Angered over yesterday’s announcement that more pilots and flight attendants were being laid off at Midwest Airlines and last week’s revelations that Republic Air Holdings is taking over some Midwest flying, the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) allocated $2 million to support the Midwest Airlines pilots' fight to protect their jobs. Related Story
The pilots are set to begin contract negotiations and called management “increasingly adversarial” after their contract became amendable on August 31. The unions noted that their first contract was in February 2000 and only three years later, provided millions in concessions to help save their airline from bankruptcy. Over the past four months the pilots having been preparing a dispute under the Railway Labor Act called "Section 6," but, according to the group, “management again demanded outrageous concessions.”
In its September 10th resolution, ALPA's Executive Board authorized the amount from the Association's Major Contingency Fund (MCF) for "strategic planning and communications programs in support of the [Midwest pilots'] contract enforcement and negotiating activities."
"The airline's plan to outsource Midwest pilots' jobs is the latest example of management's systematic efforts to dismantle our airline," said Capt. Jay Schnedorf, chair of the Midwest pilots' Master Executive Council (MEC). "Midwest pilots will not shrink from this fight. With ALPA's financial support and the backing of all 53,000 ALPA pilots, we stand ready to fully engage in the fight to protect our jobs, and hold management accountable for its contractual obligations to this pilot group."