Aloha Airlines Pilots Authorize Strike

Aloha Airlines Pilots Authorize Strike
Fri, 25 Apr '08
Comes After Filing Of Complaint With Bankruptcy Court

Pilots at Aloha Airlines voted on Wednesday night to give its local leadership, the Aloha Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA), the right to call a strike, if it becomes absolutely necessary.

"A strike is the last thing we want and we will exhaust every opportunity -- negotiating with management, using federal mediators, going through bankruptcy court facilitation --- to avoid calling a strike. We're simply asking, just like our contract now provides, that management makes sure that Aloha pilots continue to fly our airplanes if the cargo division is sold to a new operator," said Aloha MEC Chairman David Bird. Ninety percent of those eligible pilots attending a special meeting voted to authorize the strike.

The vote comes just days after ALPA filed a complaint in US Bankruptcy Court seeking injunctive relief against Aloha Airlines management for repudiating the pilots' collective bargaining agreement since it filed for bankruptcy in March. As ANN has reported, Aloha's pilots have fought to continue flying in the wake of the carrier's cessation of passenger operations last month. including attempts to hire on with Aloha's cargo operation.

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