Release 07.ASA7
October 1, 2007

Delta Connection Pilots to Vote on New Contract
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Pilots Attain Tentative Agreement

ATLANTA, GA – After more than five years of protracted contract negotiations, the pilots of Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA)—represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)—reached a deal with their management late Friday, September 28. The tentative agreement (TA) will be finalized and considered by the pilots’ union leadership before being sent out to the pilots at large for final ratification.

“We’re going to present the TA—along with a detailed explanation of its components—to our pilots, and let them make an informed decision whether or not to approve it,” said Captain David Nieuwenhuis, leader of the ASA ALPA unit. As agreed upon, the TA reflects moderate increases in pilot pay, as well as enhancements in pilot scheduling, work rules and job protections.

Pilots and management were called by the National Mediation Board (NMB) to their 293rd negotiating session on Wednesday, September 26. But in addition to the standard negotiating committees and leaders, for the first time participants included NMB Board member Elizabeth Dougherty, SkyWest, Inc. Chairman and CEO Jerry Atkin, and ALPA President Capt. John Prater.

After three days of intense negotiations, ALPA and management were able to come to agreement on all remaining open issues, including compensation, work rules, retroactive pay, and job protections.

“The professional pilots of ASA deserve a contract that reflects their daily contributions to both the vast Delta network as well as the SkyWest, Inc. bottom line, and they will decide if this TA lives up to that goal,” said Capt. Prater. “The ASA pilots’ perseverance, their leaders’ guidance, our staff’s expertise and the strong support of every one of our 60,000 members helped us to finally come to an agreement.”

For an overview of the TA, visit the ASA pilots’ public website at http://asanegotiations.alpa.org. Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union representing more than 60,000 cockpit crewmembers at 41 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org for more information.

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ALPA Contact: Captain Rick Bernskoetter, (678) 640-4510
Anya Piazza, (703) 481-4457