Opening Round For First-Ever Collective Bargaining Agreement For Colgan Pilots

The pilots of Colgan Air, Inc., represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), began negotiations on their first contract with Colgan management on September 23. Colgan pilots certified ALPA as their collective bargaining representative in December of last year.

“The recent scrutiny of our industry and our airline has highlighted a number of issues, such as pilot compensation, pilot scheduling, and the application of our sick leave policy, that are major concerns for our pilots. During this entire period, our management’s response has been to ‘get it at the negotiating table,’” said Capt. Mark Segaloff, chairman of the Colgan Master Executive Council (MEC). “So, we are calling on our management to come to the table and start addressing these issues in a meaningful dialogue with us.”

Because Colgan pilots do not currently have a collective bargaining agreement, they have no formal process to air their grievances or give input into policy and practices pertaining to their jobs. Contract negotiations in the airline industry are governed by the Railway Labor Act (RLA)—the federal statute that sets the rules for collective bargaining, representation, and grievance processing in the airline and railroad industries.

“Our goal in this first contract is to find ways to help our airline grow and maintain its profitability, while ensuring that our pilots are treated like the professionals we are and compensated as such,” Capt. Segaloff added.

FMI: www.alpa.org, www.colganair.com