Fort Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – Pilots at American Airlines want to renegotiate their contract. The Allied Pilots Association signed the contract in 2015; the deal is not scheduled to become available for new terms until 2020.
“We negotiated a contract, essentially, with a knee to our chest and a bayonet to our throat,” says Allied Pilots Association President Dan Carey. “We took a deal in the eleventh hour.”
Carey says pilots made concessions as a result of American’s bankruptcy. Now, though, he says American is earning a million dollars every hour and the contract now ranks sixth among domestic carriers and cargo airlines.
The Allied Pilots Association says American’s base pay is $11,000 less than Southwest and $23,000 behind United or Delta. The union says pilots at American can spend up to 20 days a month away from home, more than Delta or United.
American has said it does not plan to renegotiate the deal. Last week, the airline released a statement saying it provides industry-leading pay when contracts are signed, and pilots received a 53 percent increase.
American says pilots at other airlines negotiating increases will lead to increases at American when bargaining begins.
The Allied Pilots Association says the gap in pay could top $100,000 for a 777 pilot before the contract runs out in 2020. The union says American could face a shortage of pilots if it does not renegotiate terms.
“Is it going to cost the company money? Yes, it is,” Carey says. “It’s not cost neutral. We’re not going to trade this for that. We honestly don’t have much left to trade for under this bankruptcy contract.”
American Airlines has about 15,000 pilots.
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