WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2023) American Airlines pilots have "overwhelmingly" voted to approve a strike mandate ahead of the summer travel season in push for better contracts, the trade union Allied Pilots Association (APA) announced on Monday.
"The APA membership has spoken. We will strike if necessary to secure the industry-leading contract that our pilots have earned and deserve - a contract that will position American Airlines for success ... With more than 99 percent of participating pilots voting in favor of authorizing a strike, our pilots' resolve is unmistakable. We will not be deterred from our goal of an industry-leading contract," APA President Ed Sicher said in a statement.
Out the 15,000 members of APA, 96% participated in the voting that was carried from April 1-30.
In what they called a "demonstration of resolve," APA said its members will be conducting "informational picketing" on Monday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (local time) at all of the airline's major hubs, such as Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington DC.
Sicher added that although the best outcome would be one agreed at the bargaining table during "good-faith" negotiations, the strike authorization is just one of several legal ways to obtain contracts improvements.
