USA TODAY - The head of the pilots’ union has asked American Airlines pilots to stop trying to delay flights if that’s what they’re actually doing, the Associated Press reports.
Allied Pilots Association Acting President Keith Wilson says the union has not asked American’s pilots to call out sick, file frivolous maintenance reports, or make time-consuming detours.
American Airlines has said pilots are doing just that. The carrier says it is canceling up to 2% of its flight through October as a result.
On Thursday night, Wilson told members in a memo that if they are doing what the company is charging them of “that activity must cease immediately,” the AP reports.
American on Wednesday sent a letter to the association seeking an injunction against the union if it doesn’t take steps to “halt disruptions to operations by some [American] pilots,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
“We do not want to pursue a legal remedy,” American spokesman Bruce Hicks told the Journal Thursday,”but we will be left with no alternative if the APA does not take action to stop these pilots who are intentionally harming the operation.”
American, whose parent company AMR Corp.declared bankruptcy in November, has been trying to negotiate a new deal with pilots for months. It has already reached tentative agreements with unions representing flight attendants and mechanics. Coming up with new deals with its employees, which will include thousands of layoffs, is key to the company’s cost-cutting strategy.
Pilots union spokesman Gregg Overman told the Los Angeles Times that the group had been ready to resume negotiations with the airline when it received the letter from American. There are no plans to meet with the airline now, but the union will meet Tuesday to discuss next steps, the Times reported.