(UnitedVoice.com) – The airline industry has been a mess over the last couple of years. Canceled flights and unhappy employees have plagued the industry. Now, the pilots of one airline might go on strike.
On Monday, May 1, the Allied Pilots Association announced its members voted to authorize a strike. Hundreds of pilots around the country then formed picket lines outside of airports and demonstrated how serious they were.
More than 500 pilots and their families turned out at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
More than 300 @AmericanAir #pilots showed up at @CLTAirport today to send a unified message to passengers and management: We are #readytostrike. pic.twitter.com/pVBEG6H6FQ
— Allied Pilots (@AlliedPilots) May 1, 2023
Dozens protested at Pheonix’s Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona.
The @AmericanAir #pilots based at @PHXSkyHarbor are demonstrating to passengers and management that they are #readytostrike if negotiations don’t conclude soon. pic.twitter.com/T5YE2b4Bk5
— Allied Pilots (@AlliedPilots) May 1, 2023
In Dallas, Texas, about 200 protestors showed up.
DFW Airport:
Over 200 American Airline Pilots and Flight Attendants are demonstrating outside of Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
The demonstration arose due to conflicts with their current contracts. The demonstration is continuously growing as time goes on. pic.twitter.com/QjCvPV7dWO
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) May 1, 2023
Pilots also expressed their intent to strike at airports in the nation’s capital, Boston, Miami, New York, and other cities.
The Allied Pilots Association represents about 15,000 who work for American Airlines. A statement on the union’s website revealed that more than 96% of its members voted on Monday, and 99% of them authorized the strike. KERA News reported union spokesperson Dennis Tajer said the pilots are letting the public know the “management is pushing American Airlines to strike.” He said the process to do that has now started.
The pilots are currently involved in a contract dispute with the airline. They are being offered a raise over the next four years, but they say it’s not enough. They also want more time off. Because pilots are barred from just walking off the job by federal law, they had to vote for the strike option.
If they do decide to strike, they will have to go before the National Mediation Board with the dispute. In a statement released to the press, American Airlines said it respected the message the voting result sent and understood it was “one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done.” The airline stated, “The finish line is in sight.”
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