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American Airlines pilots picket outside Logan airport after strike is authorized
Union pilots recently voted for a strike authorization, but both parties are working to avoid one.
American Airlines pilots at Boston’s Logan International Airport joined a group of more than 2,000 nationwide in an informational picket on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the pilots union.
Pilots gathered outside Logan, as well as nine other airports to raise awareness about efforts to negotiate new contracts for pilots.
The decision to picket came after an overwhelming vote from a bulk of the 15,000 members of the Allied Pilots Association in favor of a strike, should negotiations fail, according to union spokesperson Captain Dennis Tajer, a pilot based in Chicago. Tajer said it’s not too late for the airline and the pilots to come to an agreement, but “man, is the clock ticking.”
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He said he doesn’t want passengers to have to go through a repeat of last summer, with flights across airlines being canceled. But currently, he said things are looking just as bleak.
“We’re telling the world that management is pushing American Airlines to strike,” he said. “We’re here to get management’s attention in these final stages of negotiations, to work swiftly with us so that we can save the summer for passengers.”
Gregg Overman, communications director for the union, said there are further steps that would need to be taken before a strike, including outside intervention, but he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
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“We are confident that the proposals that we’ve made at the bargaining table would make for a more efficient, more reliable American Airlines,” he said.
In an email to Boston.com, American Airlines said it is also “confident” an agreement between pilots and the company can be made quickly.
“The finish line is in sight,” the company wrote. “We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done, and we respect the message of voting results.”
The company added that the strike authorization does not “change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to complete a deal.”
“We remain focused on completing the handful of matters necessary to reach an agreement our pilots deserve.
Contract negotiations have been going on for four years, Overman said, so he understands pilots’ frustration. At this point, he said, the demands are less about pay and more about ensuring better quality of life for employees.
Overman said a major goal is to give pilots greater control over their schedules.
“Pilots’ schedules are highly unpredictable and it makes it difficult for pilots and their families to make plans to to have a semblance of quality of life,” he said.
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He added that American Airlines should follow after other companies in adopting new contracts to match the needs of pilots. He pointed to other airlines, including Delta, which have already gone through their contract negotiations.
Tajer said the union takes the “responsibility of at least advocating for our passengers and our very own pilots very seriously,” and he looks forward to a resolution.
“We don’t want it to go to the midnight hour where a strike could happen,” he said.
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