Release #07.007
February 6, 2007
US Airways, America West Pilots Picket in Support of a Single Fair Contract, Challenge Management to Complete Unfinished Merger
Washington, DC—The US Airways [NYSE: LCC] and America West pilots are picketing at Reagan Washington National Airport today to demand that US Airways management, after being distracted by a failed merger attempt, focus on negotiations for a single pilot contract. The pilot groups, both of which are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), International, are also calling on CEO Doug Parker to take responsibility for the operational issues that have plagued US Airways since the merger process began in September 2005.
US Airways is posting continuous quarterly profits and just earned its first full-year profit since 1999. However, management continues to pass bankruptcy-era proposals at the negotiating table that ignore the unprecedented investment that the pilots made to keep their airline viable after 9/11. A single contract would be a significant step toward completing the America West-US Airways merger and combining the two airlines, allowing passengers to finally benefit from a fully merged, seamless operation.
“With operational issues threatening the stability of our airline, Doug Parker is beginning to see the consequences of unfinished business in his own backyard. When he decided to focus on acquiring Delta Airlines, it distracted management from their most important work: to complete the merging of US Airways and America West,” said Captain Jack Stephan, chairman of the US Airways Master Executive Council. “He’s had ample opportunity to improve the airline’s performance. Instead, he has used our billions of dollars in concessions in a failed attempt to take over another airline, when he should have been concentrating on negotiating a fair contract that recognizes our investment.”
"US Airways can afford to come to the negotiating table with money," said Captain John McIlvenna, Chairman of the America West Master Executive Council. "For the past year and a half, we have worked with an adversarial management team who was more interested in chasing a dream for a bigger airline than fulfilling the promises for a better airline that were made to US Airways' passengers, investors and employees. We have patiently waited for management to improve labor relations, and we continue to be disappointed. It’s time for management to get serious about completing the merger between US Airways and America West before we can build a bigger and better airline together."
The joint negotiations process with US Airways management for a single, fair pilot contract is now approaching a year and a half. Both pilot groups remain focused on the issue of achieving a fair single contract, one that is commensurate with US Airways’ position in the marketplace.
Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 60,000 pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org.
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| America West contact: Tania
Bziukiewicz Air Line Pilots Assoc., Int’l. America West Pilots Master Executive Council (602) 214-3490; (602) 306-1208 |
US Airways contact: Arnie Gentile Air Line Pilots Assoc., Int’l. US Airways Pilots Master Executive Council (518) 424-8433; (412) 264-5600 |