American Airlines pilots asked to return to bargaining table

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Pilots at American Airlines, which has been in Chapter 11bankruptcy reorganization since Nov. 29, 2011, have been asked to come back tothe bargaining table.
Keith Wilson, president of the Allied Pilots Association(APA), announced Sept. 24 that he had received a letter from American,“expressing the desire to re-engage in negotiations with APA.” As a result,Wilson will meet with the union’s board of directors Set. 26 “to discuss management’sinvitation and determine APA’s next steps.”
At issue are contract concessions the airline says it needsfrom the pilots in order to survive.
At the heart of the matter is an August court ruling that,under the bankruptcy code and with court approval, the airline could impose itsown contract terms after the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union thatrepresents its cockpit crews, rejected the company’s final offer.
When the court determined that the airline’s changes to thepilots’ contract were “reasonable and necessary to the company’s successfulrestructuring,” as the airline’s senior vice-president – people, put it in anAug. 17 letter, pilots began walking picket lines at airports and, the companysays, calling in sick at a rate 20% higher than 2011.
In addition, according to an e-mail the airline sent to itsAAdvantage® members, Americanhas seen an increase in the number of maintenance write-ups, “Many right at thetime of departure,” resulting in delays while the issues are addressed.
The union counters that the delays are not surprising giventhe age of the planes they fly, a reduction in the number of mechanics to workon them, and the parts needed to fix issues that arise.
“Although American Airlines operates the oldest fleet of anymajor U.S. carrier, management has decided to furlough a large number ofmechanics and close one of its largest maintenance facilities. Management alsodecided some time ago to reduce its inventory of spare parts,” the APA said ina Sept. 20 news release.
In a follow-up release the next day, the APA said its pilots“can’t ignore serious maintenance issues that could easily turn into safetyrisks,” and pointed out that “American Airlines has sustained record FAA finestotaling $162 million for improper aircraft maintenance procedures” during thepast year alone.
The union also denies it is making efforts to cause aslowdown or stage an illegal sickout. There is no “job action of any sort thatis organized, supported or sanctioned by the Allied Pilots Association,” theunion said in its news release, adding, “We have verified that pilot sick rateshave not deviated from normal historical rates. We have likewise verified thatcrew cancellations remain at normal rates.”
Passengers are increasingly stuck in the middle. In additionto delays, the airline is canceling many of its flights. NBCNewYork.comreported that, on Sept. 16 & 17, the airline “cancelled more flights ...than any other airline.”
Mad as hell, many passengers aren’t taking it any more, andthe shift away from American has begun to escalate. 
While CBS News quotes “several prominent travel gurus [who]say it’s too early to ‘book away’ from American,” a Google search using thewords “Avoid American Airlines” returned over 10 million results. The firstpage linked to articles with headlines including “Why you should avoidAmerican”, “Is it time to avoid American,” and other similar leads.
Whetherthe dispute will be resolved quickly remains to be seen. However, if theunion’s president feels the need to convene an in-person meeting of the boardrather than, say, a conference call or polling board members by phone, itdoesn’t bode well for a swift resolution to the conflict.