A new contract can be reached between American Airlines and its pilots union if the carrier values its workers, the new president of the Allied Pilots Association said Thursday.
Keith Wilson, who took over about three weeks ago when former President Dave Bates resigned after the union rejected the company's latest contract offer, said he met with AMR Corp. CEO Tom Horton last week to discuss the union's willingness to reach a new contract. Earlier this month, a bankruptcy judge denied American's request to reject its labor contract with the pilots, but the company has adjusted its proposal and refiled its request. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday."To reach a consensual agreement, I think it's important that management values the training and the services and skills that we provide to the corporation," Wilson said at a news conference Thursday. "We believe as an association and as pilots in general, size does matter in the aviation business and a consolidated airline coming out of bankruptcy will be much stronger and much more highly competitive with the two major carriers that are left standing outside of us, with United and Delta flying international."Wilson said he has also met with US Airways CEO Doug Parker and President Scott Kirby, who have said they may try to take over AMR. However, he confirmed that US Airways stopped talking with the union Monday. Wilson, a first officer who flies Boeing 777s, is based in New York. He has served on the union's negotiating committee and has run for the union presidency.Here are excerpts from the news conference.Can you get a deal with the current AMR management?"I think we need to reach an agreement. I think the company needs to start to understand value versus pricing and the value of what we bring to the corporation in our training and our skills."Why do you want to conduct a strike vote?"The strike vote is one of our legal mechanisms. ... The strike vote will tell the world and tell the corporation exactly where the pilots' mentality is. That we are unified and steadfast in our belief and it's a vote. The board of directors and we will not strike unless we're legally allowed to strike. I'll make that perfectly clear."How would you describe your leadership style?"My method is one of, as my mother says, you're always the prototypical middle child. I'm always trying to find solutions to things. So I will try to hear both sides of the argument. ... We believe the corporation has not been fully engaged up until recently. And whether they are still engaged now because they have the avenue of the [Section] 1113, they haven't re-engaged us after the 15th of August.... So it's going to take both sides to have the ability to look at each other's argument and try to figure out some common ground. So that's what I'm hoping to do."Why do you believe that if the judge rejects your contract that American should implement the last best final offer and not the term sheets filed with the court earlier this year?"The issue is what do they need to successfully reorganize. And they've proven through the negotiation that ... their needs were met by the terms under the last best final offer. ... There's a difference between a need and a want. And there's a need that the corporation might have and we recognize some of that and we're willing to talk about those. The wants are something that we believe border on punitive. ...We understand there are needs in every negotiation. We have our needs. And we have wants. And I understand there's a difference. And we have to understand where each side is coming from. We can't impose our wants upon the corporation. They can and that's where the perception would be one of punitive."Do you believe that American can emerge from bankruptcy successfully?"I think this company will come out as a viable and vibrant company. We hope that the corporation sees that bigger is better in this environment, that to have three major network airlines surviving, we'd like to be one of those survivors. I think that's important."Andrea Ahles,817-390-7631Twitter: @Sky_TalkHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
