The tentative agreement reached in May between American Airlines and its pilots union is in jeopardy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a public message to union members, Allied Pilots Association president Ed Sicher wrote that the tentative deal pales in comparison to the agreement-in-principal that United Airlines pilots reached with management over the weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Our existing tentative agreement is woefully deficient by comparison and in need of significant improvements,” Sicher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sicher said he met Tuesday with American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, who acknowledged that improvements must be made to the American-APA agreement. The sides committed to new, intensive negotiations this week, according to the APA president.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We’ll work with the APA to make sure our pilots are taken care of,” American said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Under the existing four-year agreement-in-principle between the APA and American, pilots would receive a 21% pay raise on the day of signing and additional raises over the following four years. In total, the union estimates the contract will offer a 47% value increase to American pilots when it becomes amendable in 2027. That figure includes improved retirement, insurance and vacation benefits.<\/p>\n
The tentative deal between United and its pilots includes a pay rate increase of 34.5% to 40.2% over the four-year lifespan of the deal as well as improvements to benefits and work conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sicher said that United CEO Scott Kirby “found ways to address pay and quality-of-life items for his pilots that American CEO Robert Isom and his team have repeatedly told us were simply impossible to do here.”\u00a0<\/p>\n