Tue, Dec 29, 2009
ALPA Claims Pilots Are "Giving Back" $200M A Year Without New
Contract
As of Dec. 31, 2009, ALPA tells
ANN that Continental pilots will see another year pass without a
new contract in place. The current concessionary agreement that
helped keep Continental out of bankruptcy was signed in April 2005
and became amendable on Dec. 31, 2008. However, the Continental
pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association Int'l
(ALPA), have been negotiating a successor agreement since July
2007, when the union and Continental management agreed to open
discussions early. Since that time, the parties have reached
tentative agreements on only nine of 32 sections of the contract.
Most recently, the union presented a comprehensive proposal to
management on Dec. 9, 2009, bringing all remaining sections of the
contract to the table, most notably those dealing with economic
issues such as pay, work rules and benefits.
Says Captain Jay Pierce, union leader of the Continental pilots,
"When we gave our proposal to management on Dec. 9, it was an
important step forward. Everything is now on the table. We are
looking forward to seeing how our new CEO, Mr. Jeff Smisek, will
assess the value of Continental pilots and the significant
contributions we've made to help our airline.
"Our pilots have given over $200M to Continental each year
through cuts in pay, benefits and work rules under our current
agreement. Our proposal reflects the significant level of sacrifice
made by our pilots and their families and the need to rebalance the
equation. As we renew our negotiating efforts in 2010, we expect
management to recognize the fact that improvements in our contract
are long overdue."
ALPA represents nearly 53,250 pilots at 37 airlines in the
United States and Canada, including the approximately 5,000 pilots
at Continental Airlines. There are currently 147 pilots on furlough
from Continental.
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