Evergreen maintains a large aircraft maintenance and storage facility at the Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona that the company acquired from the CIA's Air America fleet. In a recent strike ballot issued by the union leadership to the pilot group, an overwhelming 97 percent of crewmembers voted in favor of a lawful strike, should it become necessary to conclude a fair collective agreement with Evergreen management. More than 86 percent of eligible pilots participated in the polling. The crewmembers have been in negotiations since 2005.  

“This vote serves as notice to Evergreen management that we are united and resolved to get an industry-standard contract now,” said William Fink, chairman of the Evergreen chapter of the ALPA. “We do not want a strike, we want a contract, but we are ready to do what it takes for an acceptable agreement. The time has passed to get this done and the ball is now in management’s court.”  

The parties are tentatively scheduled to go back to the negotiating table in February and remain under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB). A strike could ensue only after the NMB releases the parties into economic self-help after the expiration of a 30-day cooling-off period.  

“The crewmembers are working under the current collective bargaining agreement, which has been in place since 1999. It is just unacceptable to continue down this path after more than 10 years without improvements in some areas of working conditions, six years without a pay raise, and no per diem increase since the late ’90s,” said Fink.