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First Officer Tom Hoban
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Gregg Overman
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ALLIED PILOTS ASSOCIATION REACTS TO LETTER FROM AMR CEO REGARDING MERGER ACTIVITY: “IMPORTANT MILESTONE”
Fort Worth, Texas (July 10, 2012)—The Allied Pilots Association (APA), certified collective bargaining agent for the 10,000 pilots of American Airlines, characterized a letter from AMR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Horton to all employees today on potential industry consolidation involving American Airlines as “an important milestone.”
“Mr. Horton’s letter represents an important milestone by acknowledging what we have believed for some time—that consolidation involving American Airlines is essential for all of the airline’s stakeholders,” said APA President Captain Dave Bates. “It’s an affirmation that consolidation represents the most promising path for our airline’s future. The biggest remaining questions center on who manages the new entity and whether a merger occurs during AMR’s Chapter 11 restructuring or thereafter.”
In April, the APA leadership and US Airways management—along with the leaders of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Transport Workers Union—jointly announced their support for merging the two carriers. The unions also announced that they had negotiated conditional labor agreements with US Airways management.
Meanwhile, APA and AMR management have been engaged in negotiations throughout the restructuring process, with the APA board of directors voting to approve a tentative agreement with management on June 27. That tentative agreement is now subject to a ratification vote by the APA membership. The tentative agreement includes a 13.5 percent equity stake in the restructured airline.
“The 13.5 percent equity stake is intended to compensate APA as an unsecured creditor on behalf of the pilots we represent,” Captain Bates said. “If our members approve the tentative agreement, this equity stake would give APA significant influence over strategic decisions that will be made in the weeks and months to come concerning American Airlines, including the makeup of the new board of directors and management team.”
The results of the APA membership ratification vote will be announced on August 8.
Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association—the largest independent pilot union in the United States—is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 10,000 pilots of American Airlines, including 649 pilots not yet offered recall from furlough. The furloughs began shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s Web site address is www.alliedpilots.org. American Airlines is the nation’s largest international passenger carrier and fifth-largest cargo carrier.