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CONTACT: Capt. Dennis Tajer, 847-902-8481/Gregg Overman, 817-302-2250

Pilots Urge Senate to Approve Paid Sick Leave for Rail Workers: “Basic Common Sense – and Basic Common Decency”

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 1, 2022) — The Allied Pilots Association, representing the 15,000 pilots who fly for American Airlines, urged the U.S. Senate to approve legislation that includes seven days of paid sick leave for rail workers.

“We believe that a mutually agreed-upon solution reached through good-faith negotiations is always preferable to one that is imposed,” said APA President Capt. Ed Sicher. “The current impasse in negotiations could have been avoided had the rail companies done the right thing to begin with by providing workers with paid sick leave.

“If the federal government nevertheless decides to proceed with a legislated solution, we urge the U.S. Senate to vote in favor of the House-approved bill that would add seven days of paid sick leave to rail workers’ contracts. Providing workers in a safety-sensitive industry with paid sick leave is just basic common sense – and basic common decency.”

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association – the largest independent pilots union in the United States – is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s website is AlliedPilots.org.