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By Daniel Baxter |
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December 19, 2010 - The Joint Negotiating Committee
(JNC) for the pilots of Pinnacle Airlines, Mesaba
Airlines, and Colgan Air has reached a tentative
agreement (TA) with Pinnacle Airlines Corp. management
on a joint collective bargaining agreement. This is the
first step in the process of merging the three pilot
groups, all of which are represented by the Air Line
Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA).
“This TA marks the end of nearly six long years of
contract negotiations for Pinnacle pilots,” said Capt.
Scott Erickson, chairman of the Pinnacle Airlines branch
of ALPA. “The terms of the new TA reward the tireless
dedication of the Pinnacle pilot group and clear the way
to join with our brothers and sisters at both Mesaba and
Colgan to form one of the world’s largest contract
carriers.”
The JNC began intense, expedited contract talks with management in mid-September following the purchase of Mesaba Airlines by Pinnacle Airlines Corp., which also owns Pinnacle Airlines and Colgan Air. The two negotiating teams met around the clock in the last several weeks to reach a deal. |
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Pinnacle pilots have been working under a contract that was
signed in 1999 and became amendable more than five years ago.
Colgan pilots have been working without benefit of a collective
bargaining agreement, and Mesaba pilots have been working under
a concessionary contract resulting from their then-parent
company’s bankruptcy negotiations.
“This TA represents the cooperation, dedication, and exemplary
work ethics of three negotiating committees working together as
one pilot union,” said Capt. Mark Nagel, chairman of the Mesaba
pilots. “It was because of these negotiators that we reached
this deal, which includes industry-leading job security, wages,
benefits, and work rules.”
“Though the Colgan pilots joined ALPA only a couple of years ago,” said Capt. Mark Segaloff, chairman of the Colgan pilots group, “our ability to work with the pilots of Mesaba and Pinnacle in the merger and on this joint agreement has brought additional strength and stability to our carrier. With the joint agreement, we will move from being one of the lowest-paid pilot groups and working without a contract to being part of a major player in the regional industry going forward.” |
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