American Eagle Pilots Overwhelmingly Reject Labor Contract
 

August 14, 2000, the pilots of American Eagle Airlines, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International, overwhelmingly rejected the tentative agreement reached with management. Of the pilots who participated in the balloting process, 84 percent voted against the four-year agreement.  "The American Eagle pilots’ solid rejection of this contract not only represents our dissatisfaction with the provisions contained within  the agreement, but also our growing dissatisfaction with the quality of  work life at the airline," said Capt. Cevin D. Kehm, chairman of the American Eagle pilots’ Master Executive Council, a unit of ALPA. "We believe the vote sends a clear message to management: We are not satisfied with an airline that does not support its greatest resource, its labor force." "There is much that management must do to attract and retain the high quality and experienced pilots needed if American Eagle is to realize its potential.

Despite the widespread disapproval, the American Eagle pilots stand ready and unified to work cooperatively with management to implement these necessary changes," Kehm said. The next step in the contractual amendment process for both the American Eagle pilots and management is arbitration. As part of this process, both sides may present five separate and specific items each for final, binding resolution by an independent arbitration panel. "The American Eagle pilots can rest assured that they have the full and complete support of 58,000 ALPA pilots standing behind them in their continued quest to obtain the fair contract that they deserve," said Capt. Duane Woerth, ALPA president. The American Eagle pilot group is comprised of 2,640 pilots serving 105 cities in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Canada.