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May 1, 2008 1:00 pm US/Central
AA Pilots Ask For Help In Speeding Contract Talks
FORT WORTH (AP) ―
The union representing pilots at American Airlines asked federal officials Thursday to help speed talks on a new labor contract with the nation's biggest carrier.
Thursday marked the first day that the pilots' 2003 contract with American could be changed, but the two sides have made little progress.
The Allied Pilots Association asked the National Mediation Board to speed up the talks. The agency assigned a mediator to the case last month.
"For the good of all concerned -- including our airline's employees, passengers and shareholders -- we need to bring these negotiations to a prompt conclusion," said union President Lloyd Hill.
Last fall, the union asked for pay raises of more than 50 percent to return their pay to 1992 levels, which company officials rejected as unaffordable.
Pilots took wage and benefit cuts in 2003, when American and parent AMR Corp. were near bankruptcy. AMR earned $735 million in 2006 and 2007, but it lost $328 million in the first three months of this year due largely to record fuel prices.
Under federal law designed to avoid strikes, labor contracts in the airline don't expire; they become "amendable." American is also facing negotiations with its flight attendants and ground workers.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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