Management at American Airlines and negotiators at the carrier’s pilot union have agreed to a negotiating schedule after trading divergent proposals for timeline to reach a new contract deal.
Earlier this week the negotiating team for the Allied Pilots Association (APA) sent a timeline to American’s management that requested that discussions with assistance from the US National Mediation Board begin March 3 for duration of four weeks.
If either party at the end of those rounds of talks felt the negotiations were unsatisfactory, both sides would jointly petition the NMB for formal mediation, which is protocol under the Railway Labor Act that governs labor negotiations.
American in its response to APA’s timeframe called for a four-month period of negotiations with assistance from NMB, and if the parties failed to reach a deal, they could seek what’s commonly called “baseball arbitration.” Each side picks five issues and an arbitrator ultimately decides in favor of one side or another.
Late Thursday American said the two sides in principle agreed to five weeks of talks beginning March 10. Once those talks conclude, APA and management have the option of continuing talks with NMB assistance or formally seeking mediation from the board.
APA said the tentative agreement was subject to NMB’s approval, but also pointed out American’s negotiators “announced they would be unavailable to meet next week, the first week of March and possibly during the third week of March, which is included in the five-week assisted negotiations window.”
Pilots and management reached a deal in 2003 during American’s out of court restructuring, and negotiations for a new contract began in September 2006.
In August 2007 American management rejected proposed pay terms by APA that included a 30.5% pay increase, annual pay raises of 15%, and signing bonuses.
American has continuously said it is committed to reaching an agreement with its pilots that would benefit employees and contribute to its financial recovery.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: FlightGlobal.com
