Employees of American Airlines pilots union protest, have gone 300 days with no contract
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Unionized workers employed by the Allied Pilots Association stood in picket lines Monday to protest what they say is the penny-pinching ways of their managers.
Those managers are American Airlines pilots, the same ones who last week stood in picket lines to bring attention to their fight to restore wage concessions made five years ago to airline management.
The Allied Pilots Staff Employee Association represents 23 employees who work for the pilots union. They include paralegals, graphic artists, administrative assistants and other hourly employees.
The staff employees have been working without a contract for about 300 days, said union spokeswoman Kathy Schroeder, a paralegal. The union agreed to concessions in the last contract, which was signed five years ago, and now wants those wage cuts restored, she said.
"It's sad that a union would treat its own loyal, unionized employees this way," Schroeder said. The pilots association "needs to put our bargaining on a fast track and restore our contract now," she said.
Allied Pilots Association spokesman Gregg Overman said negotiators for both groups have been meeting for months to reach a new deal.
"We have tremendous respect for the contributions of our staff employees ... and we absolutely support their right to collectively bargain," Overman said.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080421/pilots_unio...otest.html?.v=1
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Unionized workers employed by the Allied Pilots Association stood in picket lines Monday to protest what they say is the penny-pinching ways of their managers.
Those managers are American Airlines pilots, the same ones who last week stood in picket lines to bring attention to their fight to restore wage concessions made five years ago to airline management.
The Allied Pilots Staff Employee Association represents 23 employees who work for the pilots union. They include paralegals, graphic artists, administrative assistants and other hourly employees.
The staff employees have been working without a contract for about 300 days, said union spokeswoman Kathy Schroeder, a paralegal. The union agreed to concessions in the last contract, which was signed five years ago, and now wants those wage cuts restored, she said.
"It's sad that a union would treat its own loyal, unionized employees this way," Schroeder said. The pilots association "needs to put our bargaining on a fast track and restore our contract now," she said.
Allied Pilots Association spokesman Gregg Overman said negotiators for both groups have been meeting for months to reach a new deal.
"We have tremendous respect for the contributions of our staff employees ... and we absolutely support their right to collectively bargain," Overman said.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080421/pilots_unio...otest.html?.v=1
