ALPA issued this statement:
3,000 United Airlines pilots, joined by ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi, fellow ALPA pilots, and union supporters stood shoulder to shoulder in a coast-to-coast picketing event on May 12 to make their voices heard as management makes no significant movement to modernize their antiquated contract.
United pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), protested management’s refusal to recognize the vital role the pilots play in their company’s success.
“I am proud to stand here today to send United Airlines management a message that the airline’s pilots have the full backing of their international union in their fight for the contract they have earned,” said Ambrosi. “United management needs to stop slow-rolling negotiations that have dragged into their fifth year and do the right thing for their pilots.”
“United pilots will always be there for our customers,” said Capt. Garth Thompson, United ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) chair. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about management, who seems to think that a last-minute cancelation of a United pilot’s scheduled day off, or abrupt trip reassignments that extend into planned days off is acceptable for a United pilot’s family. This is an example of how this old pilot contract impacts our ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance. United pilots will deal with this adversity in our usual professional and safe manner. We will continue to work in 2023 despite staffing shortages in Air Traffic Control facilities, aggressive summer schedules, capacity constraints, and weather. And most importantly, United pilots want the company and the public to know that the bold ‘United Next’ growth plans cannot work without an updated pilot contract.”