Mesaba Airline Pilots Authorize Strike
Posted on: Wednesday, 29 October 2003, 06:00 CST
Mesaba Airlines pilots have strongly approved a measure allowing their union, the Air Line Pilots Association, to call a strike at one of the nation's largest regional carriers in a dispute over a new contract.
Mesaba's 850 pilots and the company are divided on wages, job security, work rules and retirement.
Mesaba flies as a regional partner of Northwest Airlines, ferrying passengers from smaller cities into Northwest's hubs in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis. The carrier serves 109 cities in 28 states and Canada.
The strike authorization was approved by 98 percent of Mesaba pilots.
"Our pilots have sent a clear and bold message to management," said Tom Wychor, a pilot and chairman of the Mesaba unit of ALPA. "If we can't come to terms with management on a new agreement that recognizes our contributions to this company, our pilots are prepared to strike."
Still, he said, "our goal is a fair and equitable contract, not a strike."
Pilots would not be able to begin a 30-day countdown to a strike until released from mediation by the National Mediation Board, which oversees airline and railroad labor disputes. Pilots asked the board for release in August, but the board has not yet responded.
Mesaba said it hoped an agreement could be reached through negotiations.
"Our goal remains to reach an agreement without any interruption in operations, but we must achieve a contract that allows Mesaba Airlines to survive and grow amid the current industry challenges," said John Spanjers, Mesaba's president and chief operating officer.
ALPA said Mesaba pilots agreed to a concessionary contract in 1996, saving the company more than $10 million in labor costs to date. The union also said starting salaries for Mesaba pilots, who operate both jet and turboprop airliners, is less than $17,000 per year. After three years that salary increases to $24,000.
In addition to the contract issues, Mesaba pilots also are upset because Mesaba's holding company, MAIR Holdings Inc., purchased Montana-based Big Sky Airlines last year and management has refused to discuss merging the two pilot groups.
Mesaba, meanwhile, has its own fears. The carrier said earlier this month that Northwest might terminate its contract with Mesaba to fly 36 Avro RJ-85 jets, which could mean the loss of 40 percent of the regional carrier's revenue and jobs.
The airline and the union have been in contract negotiations since June 2001. A federal mediator joined the talks in August 2002.
---
On the Net:
Air Line Pilots Association: http://www.alpa.org
Mesaba Airlines: http://www.mesaba.com
Related Articles
- Allied Pilots Association Reacts to Announcement of "Joint Business Agreement" Between American Airlines and Two Other Carriers: "Problematic on Several Fronts"
- Allied Pilots Association Reaches Out to AMR Board of Directors: ''American Airlines Management is Failing Its Customers, Its Shareholders and Its Employees''
- Allied Pilots Association Calls on National Mediation Board to Expedite Negotiations With American Airlines
- Mesaba Pilots Question Justice in Bankruptcy Court 1113(C) Ruling
- NWA Pilots OK Pay-Cutting Deal: Contract Ratification Likely to Sway Other Unions, Airline Analysts Say
- Tentative Agreement Reached on Delta Air Pilot Contracts
- Delta Pilots Threaten Strike If Contract is Thrown Out
- Delta Pilots to Strike if Contract Nixed
- National Mediation Board to Allow World Airways Pilots to Strike
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds