The American Airlines Pilots Back A Strike Mandate For Workforce Gains

Pilots in North America adopted new measures on Monday, May 1, to push for labor improvements, with Air Canada pilots endorsing a merger with a larger union and American Airlines Group Inc. pilots adopting a strike mandate.

The Strike Vote

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing around 15,000 American Airlines pilots, held a vote to authorize a strike in April.

According to a statement from the union, almost 99% of APA members cast votes to approve a strike. According to an Allied representative, American Airlines pilots are also considering joining forces with ALPA. The topic will be brought up in early June.

As per Reuters,84% of the estimated 4,500 pilots who work for Canada’s largest airline approved a March merger deal with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), confirmed by a joint statement from the two unions.

A merger with ALPA, the largest pilot organization in the world with more than 60,000 members, would be advantageous since it would increase negotiating power. The union would first require approval from ALPA’s executive board on May 17. 

The Reason Behind The Strike 

As carriers struggle to hire enough personnel to keep up with the soaring travel demand following COVID-19, North American pilots are pushing for better pay and working conditions. However, some airline executives caution that sizable raises will drive up fixed costs and make it more challenging to fix debt-ridden balance sheets.

WestJet Airlines, the second-largest airline in Canada, is also under pressure from its pilots, who have authorized strike action as early as May 16. On Monday, WestJet Airlines announced it had finalized the acquisition of leisure airline Sunwing Airlines.

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