American Airlines Asks Pilots For Overtime

[Hatu]

DALLAS (AP) -- American Airlines is asking pilots to volunteer for overtime because the nation's largest carrier is worried about flight delays during the busy holiday season.
American is asking pilots to add flights -- at premium pay -- if they aren't already scheduled for the maximum workload of 78 hours per month, set in a contract between the Fort Worth-based carrier and the pilots union. The airline can change pilots' schedules to fill its 3,800 daily flights but can't force them to work more than the contract limit.

"It's just poor judgment on their part," union spokesman Denis Breslin said. "It doesn't make our furloughees very happy."

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/041221/american_ai...s_pilots_2.html

 

[Winglet]

Poor judgement? This is exactly what the managements' want and intended all along. Paying premium pay is a lot cheaper than keeping more than the bare minimum of pilots on the payroll to cover the busy times.

They'd love to go back to the days when they had seasonal furloughs. Those days may be coming back. After all airline workers are no better than migrant farm laborers now . . . . at least that what the public thinks and wants.

As far as the senior pilots go, you can bet those extra flying hours will get snatched up real quick. . . . and furloughees be dammed. The concept of union "brother" is a thing of the long ago past . . . . and the companies and public that want cheap tickets are lovin' it.