for their hard work and dedication to reach this agreement.”

According to ALPA, Envoy Air pilots completed voting on the proposed changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Of the 91.57% of eligible Envoy pilots who voted, 75% voted to accept these changes.

Copyright Photo: Rob Finlayson/AirlinersGallery.com. The Embraer ERJ 145 fleet is likely to continue to shrink as the larger and newer Embraer ERJ 175s join the Envoy fleet. ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N659AE (msn 145762) arrives at the Miami hub.

American Eagle-Envoy Air aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Eagle-Envoy

FedEx Express requests NMB mediation for a new pilots contract

FedEx Express (Memphis), a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (Memphis), has formally requested assistance from the National Mediation Board (NMB) to expedite its ongoing pilot negotiations. The NMB is the U.S. governmental agency that oversees labor agreements for entities covered by the Railway Labor Act (RLA), such as airlines, railroads and express companies.

The company and its pilots, who are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), have been engaged in contract talks for more than a year. The current contract became amendable on February 25, 2013 and the two sides reached a tentative agreement on 20 of the 31 contract sections in September 2014.

Under the RLA, the terms and conditions of the existing contract between the company and ALPA do not expire until the full multi-step RLA process is exhausted. In the meantime, the progression of negotiations into the mediation stage has no impact on company operations or its ability to provide highly reliable service to customers.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-FS2 N862FD (msn 37733) arrives on a cold day at Anchorage.

FedEx Express Aircraft Slide Show: