American Airlines Pilots’ Union Plans to Picket Over Current Work Conditions

The pilots’ union representing American Airlines’ pilots announced on Tuesday that it plans to picket by fall. The Allied Pilots Association, representing 15,000 of American’s pilots, expressed dissatisfaction over current working conditions.  The pilots complained about issues including overscheduling, fatigue, and the lack of hotels for crews during the summer.

The Allied Pilots Association is currently in the middle of contract negotiation with the airline. However, American Airline pilots are not the only ones asking for changes. The carrier’s flight attendant union is also in the middle of contract negotiations with the airline.

Allied Pilots Union said to its members that “Unfortunately, management has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to run a reliable airline, and has failed to give us the tools we need to do our jobs”.

The pilot’s union plans to picket at American Airlines’ hubs in Miami International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and others.  This could happen “in the coming weeks”. The union said to its members that “Our airline needs scheduling practices that support the safety margin, respect pilots’ and passengers’ needs, and de-risk American Airlines to protect and improve revenue”.

Overworked Pilots Becoming Common?

Dennis Tajer, the pilots union spokesman said that American Airlines doesn’t have enough pilots. The airline let almost 1,000 pilots walk away during the start of the pandemic. During the start of the pandemic, airlines had to ask pilots to take early retirement packages and voluntary leaves. When the travel demand bounced back, the aviation industry didn’t have enough manpower to meet passenger expectations.

According to the pilots’ union, there were instances when pilots had to work on days off. At times, they also have to deal with the lack of hotel accommodation. Some don’t even have the time to eat due to back-to-back flights scheduled too close to each other.

Grievances raised by American Airlines’ pilots’ union are now becoming common in the industry. Southwest Airlines’ pilots also had similar issues. Southwest’s management had a hard time keeping up with the travel demand, especially with depleted manpower.

Southwest Airlines Pilots Association announced last month that they are going to picket if the airline won’t address their issues. Southwest pilots also filed a lawsuit against the airline last August over forced time off and other changes that were imposed during the COVID19 pandemic.