Pilots And Flight Engineers Seek Industry-Standard Pay, Working
Conditions
Evergreen International Airlines
(EIA) pilots and flight engineers are calling on management to
commit to reaching a tentative agreement during upcoming talks set
to begin September 19 at the National Mediation Board (NMB) in
Washington, D.C. EIA crewmembers, who are represented by the Air
Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have worked under the
existing contract for seven years with frozen wages and benefits.
The majority of Evergreen’s flying supports the U.S.
military. The pilots transport freight for U.S. military troops and
operations throughout the Middle East into Iraq, Afghanistan, and
Kuwait on a daily basis.
“The Evergreen pilots call on management to fully engage
in the upcoming talks with the goal of reaching a tentative
agreement by the end of the session,” said Capt. James
Touchette, chairman of ALPA’s Evergreen chapter. “Our
crews have continued to work over the ensuing years of negotiations
without compensation for the soaring cost of living, while the
company continues to pursue lucrative, guaranteed-paid government
contracts that insulate it from any cost increases.”
In a new release, ALPA said that Evergreen crewmembers have been
paid subpar wages and endured substandard working conditions, which
include 16-hour or longer duty days, for more than a decade. When
contrasted with comparable cargo carriers, the average hourly rate
of pay for Evergreen captains is as much as 23 percent less than
their peers across the industry. Similarly, first officers at
Evergreen are paid up to 56 percent less, and flight engineers are
paid up to 33 percent less than others in the same seat position
based on longevity. Their contract was last negotiated in 1999.
“We have invested our careers in this company and are
dedicated to its success, and only ask for a fair and equitable
commitment from Evergreen in the form of industry-standard wages,
cost-of-living adjusted benefits, and modern work rules,”
said Touchette. “Flying to far-flung places around the
world—many of them quite volatile?for weeks at a time takes
stamina, professionalism, and family sacrifices. Tangible enhanced
working conditions and industry-standard pay would go a long way to
improving our pilots’ quality of life and making our
sacrifices more palatable. Surely that translates into a good
business model for a successful company.”
The upcoming negotiating session follows two rounds of talks in
February and May 2011 at which minimal progress was made on
economic items at the table. The parties remain under NMB
jurisdiction. “Our goal is to secure a fair contract,”
said Touchette. “We earnestly hope that Evergreen management
will come to the National Mediation Board talks in Washington,
D.C., ready to address long-neglected economic issues and complete
these frustratingly protracted negotiations with a just, new
contract.”