The union for American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) pilots has rejected the company’s offer to increase pilots’ pay during the busy holiday season.
As a measure to avoid a repeat of massive flight disruptions, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) offered incentive pay to pilots on 19 peak-period days around the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays. The proposal included a 50% additional pay for flying done on peak period days and for work done by Check Pilots.
The Allied Pilots Association (APA) board of directors, however, unanimously (20-0) voted against the proposal as they prefer to achieve permanent improvements.
In a memo dated November 9, 2021, the APA board said that, “While understanding that its rejection creates a disparity among our fellow work groups that have accepted management’s proffered incentives, the Board concluded that the need to achieve meaningful permanent improvements in a new collective bargaining agreement must remain APA’s focus.”
“APA has communicated at the bargaining table, and through higher level discussions, its ongoing frustrations with the pace of Section 6 negotiations and that meaningful Section 6 progress must be made. It’s ironic that fixes to many of the operational concerns that led management to offer incentives are directly addressed in APA’s Section 6 proposals, which management has been holding for months. APA’s targeted approach is designed to advance the contract, address quality-of-life concerns, and find sustainable solutions to improve operational integrity.”
On November 8, 2021, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) also offered its flight attendants a similar one-time holiday pay premium. It is not yet known whether the offer has been accepted.
